Dear Forgotten Father,
It sounds as though you have truly been left out in this case. Let me address some things.
THe mirroring of behavior is not ALL bad, but is generally done under the direct supoersion of a trained therapist and for very specific reasons, and under very specific circumstances. I am not sure what the purpose behind rearranging his room would be. Have you asked his mother to explain the reasoning behind all of this?
More importantly, to me at least, why is this child in a detention center? THat is NOT in response to
bipolar behavior? Sounds as though something else is going on here, and SOMEONE is trying to medicalize it. Thirteen is a very rough age! How involved are you and can you be in his life? He needs to see positive and consistent role models, with a very fair yet defined set of boundaries for acceptable behaviors.
Try to talk with the therapist and perhaps the counselor at the JDC. From there, get your son involved in a positive role modeling environment.
Dr. D