Hi, I am a mum of three daughters. My eldest and youngest have been diagnosed with ASD Lvl 1 (my youngest is on cusp of lvl2). We sought treatment as soon as we could and both girls are well adjusted and understand that they just think outside the normal ranges. My middle daughter. We believed was “normal”. She is 17 and I just thought she was typical teenage girl, maybe with a bit of a anger issue, but she was loving, caring and funny. In year 9, around 14, she started to go off the rails a little… ran away from home, hated school, ran with the wrong crowd, got into drugs (my first red flag was when she said pot calmed her). Would shop lift, never really slept, start fights she couldn’t win… it was hard for everyone, but her especially. Anyway, long story short, she returned home, left school, got a job (16yrs now). Then it started again. She just didn’t come home, quit her job and some of the messages she has sent her father and I are borderline. She hates us, she loves us then rants that last paragraphs. I always thought she reminded me of my sister, but I was reading her message’s again today and I realised, it is my mum she reminds me of. My mum (she has passed away, suicide) was diagnosed with manic depressive disorder or bipolar now it is called. If my mum did not take her meds properly, her manic episodes would last for days to weeks. I am here to talk to other parent of bipolar children. Am I imagining this. Or is this real, can it manifest in teenagers as young as 14. I can not see a psychiatrist for 3 weeks ( we are rural) and I really want her to get help if it is real. I am scared for her. ... View more