New to the forum w/ ADHD diagnosed

Welcome!

Another site you might want to try is:
http://millermom.proboards23.com/index.cgi#general

Has anything changed recently? Has his diet changed?

It does sound like something is “triggering” him right now. Often, when that happended to us, something in our diet was starting the “meltdown”.

peace,
marge
http://www.net-haven.net

thank you for the response. Actually his home life has become more stable. Nothing in his diet has changed. I have had him on a high protein diet for 2 years now. I guess just being a mom and not being able to do anything can be frustrating at times.

Has there been a recent increase in stimulant dosage? Stimulants are known to cause “bipolar” symptoms. I would definitely check into this possibility before leaping to the conclusion that he is “bipolar”. I have seen a number of cases through my work where stimulants have caused this kind of reaction, and a reduction or elimination of stimulants have solved the problem. Since he didn’t have the symptoms until recently, I think this possibility has to be explored.

Sorry if this sounds like a rant, but hopefully there’s something here you can use.

My son is also ADHD, with aggresson. He’s five. Speaking of medication, he is taking medication for anxiety. The stimulants made him extremely agitated and aggressive, and the makers of stimulant medication will warn that children with significant anxiety symptoms not take stimulant medication (it makes them more anxious). The medication for anxiety is working, but it’s like I tell him, he needs to do some work too. He can’t just sit back, take medication and wait for it to control his behavior. He needs to learn to control himself better. I told him this because he told me once, “I can’t help it; the medication is not working,” when he had a bad day.

My son is also in a temporary day treatment program that combines the meds with behavior modification and therapy. He is making progress. No zombie behavior, nothing weird happening. But the main focus is teaching him control and coping skills, and I’ve made it clear that he is not to be medicated into submission, and it’s okay that he’s not 100% behaving. If you live in the Washington, DC area or can travel there for a week or more, you may want to look into this program, which is run by Children’s Hospital.

I would be careful with bipolar and ODD diagnoses. There was a quick attempt by a psychologist to diagnose my son with ODD, and we fought that. My son didn’t fit all the symptoms, and she was going off of checklists and the hard time he gave her during evaluation. I have been told by more than one source that an ODD diagnosis in particular, and how it’s handled in an IEP, can limit placement (should a placement outside the public school be necessary). Now, if there’s irrefutable evidence that your child has ODD or bipolar, okay. Treatment is the priority. But a thorough, well-thought-out diagnosis, and perhaps second opinion, is needed for that in my view. I’m hearing about so many mental health diagnoses among very young children, particularly boys, that I am frankly skeptical. My thought is, exactly how many kids are they going to diagnose with ODD. CD, bipolar, mood disorder (not otherwise specified, my son’s secondary diagnosis), ADHD, ADD, depression, etc. before someone tries a different educational setting and trains teachers to accommodate and teach these kids?

There could very well be mental health issues with your child, but please make sure the doctor is thorough and understanding of how difficult it is to make a mental health diagnosis in a very young child.

What kind of meds is your son on?

I have 2 children, Son with ADD/Dyslexia and Daughter with Bipolar/ADHD/GAD/Panic/ODD/Complex LD (diagnosed at age 8).

There are a couple of things that I would suggest before you panic.

Did he have symptoms such as severe mood swings, extreme anxiety, rages, difficulty sleeping, etc. before stimulants were introduced?

Is there a family history of mental illnesses?

Have you kept any mood/behavior charts?

I agree that a second opinion can be helpful but would also encourage to you to do some reading on your own. Also, start keeping a mood chart if you haven’t done that yet. Make up a chart of Family Mental Health, as well because that information can be useful in getting a diagnosis.

My dd was very different from birth. She had issues with staying still, sleeping, lots of anxiety and we used to joke about her having “that time of the month” very early. Her original dx was ADHD/GAD at age 8 but within 6 months it was changed to Bipolar/ADHD/GAD. Stimulants definitely increased symptoms but they were also still there when she was medication free. Since her appropriate dx she has done very well. She also had complex LD, which add to her difficulties but despite it all she has a great attitude, has made friends, is fairly stable mood wise and is learning to deal with her LDs.

One book that I found very helpful was Bipolar Not ADHD by George Isaacs, MD. The diagnostic information is very good and helpful.

Some helpful web sites:

http://www.bpinfo.net - Brainstorm: Your Pediatrict Bipolar InfoSource

http://www.bpchildresearch.org/ - Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation

http://www.klis.com/chandler/pamphlet/bipolar/bipolarpamphlet.htm - Bipolar Affective Disorder (Manic Depressive disorder) in Children and Adolescents

http://www.chnpartnerships.com/forms_guide/diagnostic_based_guidelines/Child%20Adols%20Bipolar%20Disorders%201002.pdf - Bipolar Disorders - Child and Adolescent

http://www.jaacap.com/pt/pt-core/template-journal/jaacap/media/01.chi.0000146567.36668.30.pdf - Treatment Guidelines for Children and Adolescents With Bipolar Disorder: Child Psychiatric Workgroup on Bipolar Disorder

As for my son, he tried stimulants without success. The side effects made taking them inapproriate. He has found things that he can do to help himself as well as some natural supplements. His is also not as severe, being mostly inattentive at times but able to redirect himself.