WICHITA, Kansas, May 8, 2008 – Special events across the nation Thursday will draw attention to the issue of mental illness among children.

Often mistaken as an adult problem, Bipolar Disorder affected a Wichita Boy even before the age of two.

When Cassandra Sines and her husband adopted Caleb at birth, they knew he was at risk for mental illness because his mother was bipolar, but they never dreamt his problems would start as a toddler.

"We were on vacation, and he'd be running around, laughing, having a great 'ole time one minute, and the next, he's on the floor kicking and screaming,” said Cassandra.

His mood swings only escalated as Caleb had trouble sleeping.

"He'd bang his head on the floor,” Cassandra said. “He was uncontrollable, screaming. You couldn't hold him because that made it worse so we had to kinda let him go.”

Because of the risk to his younger sister, Caleb even had to be hospitalized once for six days. Now, he’s calmer thanks to the right combination of medicines.

His new service dog is also being trained to comfort Caleb during a tantrum and a weighted blanket provides soothing pressure while he sleeps.

Even when Caleb goes to Kindergarten, he wears a backpack with heavy books insider to keep him from getting agitated.

"I see a calmer child,” said paraprofessional Cynthia Bruns. “I see a child with more independence, and he feels good about himself; more confident.”

Cynthia works one-on-one with Caleb; staying by his side throughout the school day.

"I'm there to make sure he's doing his work and he’s staying on task,” Cynthia said.

As a result, Caleb has had a great year, providing that with treatment and a little understanding, mental illness can be controlled.

For more information on Children's Mental Health Awareness Day and the resources available to parents, click on News Links.