Bi Polar ??

Kelly - posted on 03/03/2013

yes, I have a daughter who is now 14 yrs old, when she was 7 yrs old she was diagnosed bipolar 1 (rapid cycling). It took a long time about a year for the child psychiatrist) i didnt want to rush into diagnosing her and putting her on all of those psych meds and their side effects until i was for sure she had it! But, she was doing things in 1st grade like telling other kids she was going to stab them in the eye with a pencil for no reason, or trying to jump out of the wimdows at school, or being extremley mean to the other kids at school, and the school was begging me to let her have an evaluation done, which i gladly did! so anyways, she finally was put on seroquel and lithium and adderall for adhd. I also enrolled her in a behavioral school and that helped tremendously! Today, she is in a normal school and gets A"s and is such a sweet and lovable teenager! Every once in a while i have some issues with her, as all kids will have, but no more "crazy outbursts"! I also read the book The Bipolar Child which is at your local library! It will help you a lot!

√v^√v^√♥ - posted on 04/22/2011

Just being Hyperactive and having is that OCD? Can be very frustraiting. Just remember........ no matter anyone diagnoses your son with, you have to figure out how to help him get through life the best way you can :)



I have a learning disability which caused me to start failing school from the time I was 11 all the way through high school. It was very hard for me, I got straight F's no matter how much we studied and tried to get through it. I just failed and it wasn't until I was 15 was I diagnosed properly, then it took us a year to understand it. Even then, the IEP they had me on and the public schools BS I couldn't pass. I didn't learn how to cope with it until I was 19 and going to college. We're slower developmentally because it takes us longer to get through basic things due to our hold ups. So your son will need alot of your help and to me the biggest thing was once I had a diagnoses, I had been wondering What is wrong with me? for so long when I finally got an answer it was like OH finally............ wait... what do we do now? Nothing changes. There isn't alot of help out there at times and it sucks. I didn't even get much help in college even though I was in the disabled program and had state disability helping me through college.



So I think the biggest thing to remember is to just try to help him as much as possible no matter what it is. Understanding helps, as it may lead to you being able to help him more. But sometimes not. You can usually go to the local Disability offices and they will test your son for free.

Michelle - posted on 04/22/2011

Bi polar is not something that is normally diagnosed before the early teens what you are describing sounds like the normal symptoms of both ADHD and ODD my son has both. We had do use two different meds for him one for the ADHD and one for the ODD perhaps that is what you need to be looking at doing. We take 20mg of adderall xr, and .75 mg of Risperdal. The adderall is for the ADHD and the Risperdal is for the ODD. hope this helps

Nancy - posted on 04/21/2011

I was reading down the other posts and someone said their son was diagnosed with Asbergers, I have always thought that my son showed some signs of this also, By the way he was 3 when he was put on medicine and is now 10, he has been on everyone of the medications that other moms on here have listed.... I am hoping through time we can fix this situation.

Nancy - posted on 04/21/2011

My son is 10 and has ADHD, ODD and his behaviorlist has been discussing a bit of Bi-Polar with me....we have started a behavior plan that i hope works. My son shows anger and rage typically when i am not home and at work. I know you are probably as lost as Iam but I must say that the meds they have him on have helped a bit, he take Vyvanse and Intiutiv for the anger outbursts. He gets so out of control that he has ruined his room. Large holes in the walls, on his 3rd bedroom door and now has nothing on his walls but his writing....I know how you are feeling if you would like to talk please write back to my post

Lisa - posted on 04/20/2011

DO IT!! I took the list of symptoms to my son's doctor and highlighted all the things I see he has. I also took many emails from his teachers showing the behavior they saw in him. His doctor listened and changed his med from Zoloft to Abilify and he has tuned into a completely different kid. He has emotions again, except he can change from one to another. He can think more clearly and he is able to follow through with routines that he knows without the constant direction. He is smiling and laughing again! He still has very low self esteem and we are doing everything we can to work on that but he has to be able to feel his emotions to learn how to handle them. Sometimes parents do know best and being frank with the doctor never hurts.

Jaylene - posted on 04/20/2011

my son is 7 at 4 was diagnosed with odd and mood disorder nos, at first at 3 the mental health center tried saying it was adhd but when tried on dif adhd meds he went crazy like having fits for 4 plus hours screeming breaking things,. he was diagnosed bipolar 2 at six, but recently has been diagnosed with aspergers, he recently has had to be hospitalized to stabilze his meds. the best thing for you to do if you dont think he has the right diagnosis is to keep pushing and take him elsewhere for testing! definately the neuropsych that has been my best luck for both my kids i also have a 4 year old on the spectrum and now understand my older son so much more! for years i thought other then his advanced speech he seemed like autistic children i knew, but everyone just blew me off. we are our childrens biggest advocate! never let a dr make you feel like you dont know your own child, hope you figure this out i know it is hard to go through!

Jane - posted on 04/20/2011

My son was diagnosed as ADHD and ODD when he was five, and as Bipolar when he was seven. Anger management classes have had little apparent impact unless you compare across the years, hospitalization has helped some during crises, but meds have been the best answer so far.

I also recommend the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (bpkids online) that Christinia cites. Their site was very helpful.

It has taken years but he is finally on a medicinal cocktail that works for him. It is hit and miss. I suggest keeping a diary of symptoms and behaviors, along with apparent triggers, and take it with you to the doc.

Christinia - posted on 04/20/2011

http://bpkids.us1.list-manage.com/track/... Here is the link for bpkids... They are very helpful...

Christinia - posted on 04/20/2011

My daughter is bi-polar... They had triedthe medicines that associated with anxiety and she got worse. I was blessed in meeting a therapist that sent me to the CABS clinic, which specializes in bi-polar in adolescents. Look at the psychiatric hospital in your area for programs for Bi-polar. Also there is a website were parents with children with bi-polar. (I will come back to post the link). There is help out there, but most therapists do not have the tests for it in their papers...

Sheri - posted on 04/20/2011

My daughter is bipolar and ADHD. She was diagnosed as ADHD at age 7 and as bipolar at age 9. She is also very anxious.



The only stimulant ADHD medicine that has worked for her is Focalin. On Concerta, she was very critical of herself. On Adderall, she was volatile. Daytrana worked o.k., but it irritated her skin -- and the doseage was two large patches/day. Over the course of the 7 years since she was first diagnosed with ADHD, she has been on a whole host of medications: stimulants (Concerta, Adderall, Provigil, Daytrana, Focalin), antidepressants (Zoloft), antipsychotics (Abilify, Risperdal, Seroquil), antianxieties (Xanex, Ativan, Clonazepam, Vistaril), anticonvulsants (Neurontin, Trileptal), mood stabilizers (Depekote, Lithium), and nonstimulant ADHD medications (Strattera, Intuniv, Tenex).



I would definitely talk to your doctor, and I would investigate is whether your insurance will cover a neuropsych evaluation. When my school district would not open a case on my daughter and refused my requests for special accommodations, I arranged for a neuropsych evaluation (which was paid by my insurance). Three years later, she was again evaluated. These evaluations have provided the leverage that we've needed with the school district to get the services that she needs.



I'm sure that you know that ADHD and bipolar disorder have many of the same behavors, but do not respond to the same types of treatment. Therefore, getting an accurate diagnosis is very important.



Good luck!

Joan - posted on 04/20/2011

My daughter was diagnosed at 12 or 13 and I thought that was young! Find a good psychiatrist in your area and ask your pediatrician to refer you there. Bi-polar could be causing the other disorders, or making them worse. But, it can take a long time to find a drug combination that works for your child. Be patient and make sure you can work with your doctor and that they listen to you and your child. Best of luck!

Alice - posted on 04/19/2011

"80% of rapid cycling bipolar II' also have ADHD and over 20% of people with ADHD have bipolar II." Dr. Paul Meier, "Blue Genes", Chapter, The ADD Advantage.



Considering all the problems your child is having it would do you good to read this book. I finished it this week. I, my son, my husband and I suspect my daughter have ADHD. My son has also been diagnosed as Schizophrenic and I have been diagnosed as Bipolar. I also expect social and agoraphobic issues as well. While reading "Fear Less for Life" and "Blue Genes" I have discovered answers I have been looking for for 30 years. I actually believe we are about to get a handle on many of the problems we have been having.



I hope they help you as well.