Nine Year Old Bad Behavior

[lzzrd70]

My nine year old has been having these horrible tantrums that last for several hours.  Anything can make him go off.  He'll go in his room-rip all the sheets off his bed, throw things around his room, totally ignore anything I say.  I just cant get through to him when he's in these states.  It's almost scarey.  I can never get him to tell me what's wrong (although I already know-I just want to beable to talk to him about it).  If I punish him "in the moment" he only gets madder.  He has hit me and called me names, thrown things at me and his little sister.  I just read in his journal that he wanted to kill  me and there is a picture he drew of him shooting me.  We do not own any guns but I am very concerned.  Does anyone have any good advice on how I can handle this??  Should I be concerned about his "paper threats" or is it just an angry boy expressing himself on paper?

[Sandman2]

   Tantrums that last for more than about 30 minutes can be a sign of  bipolar behavior.  Its worth talking to a psychologist or psychiatrist about.  Here is some info on bipolar behavior which was sent to me via a person on the ADHD forum.  If this does sound familar, its worth checking up on.  Hope this helps.
    Well anyway here are the list of bipolar symptoms for children. The symptoms in adults are different.
Very Common Symptoms of Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder
• Separation anxiety
• Rages & explosive temper tantrums (lasting up to several hours)
• Marked irritability
• Oppositional behavior
• Frequent mood swings
• Distractibility
• Hyperactivity
• Impulsivity
• Restlessness/ fidgetiness
• Silliness, goofiness, giddiness
• Racing thoughts
• Aggressive behavior
• Grandiosity
• Carbohydrate cravings
• Risk-taking behaviors
• Depressed mood
• Lethargy
• Low self-esteem
• Difficulty getting up in the morning
• Social anxiety
• Oversensitivity to emotional or environmental triggers
Common Symptoms of Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder
• Bed-wetting (especially in boys)
• Night terrors
• Rapid or pressured speech
• Obsessional behavior
• Excessive daydreaming
• Compulsive behavior
• Motor & vocal tics
• Learning disabilities
• Poor short-term memory
• Lack of organization
• Fascination with gore or morbid topics
• Hypersexuality
• Manipulative behavior
• Bossiness
• Lying
• Suicidal thoughts
• Destruction of property
• Paranoia
• Hallucinations & delusions
Less Common Symptoms of Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder
• Migraine headaches
• Binging
  

[RockRose]

What is it that you "already know" he's angry about?