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I really think Ali has bipolar disorder. I doubt they will do anything for her yet as she is just going to be 5 in a few weeks but I want her checked out. WHO IS BEST TO DX AND TREAT A CHILD WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER? I am assuming a Child Psychiatrist but I was not sure who else may be able to help? Are there any treatments besides meds? How does a BPD dx affect insurance and education? Does anyone know? Ali has most of the symptoms of childhood Bipolar disorder. It is becoming more evident as her ABA seems to help a number of her PDD behaviors but these other symptoms & behaviors remain. ped. psychiatrist for me and Payne....has been VERY helpful. Ped psych for us too and awating a neuropsych evalAs far as the second part of your question...I do not know of anything OTHER than meds to treat BP disorder. I know Payne takes a seizure med that also is a mood stabilizer and it works REALLY well for him. I took it for a long time, but while being preggers I'm off of it. This is a question for Payne's mom and at the end to the original poster. ..I am in the process of a pshych appt for my child as well, and she has seizures too..so we are in that process (nuerology) as well... But if you don't mind me asking...is it depakote that helps both the bipolar and the seizures? I am just trying to get myself educated before my appointments..What kinds of seizures does he have? Do you have to monitor levels in liver or blood for that? Thanks so much in advance.. And btw, I was told by the doctor office that if the child is under 4...then they see a Developmental Pediatrician for things ldx like ASD, Asperger, etc...But if they are 4 and over, they meet with a Pediatric Psychiatrist who can evaluate a mental health issue as well as a ASD diagnosis..if that makes sense.. Good luck!..I think I may be in the saem boat with seizures added on top...;) I guess I will soon find out! PS Anna..do you mind sharing what other types of behavior that you say keep shining through (I am assuming the BP ones)?....I am having beligerance/control problems but they come and go..so I am not sure if it is normal 4 year old behavior or not....I would love to hear..thank you! Payne has never seen a dev. ped...it's almost like they're non-existent here. Payne took Trileptal when he was younger...he takes Lamictal now...Depakote CAN be used. But the meds we chose do NOT require blood tests...that was part of their appeal. He is dx with partial complex seizures. HTH. On the second part...just throwing it in there...he has ALWAYS had issues respecting authority. We have seen a marked improvement since starting the Risperdal for that. Trileptal has worked wonders for my son. He takes them for seizures but they help with his mood as well and his psych. will just up his dosage of it if he needs it tho he hasnt had it upped (for bipolar) except once for a seizure and the great thing about it is that you dont need any blood tests while on it. Thank you for your quick answer. My daughter is also on the complex partial page (so far) but triggered by a fever, even low. Since BP runs in the family, I am seeing maybe some of that but not sure. She is or at least used to be respectful, but I am seeing some changes regarding that....not shy about being 'rude' to others like before..Of course can't help but wonder if the seizures brought this out but the neuros say no! I know what depakote can do and its monitoring, (in family members) so I Was worried about a child on this med..so I was thinking if it goes that way to cross medicate the problems.. I did not know Lactimal is good for BP as well......thank you! ..Also glad to hear that you do not have to worry about monitoring blood.. Last question..I read abouit Lactimal and the possibilty of a rash...Do you know how long it takes for you to be 'safe' on lactimal? Just curious...Tx..m Supposedly you'll see a rash pretty soon after taking it...it goes away with no long term side effects as soon as the med is disco...neither me nor Payne had the rash. The Lamictal is something that was chosen b/c the dr we see uses it often in younger ASD kids who need a stabilizer and since a lot of them have seizures it benefits both. We cross medicate almost everything. He takes Risperdal, Lamictal, Prozac and Clonindine...it seems that everything derives from the brain. When he was younger he was slightly delayed, we did the MMR and the seizures started...then the ADHD then the horrible moods while we couldn't get the seizures dx or medicated for...then the anxiety and migraines. Truly awful feeling not being able to stop his troubles or "solve the problem" but he is doing much better now. Maria, Having a father with severe BPD and being a Psych major, I have a pretty good understanding of BPD. Recent research (though not as much as is really needed) indicates that BPD presents differently in children than in adults. Consequently, the earlier the onset of BPD, the more severe the symptoms usually become and last longer esp. without treatment.
Some of Ali's behaviors that seem to indicate BPD have been evident since about 2 years old but then I kept thinking, no it is part of the autism- some of the signs are as follows: *Rapid cycling- literally shifting from giddy/laughing to crying to violently angry and back and forth within minutes *sudden hyperactivity that lasts 15-30 minutes with an inability to calm herself *Seeiming to have racing thoughts as she speaks quickly, stutters and does not finish one thought before jumping to the next *Fear and hatred of sleep, states that she has dreams filled with gore and horrific events *Rages- very different from tantrums (she gets a strange crazed look in her eyes and attacks relentlesy often out of the blue or if told "no" and then after 5-30 minutes and then it is like someone snaps thier finger and she is back to normal but tired and remoreseful to some degree) *daredevil behavior & grandiose thinking *Inappropriate sexual activity (for Ali it is squeezing others breasts, "tickling" herself as she calls it, lifting her shirt in public, and purposely opening the door when others are in the bathroom) *Talks of killing herself or others *VERY oppositional *SUPER irritable most of the time (just looking at her a certain way may have her yelling at you or hitting you) *Delusional thinking and stating that she hears voices telling her to do bad things
Thanks Anna...Yes it does help knowing of having experience with the BP, at least so it does not come at you from left field...(the surprise of it all). My father in law is and we are the primary care givers; and ironically one of my roommates n college was as well (then it was called manic-depressive)...and the family never told us!..Anyway, my point is I know it and can spot people very easily..when you live with it you really start to know. My daughter's only problem so far really is her anger out of the blue for minor things and tantrums. They are not long in length..Just at least daily...especially if she is tired. She is not violent or anything...It is not completely over the top yet, which is why I am wavering whether she is just a strong willed 4 year old. She is also hyper...I don't think we are full blown yet but it just seems a slight step out of normal if you know what I mean. In our case, also, she was not like this pre-seizures..so I know a multitude of things can set off BP if you have it in you..I am just wondering if the seizure brought something out....If there was not a strong family link of it, I would not think it...but unfotunately there is. I wish you all the luck and hopefully they can help somehow. I know BP can be extremely stressful (well we had a really tough last few years with it with my fil). M |
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