Getting nervous again

[anon4now]

Hi again,

I've been reading on and off, but work is getting a little more busy, and my home comp is broke. Actually, my home comp is fine, my hubby's laptop is broke, so he stole my internet.

So, the past 2 weeks, my son's behavior at school has been getting a little bit more....crazy. He's being silly in class, and disruptive. Every day a note is coming home.

So I started thinking...I know here we go again. So back on 02/04/08 I posted some concern about bi-polar symptoms. During that time, I was having conversations with my DH about my son being depressed and mopey. Now on 03/17/08, I'm seeing a giddy, silly kid that wants to make everyone laugh in school and won't stop even though it will get him in trouble, and he will not earn his star for the day that gets him webkinz. I thought for sure the webkinz would be a strong pull for good behavior. But he just isn't doing it.

Does anyone have a child or know an adult with bi-polar Can anyone help me sort out my thoughts. I can't believe this is the week I'm skipping the pych apt AND I have to wait until Thurs next week to see her again. I just want someone to say yay or nay.

Thanks for listening.

Anon

[charliegirl]

Its been a long time since I have been around my cousins who are bipolar enough to be aware of their mood swings but I do know that this time of year makes a lot of kids antsy. The weather is changing, its getting to where they can see an end in site for school, etc. It isn't unusual for anyone's behavior to change.

I think your best bet is to document any mood or behavior changes and look for things which may have triggered them. You will be able to see if there is a pattern, any triggers, etc. You will also be able to track the intensity of them at different times.

[katiekat]

My 7 year old son is DX Bipolar. He definitely has something else going on and we're not quite sure what yet, but all docs have agreed on the BP diagnosis.
I can tell you that when his mood shifts it is dramatic. We have seen this twice in about a year. It lasted for over a month the first time(this is why we first went to a psychiatrist) and only about a week the second. For the most part he is EXTREMELY hyperactive. But during these times he will cry for hours and have no idea why he is crying. He will punch himself in the head and bang his head on furniture. He has nightmares, insomnia and wets the bed. Then as soon as it comes it is gone. There is a very strong genetic factor in his case as his bio. mother, paternal, and maternal grandmothers are all bipolar.
I will try to answer any questions you have.

[rakuflames]

Mar 17, 2008 19:03:17 GMT -5 anon4now said:

Hi again,

I've been reading on and off, but work is getting a little more busy, and my home comp is broke. Actually, my home comp is fine, my hubby's laptop is broke, so he stole my internet.

So, the past 2 weeks, my son's behavior at school has been getting a little bit more....crazy. He's being silly in class, and disruptive. Every day a note is coming home.

So I started thinking...I know here we go again. So back on 02/04/08 I posted some concern about bi-polar symptoms. During that time, I was having conversations with my DH about my son being depressed and mopey. Now on 03/17/08, I'm seeing a giddy, silly kid that wants to make everyone laugh in school and won't stop even though it will get him in trouble, and he will not earn his star for the day that gets him webkinz. I thought for sure the webkinz would be a strong pull for good behavior. But he just isn't doing it.

Does anyone have a child or know an adult with bi-polar Can anyone help me sort out my thoughts. I can't believe this is the week I'm skipping the pych apt AND I have to wait until Thurs next week to see her again. I just want someone to say yay or nay.

Thanks for listening.

Anon

Katiekat, if it is bipolar he probably has little control over these mood swings. When he is wound up, he will not see his behavior for the problem it is. In order for rewards systems to work, the child has to already be able to exhibit the behavior. If the child is bipolar, that means he has to be able to deliver no matter where his mood is. I think it would be a rare child with undiagnosed bipolar who could do that.

I would suggest you keep a journal so you have something concrete to share with the doctor.

[anon4now]

Thank you for your responses. I was thinking about the journal idea. It's kind of funny, but I find all of this thinking is when I'm walking to and from the bus in my neighborhood. My mind sort of just wanders and starts speculating.

Anywho, I was thinking of outlining a few behaviors and checking them off each day. Like this morning I would put "Talkative" In the twenty minutes during breakfast, he must have told me 15 different stories. And then possibly have his teacher mark how he behaves in school, and then dad can do it at home.

Does anyone have something like this? Do you think I should just take the list from the bipolar symptom lists?

KK, I see some of the same behaviors. When I first came to this board, my son was getting mad and crying (but over reacting type) and then would go up to his room and hit himself or hit his head against the wall or dresser. He would talk to himself about how bad he is. I asked him to name me five things that he liked about himself, and he couldn't name one. Nightmares...maybe...definately not night terrors. He seems to know it was scary but not real. And he's never stopped wetting the bed since his type I diabetes started 5 years ago. Oh, and there's family history on his bio-fathers side. Bio's Mom, Brother and Uncle, from what I understand.



But in the past few weeks, it's been a different basket of problems. He's not crying so much. He's being irresponsible. He's being very silly in class. And like I said talkative and just sort of buzzing around the house. That's the best way I can explain it.

Any help with the behavior list would be great. Thanks again guys,

Anon

[katiekat]

I too have kept a journal of behaviors and when they come and go. It makes it much easier when I have to tell a doctor what has been going on.
-Sean has never had night terrors either-he does know they are dreams and not real but they are always about him being killed by a shark, snake, or spider. In the dreams he always dies and sees his own death. They are very bloody and graphic dreams.
Other behaviors I noticed and keep track of-

-"Dare-devil" behaviors-He has jumped out of windows, taken keys and tried to start the car, left the house when everyone was sleeping.

-On a few occasions he has heard voices. They tell him to do "bad things" or whisper his name repeatedly. This is by far the scariest symptom to me.

-He talks excessively all the time. Jumps from one thing to another, he talks so fast he cant even keep up with himself. But when he's in the depressed mode he barely speaks. I have noticed that when he is depressed he has great days at school because he is usually in trouble for talking so much.

-Grandiose behaviors. He will correct his teacher and myself, thinks he knows more than anyone, makes comments like "Dr. Phil thinks he knows what he's talking about but I only I know if that girl is telling the truth" Seems to think he is invincible and sees no problem with walking out in the middle of the street saying things like "those cars wont hit ME because I can make them stop.

-I have kept track of his sleep patterns because this is something that the doctors all ask about. When he is in the depressed mood he does not sleep at night-period. When I first took him to a psych he had not slept more than 2 hours a night for weeks and was falling asleep in class. Also he would want to sleep in the day at home because he was "bored." He has never been a good sleeper.

He is also very, very, very, needy. I do not know if this is a symptom of BP. But it is extreme. He wants all of everyones attention all the time. If you do not cater to this he then gets very mopey and depressed. He goes from one extreme to another-he is never just there. He is either extremely depressed to the point where he cannot stop crying or is literally bouncing off the walls, there is no in between.

Sean is also very down on himself. He often says he is stupid, hates himself and not too long ago said he wished he was dead and wanted to kill himself. He talks to himself constantly.

He recently started taking Abilify and it has calmed him down dramatically. He was previously on Depakote and Adderall but they did nothing to help. His behavior in school has really improved and he is not running around the house, jumping off furniture any more.

[bugsmom]

Anon4now, I think the journaling is the best thing for you to do for now. It will be a very important tool for you and his doctor when it comes to a diagnosis. Just right down as much information as you can, moods, triggers, reactions, and how long they last.

I had to do this a couple of years ago when I thought we were dealing with some sort of mood disorder. It was a great tool and was very clear when I couldn't remember what happened and when. In fact, my son was the same age as your when we went through this. My son had a lot of the same issues as your son, and he was not diagnosised bp. We were dealing with extreme anxiety that looked very much like bp symptoms.

I was wondering, how does your son's teacher react to his sillyness in class? Is his teacher reactive, or does she deal with him in a good manner? Maybe she could also do a little journaling for you on his school day...that would be very helpful.

Hang in there, I know it can seem like a long process, but you'll get there.

[lcdc1]

I think in the adult section for bipolar, jj had posted some links to some check sheets, they may just apply to adults, but there may be more on the links or you could get ideas on how to model your own sheets! Check it out there.

[anon4now]

Bugsmom,

Anxiety was another one I asked the doctor to look into. Sometimes I feel like so much is going on, I can't keep it all together. I'll bring both of these up to her again next week.

KK,

Some of the things you say are right on, and some are way off base. I'm so on the fence with this.

I'm reading through WebMD now. I just cause myself to worry more. But I want to understand this condition. I feel like both Mania and Depressed symptoms are bad. Is there an inbetween? I guess I'll keep reading.

Thank you for sharing, and I'll keep everyone updated. Any more thoughts are welcomed and I'll be back later.

Anon

[katiekat]

to you anon. I know what you mean when you say that you feel like so much is going on. Over the past 2 years I have been told that Sean has ADHD, bipolar, OCD, anxiety disorder, depression, and now his psych says that he thinks he either has Aspergers or Reactive Attachment Disorder. The hardest part is that there is no definitive answer. It is not like they can do a blood test and say "yes, your child is without a doubt bipolar."
Hang in there, we are here for you.