I went for a little ride with my oldest, who is special needs and bipolar. He told me a very imaginative story which he believes to be completely true. I wonder if church is having a good effect or not.

Here is the story he related to me. He is 13

Up behind our house are a couple of nature trails. Well onetime when he was up there he found some ancient records that were written on parchment. He said that they were written in an ancient language. I asked him if it was Latin or something like that, and he said, no, but the Jews might have spoken it.

"Hebrew" I asked.

"Yeah, that's it. I would have finished translating them, but think they disintegrated and unfortunately I couldn't do the job."

I asked him how his Spanish was doing, because he said he used to be fluent at it when he was younger.

"Oh, I wasn't actually speaking Spanish, though I thought I was. It was actually Hebrew. To bad that parchment disintegrated, I could have learned a lot more interesting things."

He is developmentally delayed and sometimes acts real immature. He also told me a story of how he flew an airplane a couple years back when the pilot passed out...True story he says.

I hope to God he is just being imaginative, but you don't expect stories like this when you ask your child how it's going and he's 13, maybe 6.

It sounds like it could be his own special form of being a teen smart alec? Or maybe just trying to be imaginative. I wouldn't worry so much as long as it stays in the "appropriate" catagory for you and your family...

If you have had him evaluated and I suppose you have since you say he is bipolar, I would talk to the doctor who diagnosed him.This could be a form of attention seeking, imagination, he could be putting you on or he could have some problems that need to be addressed. I think you need to talk to a professional.

IMO this is your son's way of processing the JS "First Vision" story, which your son certainly would have learned about in Primary.

Joseph Smith was 14, your son is 13. If at age 14, Joseph Smith saw a parchment with writing on it, why wouldn't your son assume that he, being of a similar age, could have a similar experience?

Your son may not recognize the unwritten church law that while Joseph Smith should be revered for his supposed “First Vision,” any other church member claiming to have had such a vision should be reviled and/or exed.

At any rate, I see it as your son's trying to figure it out, to make sense of what he has heard in Primary classes about JS. Imagining himself finding a parchment written in another language would be part of this processing.

Continue to let your son share his thoughts with you, as you did on this occasion. I see no cause for concern.

(On the other hand, there are a few LDS leaders whom I might nominate for mental instability…)

Sounds like imagination, possibly crossed with some harmless attention seeking. I wouldn't be worried at this point.

Someone I know was on medication that I think is sometimes used for bipolar (and dang it, I can't remember the name of it, but they use a lot of the same meds as for migraines). Anyway, she had some hallucinations.

Really kind of freaked her out. She eased off the meds (it was one of those you can't stop suddenly) and the problem went away.

I would ask your son if he thinks his experience was real or imagined, and decide where to go from there. But also check the side effects on his medicines.

The person I know was on the medication for a while before having hallucinations.

As long as the imagination is not crossing the line to hearing voices or being compelled to harm himself or someone else, the medical community will not really find it useful. If it is attention seeking, make sure there are positive times he can count on to relax with you and have you listen as he may need some extra TLC. You will know if there is a change to the way he is thinking with this regular contact.
I have been involved with mental illness for about 25 years now, not a professional. As he is already diagnosed, were there any co-occurring disorders with his bi-polar disorder? That is very common - is there a visible genetic path that you can look back on to see if there are certain traits that are coming through?
Good luck, fanciful thinking can sometimes lead to interesting careers for high-functioning BPD people.

It sounds like Confabulation. It is usually seen in people with brain damage. I don't know if it is common in people with bipolar disorder. Maybe it is his medication.

I would be concerned if it seems that he really believes it.

My brother has a brain injury and had a problem with this (very common with a brain injury). We noticed it the most when he had anesthesia & pain meds for surgery. He really doesn't do it anymore. The medication really seemed to bring it out. He went on and on and it involved mostly fantasy but also truth intermixed with it.

Yes, it could be the meds. Most of the stuff they prescribe for children has never been tested in children, and even in adults, isn't fully understood as to how it works on/in the brain.

Is someone making sure he's properly taking what he's been already been prescribed, whatever it is?

Religious ideation, or bizarre religious fantasies based on things he has read or heard, might mean something more serious is going on as far as his mental health is concerned.

But you know your son best. Observe, and react to what makes you uncomfortable when you see it. If you feel what's been happening just isn't right, or is a sign that he needs more---or maybe a different kind of help altogether---support him by helping him to get it.

And definitely mention all he has said and that you have witnessed, to his doctors and any medical caregivers you have helping you watch over him.

Little things can mean big problems, sometimes, in the battle for balance which mentally ill people fight every day. This is especially true for children.

I hope all goes well for you, and him.