my child was misdiagnosed with mental illness for years

Tammy - posted on 08/05/2010

I am sitting in my room right now listening to her laughing wildly over a movie with her twin sister and step sister, It just makes me cry with joy and angry that it took them soo long, but it is so amazing to have her back from hell. and that is what we lived through for 6 long years. Amazed and blessed, oh so blessed, I just want to let the world know never stop fighting to get the right help and the right medicines for your children. Don't let the state and doctors bully you int giving your child what they think is best, they don;t live with them and they don't see the day to day that you see and experience. I can't tell you how many times I sat in a hospital or psychiatrist office and told the docotrs that the medicines where making her act like a crazed animal and they just said that i wasn't giving it enough time and its your family dinamics thats causing it. I still have to pay CPS a little visit and get my name removed from their files, that will be a sweet feeling and I'm sure a vindicated one also!! If anyone has any questions for help or places to go for help in the DFW area, or is looking for a support group please let me know i would like to start one up. I can help a little!!!

Shelia - posted on 08/05/2010

As a student studying for a MS in professional counseling, one of the most important things I have learned in my studies is that it is of the utmost importance to rule out any medical issues before diagnosing mental illnesses. I have to say that these doctors made a HUGE mistake to say the least. I am so glad that you have gotten an accurate diagnosis of her medical condition and it is being treated. It is so unfortunate that she and your family had to endure this.

Julia - posted on 07/30/2010

Tammy,

Congratulations to you and your daughter for never giving up and getting to the bottom of what was wrong with her. I fear this kind of misdiagnosis is farly common.

Lorraine - posted on 07/30/2010

your story is horrendous, thank goodness you finally got to the bottom of it,nobody knows a child like their mother god bless

Cindy - posted on 07/29/2010

While I agree with Karen's comment, it is very hard to diagnose any problem with children as the symptoms are all over the place with them. I am so sorry you and your family had to go through this. It seems to be more common than not for children to have to go through this kind of misdiagnosis, and very sad for them and their family. I am so glad that you were able to be strong enough to stick by her and that she doesn't feel like you left her during the process.

It is so sad that those 6 years are gone and you can't get them back, but it is so wonderful that you are not sitting on a pity pot and that you two are really living life to the fullest now. Thank you for sharing this story.

Karen - posted on 07/29/2010

I would say you are an amazing woman and mother and she is very fortunate to have someone that will fight for her like that. I am so glad to hear that she is doing better. What a frightening story. We trust those who are supposed to know, but what if they don't? Something all of us with problemed children need to remember....trust our instincts and never stop fighting for the children we love.

Tammy - posted on 07/26/2010

You know Amy, thank you so much for your story, so many children out there are just being put on psychiatric meds and they are horrific, without anyone really knowing if there is something that is causing the brain to do what it is doing. But I don't think now she would even step in a therapist office unless it was to walk in there and tell them that they had issues. She has made a complete turn around, she says she has some anger towards a few doctors and therapist but she now realizes that if I had not kept fighting they would have never found the real issue!! Its an outrage that things like this can't be explored before it is considered mental. I want to be a voice to let othere people know that this is a problem with the mental health field. once my daughter was diagnosed as bi-polar we couldn't walk into a hospital or doctors with her arm half way cut off it was chalked up to her being unstable and they would ship her off to yet another mental health hospital. So Sad

Iridescent - posted on 07/25/2010

Sadly that's really common, and thankfully you pushed so hard to find out what was really wrong. I had an extremely similar path, although it was me that was diagnosed as depressed (I was), and would go from being suicidal without meds to homicidal with them. I couldn't control my actions at all on meds, and describe it as being a puppet I could watch but not control. It was terrible! Mine started when I was in 7th grade (12 years old). When I was 21 I was finally diagnosed with thyroid nodules and needed a thyroidectomy. As a result of the nodules I had been having a huge problem eating/swallowing, lost control of the swallow/breathe reflex (I can't tell them apart and often choke), had bouts of major depression which was changed to a diagnosis of bipolar (caused by fluctuating thyroid hormone levels, from hypo to hyperthyroidism on a very severe basis). All kinds of problems. It took me until I was 27 to fully recover mentally. I hope you still have your daughter seeing a good therapist, as she's likely to have a lot to deal with as a result.

Brenda - posted on 07/23/2010

I'm so glad you have your daughter back again, and found out what was really the problem. I wonder how many don't. Thank God!