Does having Bipolar Disorder Disqualify Someone from Adopting?

I am aware of a number of people that were NOTt "turned down" or "prevented" from adopting due to a mental illness. (Most of the people I know have depression and are on medication.) The key thing is (whether its a mental illness, physical handicap, bad past - i.e. arrest) to show your stability, how you manage it/over came it, be honest/up front about it, etc. Quite honestly, it could be a benefit in a worker's eyes as you have experience handling (with success) your needs while others don't, etc. Good luck!!

A relative of a foster placement I had passed a homestudy even though she has BiPolar Disorder. She was required to have a plan for who would care for the child when she was hospitalized (because she was not always successful at controlling it with medication). The placement did not succeed (child was removed after 8 months), but her bipolar disorder was not an issue.

My DH is Bipolar and also has anxiety issues. This did not stop us from completing an international infant adoption from Guatemala. Many other countries do not allow PAPs to be on medication for depression and mania. There were several things that we had to do for the homestudy. DH had to take an MMPI test and get a letter stating that his bipolar will not affect his ability to parent from both his psychiatrist and therapist. We were very upfront with the agency and the social worker about DHs bipolar. Also, DH has only had one manic episode. He was hospitalized for five days as a result. His mother's psychiatrist diagnosed him at that time (she is also bipolar). It is coming up on three years now and he has his condition under control with medication. I can't tell you how it will be with domestic adoption, but international adoption seems to have stricter rules from what I have seen. Good luck to you.

HI: I am bipolar type 1 with a history of psychotic manias but all I had to have for my homestudy was a note from my psychiatrist saying I was taking my meds and was more than stable enough to adopt. As you can read from my signature line I have 2 beautiful boys, one is bio and the other is my precious adopted son. During our post placement visits, the social worker basically just wrote down what meds I was taking, the name of my psychiatrist and therapist, etc. Good luck! Blessings, Michelle

Thanks to all who have replied. It's reassuring to know that others have succeeded in what I am trying to do. I am moving into a 2-bedroom apt. this week, and I will be attending an adoption orientation meeting in about 3 weeks, so it is exciting to finally be going through with what I've been wanting to do for years.

Just wanted to offer more reassurance - I'm an adoption specialist for Arkansas, doing adoptions for foster care... I've had parents with several different mental health diagnoses - some more "severe" than bipolar - that we were able to work with. You may be asked to completed some testing, or obtain a report from your psychiatrist, including documentation that your condition is well maintained with medication and therapy. It's definitely doable though!!!Good luck!Katy

I actually had a therapist tell me I don't need therapy at this time, so that's gotta be a good sign. I'm pursuing a master's degree in counseling (though I'm taking a break from school while I try to adopt), and I think all the research into counseling theories and all the "self-reflection" I've been required to do for that program have made a huge difference in learning ways to cope with my own issues. That therapist and I agreed that I will keep her card and can call to make an appt. at any time if I feel I need help. It will be interesting to see how I will react to the stress of the whole adoption process, but I have close friends who are behind me 100%, and my family (who live in another state) are supportive even if some of them don't understand why I would want to adopt an older child.