my son is 12 yrs old & is showing a lot of signs for depression and bi-polar disorder. i am a 39 yr old woman who was diagnosed with both, 6 yrs ago. the signs he is showing are poor hygiene, massive weight gain, has no contact or very little with anyone other than me, poor grades, staying up for days at a time, always full of ideas in the middle of the night, and he absolutely refuses to go to school. it's gotten so bad that i have been dragged into court and charged with contributing to the delinquincy of a minor, for not making him go to school. if he misses anymore school without a doctors excuse, they will throw me in jail for 60 days. i do try to make him go, but at 12 yrs old, the boy weighs 200lbs and could do me harm, if i physically tried to make him. i've asked for help from the school and they told me to try the truent officer. i tried this and the third time he gave me problems going to school, they filed charges on me. in addition to these symptoms for bi-polar and manic depression, he also has severe asthma and almost always ends up in the hospital at least once or twice a year. the last attack he had, he reported to his teacher, but was ignored. by the time he was admitted into the hospital, his lungs were so tight and the attack so progressed that a pulmonary specialt was called in and he was almost life-flighted to a nearby childrens hospital. i am at my witts end. i know he loves me very much and doesn't want to see me in jail. but i also know that if he is bi-polar, without medication, it is almost impossible to handle as an adult. i can't even imagine his turmoil, being a 12 yr old boy , who has also just started puberty. he seems to also be very self destructive, ie: hitting himself or threatning to cut himself or kill himself. i don't know how much is him trying to get my attention and how much is a mental illness or normal adolescents. one thing i know i can count on as not being normal is that most 12 yr olds aren't thinking about suicide. i love him very much and am really scarred. can anyone help, please????!!!!!