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Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
adhd
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
adhd
by lorraine, Mar 09, 2000 12:00AM
My son is 7 yrs old and has been diagnosed with adhd and is on ritalin. Lately, at school, it has come to our attention that he has been getting emotionally upset periodically through the day. It happens particularily during sit and concentrate type of work. Could this be a side affect of the medication or something else. He seems to become overwhelmed by emotion very easily. Anger is also an issue. When he is playing with friends and they beat him at a game, he not only cries but becomes angry with the other person. He lashes out verbally and says some pretty mean things like I dont want to be your friend, I am never playing with you again, you are never coming here again, and even I hate you. He has had counselling(through the school) and we have researched numerous resources. Is there something we have not yet thought of...He questions authority on a regular basis and acts out quite dramatically if something is not going as he had planned. Is it possible that there may be another problem entirely or could it be something underlying. Emotionally he seems immature in comparison to others his age. He is a December baby and is the youngest in his class. He has displayed signs of high intelligence. Academically he is doing extremely well with no signs of any type of learning disorder. The main issues seem to lie in the behavioural and emotional areas. Any advice, suggestions, resources, any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Lorraine
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Mar 12, 2000 12:00AM
, Mar 12, 2000 12:00AM
Dear Lorraine,
Your hunch is probably correct - i.e., your son displays an emotional disorder (perhaps a mood disorder) alongside his ADHD.
If your son's ADHD was diagnosed in pediatrics, iy would be worthwhile to have him evaluated also in a child mental health or behavioral health department.
It is worth noting that, in some children, Ritalin can exacerbate anger and irritability. In your son's case, compare the levels or intensity of his anger prior to starting Ritalin with the levels you see now. The anger may not, and is probably not, a side effect of the Ritalin, but it has to be considered.
Your hunch is probably correct - i.e., your son displays an emotional disorder (perhaps a mood disorder) alongside his ADHD.
If your son's ADHD was diagnosed in pediatrics, iy would be worthwhile to have him evaluated also in a child mental health or behavioral health department.
It is worth noting that, in some children, Ritalin can exacerbate anger and irritability. In your son's case, compare the levels or intensity of his anger prior to starting Ritalin with the levels you see now. The anger may not, and is probably not, a side effect of the Ritalin, but it has to be considered.
Take a look at a book titled S.O.S.: Help for Parents (by Lynn Clark and published by Parents Press). It will give you a systematic method for responding to behavior.
Most pediatric mental health clinicians are reluctant to start young children on medication. However, there are instances when this is absolutely the reasonable thing to do, particularly if the pharmacological treatment is accompanied by a sound, systematic program of behavior management.
Thank you,
Brenda Darnell