Introduction

The moment I discovered that I was the mother of a child with bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression, my life became the ultimate learning curve. I knew something was terribly wrong one summer day in Mystic, Connecticut. My son, then five years old, stood on the edge of a pier at the seaport museum and, under a sparkling summer sky, threatened to kill himself. What horrible incident triggered the outburst? An ordinary parental limit-setting moment. I'd just informed him and his brother and sister that we were headed inside the museum. He wanted to explore another ship, and when I said no, he stomped to the edge...