Son was recently diagnosed with bipolar, adhd,anxiety??

[BMace]

My son is 8 yrs old and was recently diagnosed with Bipolar, ADHD, two types of anxiety. I am having trouble with disipline and do not know what to do? Any suggestions? I have tried everything from stickers to spanking. I am lost and confused.

[determined2beatit]

I know as a child I felt large amounts of irritability within myself that I couldn't explain. I guess I thought everyone felt it. Now I know I was having periods of agitation which I felt physically and became very irritable and aggressive for no reason that I could explain. It was like a release for me but as a kid I never could make the connection. As an adult, I now know what I felt as a child was irritability from being manic. I remember not knowing what to do with the feelings in my body of extreme irritability so I would fight with my brother or be upset with the teacher ect. I tried to relate the feeling with something in my enviornment because I couldn't explain it. It must be very frustrating for both you and your son, I would give him his meds and observe his behavior to see if they are working. It takes a long time to find the right balance that works.

[chris706]

My name is shawn.  I am 25 and am bipolar, ocd, and probably adhd too.  THe important part to remember is not to let the diagnosis scare you.  this is not to say that it is not important to watch his behaviors though.  But as far as your question goes.  Try to start with catching him when he is off guard and you see him enjoying something if this does occur at all.  then try to bring up past experiences of these good times and see if it rings  bell in his head.  Also-crying is okay.  so cry with him and tell him you love him and that the best way to feel better is always to talk and cry--its a release at least in my opinion.  anything i can do please let me know.  I struggle with my own demons but I believe that love can conquer all--also it might be a good idea to pray for your and his strength--if you go to any religious services do it regularly or if u don;t do it now.  Oh and research medicine and talk to not only doctors but pharmacists for interactions.--also there are natural ways to fight the illnesses if it ever gets to the point where he does not want to take his meds.

Take care

Hope to talk to you soon.


Shawn