Tourettes+/OCD/Anxiety and rages

Jessica - posted on 04/30/2013

Hello I am new here.I have a 15 year old son with tourettes,he has rages,he has severe ocd,as well as anxiety.Meds help a little but I get the brunt of all his rages as well as the house this morning he kicked in my screen door in one of his rages..the smallest things seem to set him off I am trying to distinguish what is hormones and what is rages.He was very bad when he was younger it started at age 3..I kept being told I wasn't disciplining him properly because I was a single mother..wasn't until he was 8 that someone actually listened to me and he was diagnosed.He used to have terrible night terrors also when he was small,very violent,and always directed at me or his grandmother,I lost so many jobs because childcare was always quitting because no one could handle him I have had a doctor suggest I send him away but I wont do that I cant give up on my son..he is not in a conventional school is in a school for children with behavioral issues he does ok not sure he will ever be back in mainstream school.I get so frustrated with him sometimes and I lose my cool.He has a great sense of humor and is really a great kid he is so compassionate and loving but he has a darkside.His impulse control is not good he often says really inappropriate things and acts very immature and annoying to people.I love my son with all my heart I feel terrible because I don't enjoy him and I haven't enjoyed him since he was a baby..some days I feel like I am in a living hell with no hope it seems one thing after another with his behaviors I have so much guilt for not wanting to be around him but its so hard and I feel on edge I don't wanna set him into one of his rages.Anyone else feel like this..

Julia - posted on 08/08/2012

Hello - am new here. I have 12 yr old twins (girl/boy) and am experiencing tourettes/OCD/rage attacks (breaking anything he can get his hands on and then focusing on me- his mother)/anxiety and depression with my son. It got to the point where we had to pull him out of school in April and chances are he will not be returning this following September. He has been seeing a child psychologist since December to monitor his medication and goes to therapy once a week. He has his moments where he is almost back to his oldself where he jokes, laughs and smiles. He is a sensitive child, weary of not hurting others and gets very upset when he is not treated the same way. He wants desperately to be happy again. Sometimes he gets so low that he talks about how he feels deep within that he will never be well again, or ending his life.

Our family life is one of constant stress. His sister is afraid of his attacks (rightly so) and is worried most of the time. I am always on guard for his next rage. I am not able to leave his side unless my husband is at home (which is only on the weekends).

There is so much more to say.... I seriously need to have a talk with anyone who is going through the same as myself. Are there any others?

Marlene - posted on 04/17/2012

Yup, it's pretty intense, I know. I went to a good lecture in Albany, NY on TS rages. A Dr. from NYC came up to give it. We live in Maine. My son is a is very well behaved and reserved outside of my home and even at his fathers. The only "safe" place for this tension to erupt is at home. He represses tics..especially at school. He can be very nice at home sometimes, but like you say, it is like walking on eggshells. I think the hormonal teenage boy factors into the syndrome and ramps up the rage. Anyway, I felt it needed to be addressed last fall when he had recently turned 15 and I felt it was getting a bit scary....he's taller than me now, and I really felt he was suffering from the anxiety and depression. We had been trying to control and treat his mood disorders by treating the ADD (no hyperactivity) with the belief that his depression would lift if school work and stress went better. We've tried that for 3 years. Hasn't worked. His father balked at the idea of his "escalating violence" being an issue, failing to see that it was our son who was suffering, and encouraged our son to "run away" to his house. So my son lived there exclusively from Sept.-Jan 15 until he collapsed. He wasn't doing sports, sleep hygiene, limited screen time, balanced diet, and his mental health deteriorated.
The good thing is he is home now. He has had another neuro-psychological evaluation, an educational lawyer at his IEP a few weeks ago, he is working on getting the right dose up on the SSRI medication, low dose of Remeron for sleep, and while he is in transition getting on the SSRI's, some Xanax for the anxiety. He did start self medicating with marijuana while he was at his fathers. Since he has not "had a solution" yet, he has not given that up...yet. Frankly, I haven't heard one of his doctors who blame him. It's been more successful to have an open and honest dialog about it. Thank God I have my own therapist!

Jennifer - posted on 12/31/2011

My daughter was recently diagnosed with Tourette's and she is only 4 1/2. I took her to the doctor because she was sick and she had a rage attack, I felt lost, that wasn't my child. She is so sweet and loves her mother, but at that time she was yelling and screaming at me, pretending she was going to punch me, refusing to let go of my arms. It was awful. By the time we got home she was fine and acted as if it never happened. Through research I learned this was a rage attack, now I just need to learn to cope with them. I fear we have a long road ahead of us...

Tania - posted on 09/11/2011

wow not to be rude but im glad that i am reading about the rage of children with tourettes as i thought and felt like i was the only one , i also read one mum say her child says violent things ....my son is 5 and is being dianinosed with tourettes and the violent things he says about killing and shootings scaress me , and as for his temper well is hard to tell the difference is it the tourettes? i doubt my judgment all the time . its so hard i tell you im struggling on a daily basis , i have been told yes it is tourettes and he has already been dianosed with aspergers , he humms all day ticks all day and vocaly well its all day

Saira - posted on 06/11/2011

Hi every one i am also going through this with my daughter who is now 13 years she is under Cahms and has therapy every week its too me years for this and she is seen by a top specialist .she is a sufferer of torettes but what they was concerned this has now a dramatic effect on me as she pysicaly hurts me and its getting worse now as she is stronger and marks me more i am at my wits end as i am suffered this weekend at the hands of her bad to which it resultted me going t hospital but i canot hurt her i love her she is with remorse but i just do not know what to do as sometimes i just dont want her ,she is also a sick child with another illness and i am the only one that understands her .anyone else in my postition thankyou

Michelle - posted on 04/19/2011

OMG....sounds just like home! I understand exactly how you feel and my son is only 7, going on 17! It is so hard to know the line between, behavior and TS. He is very good at school and has a heart of gold, but when he get's mad...unreal. A car pulled out in front of me the other day and I very calmy said, "Wow, that wasn't nice" he replied..."yeah mom, let's go run into him and kill him." OMG...he is not a violent child and is sooo loving. Where does this come from? I'm worried...what do you do? We talk about how to react, take deep breaths, don't get so upset...but it just comes out. Help!

Elizabeth - posted on 03/08/2011

What kind of discipline is used in the home.

Jamie - posted on 02/27/2011

Try to talk with him about if he can sense when its coming on. Some people say you can like a seizure. If he can you can work on ways to stop them before they escalate. Good luck!

Melodye - posted on 02/22/2011

My son is almost 11 and goes into rages sometimes, too. He is a very kind, gentle person normally, but when he starts in a rage, there is no reasoning with him. It is very hard to deal with sometimes.

Susan - posted on 12/08/2010

Cynthia, my son sounds so much like yours. I found this link tonight after my 13 year old had a huge fit of rage followed by a complete meltdown...all over Algebra. It's comforting to read that other mom's are dealing with the same things. My son will scream at me, throw things across the room, and usually ends up holding a knife to his throat and saying he wants to die. The first couple of times it happened, I pretty much freaked out, but now realize that he'll calm down with a little support from me and then is extremely upset for what he's said and done. I realize he really can't help it, but it is extremely tough and takes a toll on both of us. I would also like to hear any suggestions others might have for ways to help or prevent this from happening.

Cynthia - posted on 12/08/2010

My son is 14, so glad to have met another mom with a teen son with rages. At first we thought this was just bad behavior but now realize he is just as frustrated with it as we are. His meds help somewhat, the combination of Risperdol, tenex and abilify. My son also has a huge soft heart but just has poor impulse control.What have you done about the rages. Would like to know what type of behavior he exhibits.

Dawn - posted on 11/07/2010

do you have her on any meds???? my son and my life were being controlled and ruined by his Rage he is on Biphentin now and life is so my better

Jess - posted on 11/06/2010

This is exactly one of the reasons I joined COM today. My daughter has extreme "rage attacks" at times and lashes out mostly at her little brother. I feel so horrible, because most of the times, I have to admit I lose my patience with her. She is only 9. I feel terrible that I get angry at her when I am supposed to "understand" what she is going through. It's SO HARD...and I have to admit...I'm not doing a very good job. I have to wonder if other moms feel the same way I do? Im stressed to the bone.

Dawn - posted on 11/05/2010

Hi there,for the last 8 yrs of my sons life I fought with doc, and specialist to find out why my other wise loving , kind hearted son, would turn in to a monster, at 3 he told me he was going in the house to get a knife and cut my head off, I was contently covered in bruises and bite marks , I was getting to the point that I thought I was going crazy that maybe I was to blame being a single mom. but at the same time I knew I was doing every thing I could. one day I had him in to see the neurologist for his Migraine's and I asked if there was a reason why he couldn't do buttons at his age (8)..because I have always believed that he suffered from ashbugrs a form of autism. as we were talking he made the diagnosis. it was the best day of my life we have him on meds and he is your every day child now. don't get me wrong he still gets mad like any kid, but not anything like before..I think I might actually be able to repaint his room now..lol. couldn't before because of him throwing things at the wall. he is on BIPHENTIN.. I wish I could have those precious toddler yrs to do over. I hope this helps.