Hello, I am mother of a son with BiPolar1.  My daughter was diagnosed with BP2 before she died in a car accident.  I have had custody of her two children since 2001,  One 16, one 11.  My 31 year old son was diagnosed with Bipolar when he was a senior in College.  Let me begin with the kind of person he was.  He played all sports. He was a kind and gentle spirit according to anyone that met him.  He received a football scholarship out of high school at Georgia Military College, made the Dean's List, was offered some other university scholarships but eventually decided on his dream to go to Liberty University in Virginia.  His first year went great, but as he entered his senior year things started to happen that were just not normal for him.  He married, and went on to finish his scholarship out, she became pregnant, and his sister was killed in a car accident, things then began to fall apart.  He had several episodes that caused him to be arrested, because they did not know what else to do with him...As soon as we found out we went to Va. and had him admitted into the hospital.  From there we learned he had been diagnosed.  His wife could not handle it so she took him to court at the time he was very sick and trying to learn how to digest this life changing disease.  He lost any visitation for his son (which we have tried many times to restore, but it is just too expensive) he is on disablity and we have two children we are raising.  His next adventure was to play Arena football for New York, which threw him right back into the mental hospital for a month.  We could find out nothing because of the wonderful HIPA LAWS. :(  It has been back and forth into hospitals for the past 9 years.  The medication that he is on helps but as the doctor told us that is about as good as it gets.  I have heard there is some kind of surgery that might help with this life changing mental illness.  Is this true and do you know what is involved and what are the dangers?  I wish so desperately that mental illness could be seen like burns, or cancer, or diabetes, or any of the other life changing things that happen to people, but unfortunately they are just considered crazy and not productive in society, until they break the law..then they get a place to live 3 meals a day, and all the medication they need...HELLO...