All Communities > Autism/Asperger's/PDD Awareness > Anyone have a child who has mental health issues and has...

Anyone have a child who has mental health issues and has gone undiagnosed?

Amy - posted on 01/04/2010 ( 6 moms have responded )

I have a 13 year old who has MH issues. He has been in and out of therapy, and on so many medications since was 4 years old. He has been hospitalized 5 times in 9 years. (psychiatric hospitals) He has been dignosed with ADHD, Tourette's, PTSD, OCD, Anxiety Disorder, and Reactive Attachment Disorder. All of which were withdrawn at one time or another throughout 9 years. My question is, how can I get him the help he needs b4 it is too late? He exhibits so many signs of Asperger's Syndrome, but they refuse to diagnose him with it and treat him as if he has it. WHY? I know that is what is wrong with him. He is currently in juvenile detention serving a 35 day sentence for truancy charges. Somebody please help before I lose my son, maybe forever!! Please!

Join Circle of Moms

6 Comments

View replies by

Amy - posted on 01/07/2010

I am in E. KY, but I am from Lexington, KY, I am about 2 hours from there now. At this point, it makes no difference to me what distance I have to travel, as long as I can get a good one to listen to us and actually work for us. Can you sense my frustration? LOL!

Michelle - posted on 01/06/2010

Amy, sorry it took so long to get back to you. With him being 13, I don't know think it really matters what kind of psychologist he sees, but you may want to try getting in touch with your nearest Childrens Hospital. Most of them have outpatient centers that have psychologists in them, if not they can probably refer to someplace close that does. Where do you live?

Jennifer - posted on 01/05/2010

I have a 9 yr old son. We have been through every diagnosis. ADHD, SID, OCD, ODD, Bipolar, Mental Retardation, and finally when he was 8 got the PDD-NOS. I have spent the last yr trying to get the help he needs, now that I finally got the diagnosis that I suspected when he was 2 yrs old. A child psychologist is a good start, but there are others that can also diagnose this. You can use a developmental pediatrician or a Neurologist that specializes in ASD.

Barbara - posted on 01/05/2010

I have a 16 year old that has been diagnosed with PDD-nos. Mine got into trouble with the law also. It took a look time to diagnose him. We went thru ADHD, social phobia, OCD, CD,and now we have, at the age of 15, become PDD-nos. Of course, after getting into trouble with the law. We have not lost our son, but he is in states custody right now. They did this so that he could get treatment. The program he is in is a residency program where they wake him up (at the same time) everyday, give them breakfast ( same time everyday), go to school all year long. He will be there for a total of 18 months. He receives treatment, therapy, attends group therapy (anger-management), and other things. We see alot of big changes in him. We see him every weekend. He earns visits. I know this isn't helping, but I read all of these and found yours to be a little bit close to our story. I just wish maybe he would have been diagnosed sooner with this. Maybe we could have gotten a better idea of how to deal with him.

Amy - posted on 01/04/2010

Quoting Michelle:

Sounds like you need to get an evaluation by a psychologist and not a psychiatrist. I am very surprised that they haven't sent you to one already. also take into consideration that with all these diagnosis's that some stem from others. My son has Aspergers Syndrome, from that comes Bi-Polar and ADHD, he has been on muliple meds, now he takes nothing. It just took alot of time and patience to get him trained to do the things we wanted him to and not to do, it also took alot of cooperation from the school. I would be the type of parent to be on the phone with the school board if I thought my son was being mistreated in any way, even if they thought he wasn't. think about it, there is a reason he is skipping school. Asperger kids have reason, it's not for us to understand, but for us to to get to them before they make the big mistakes when they are adults. I hope this was helpful to you.

It was. I did not honestly know there was a difference between a psychiatrist, and a psychologist. And he was not skipping school, he was simply refusing to go, and if he was forced to go, he would get sent home on a suspension for fighting, or disrupting. So, all the suspensions, plus just simply not going added up in no time and I had the truancy officers calling me and off to court we go! This was the first time he had been in front of a judge and she gave him a whole 35 days! It was over Christmas too, so he was stuck in there during Christmas, poor thing. He was depressed b4 he went in, but he is even more now! Now, all I have to do is find a psychologist in my area to see him. We just moved here, and I know no Dr..'s and it is a small town, so I dont know how much luck I am going to have. And does it have to be a child psychologist, or is there a difference in children and adult psychologists? Thanks!

Michelle - posted on 01/04/2010

Sounds like you need to get an evaluation by a psychologist and not a psychiatrist. I am very surprised that they haven't sent you to one already. also take into consideration that with all these diagnosis's that some stem from others. My son has Aspergers Syndrome, from that comes Bi-Polar and ADHD, he has been on muliple meds, now he takes nothing. It just took alot of time and patience to get him trained to do the things we wanted him to and not to do, it also took alot of cooperation from the school. I would be the type of parent to be on the phone with the school board if I thought my son was being mistreated in any way, even if they thought he wasn't. think about it, there is a reason he is skipping school. Asperger kids have reason, it's not for us to understand, but for us to to get to them before they make the big mistakes when they are adults. I hope this was helpful to you.