7 year old daughter bipolar?

[sdemarchis]

My 7 yr old daughter is currently attending a partial program for ongoing rages that seem to be getting worse.  She is diagnosed with mood disorder but have distinguished to what extent.    We are in the stages of trying to figure out if she is a true bipolar.  I have heard a bipolar can be fine at school and do well.  Has anyone else seen or experienced this?  My daughter continues to get worse.  She now has been kicking, hitting and cursing at me.  She began trying to flip over furniture.  All these rages all seem to come on by the word NO, homework, telling her to do something such as get dressed, and brush teeth. They only way she seems to be able to deal is to be outside of the house.  When inside she is always bored and when in a rage nothing seems to help her such as coping skills and/or trying to talk to her.  The more you try, yell or give discipline the bigger the rage.  Once, rage is done it is like she is lifeless and/or nothing ever happened.  She has also been crying at least once a day for two weeks.  She wakes up all different hours of the night and stays up.  She has been in a high energy mood for the past 1 1/2 months.  

She has been on abilify since end of July and currently takes abilify 7 mg and is being weened off of Zoloft.  Today will be last day because I saw no difference.  I am in the process of getting IEP testing done, Thyroid and getting home Family based services.  

At this point I am at a lost but the constant hitting and kicking is becoming to much to deal with.  Has anyone else experienced, seen or heard of this type of behavior?   Suggestion and input are greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Shar
.

[mindersmomof2]

Wow, you guys have been through so much, as my family.  My daughter is now 8 years old and is doing so so so much better! As they grow they seem to learn a little bit about self control.  She still has her moments, don't get me wrong, it's not perfect but much better! She has been on Rispodole and clonidine now for a couple years with a few adjustments.  Her ADHD is out of control still but we can't do stimulants with her.  When she was 6 we tried them and it sent her in psychosis, hearing voices and stuff.  Than we tried again recently and started on that decline and we stopped them immediately!  She is in swimming lessons at our children''s care hospital which has been wonderful for her! If we miss even one day of her medicine, wow is she a mess. Do not mess with there medicine!  Just remember this is not your fault! And you are not going through this alone, trust me have we been through a lot since my daughter was 2 we have had problems.  Counselors since 3, first hospitalization at the age of 4, medicine started at 5 and so many different doctors in between to see if it's something else. We put her in sensory therapy for a year too, thinking about putting her in it again, it helped too!  She still does not like NO said to her, but it does not set her off like a bomb anymore.  She used to be a perfect little angle in school but naughty as can be at home but now she has some problems in school with attention, organization, and to busy talking to friends not listening perfect, but she is still a pretty good student.  My husband and mine marriage is paying the repercussions of having a child with a disability and my 5 year old daughter is also.  Remember to take time for yourself and marriage/relationships! Don't let yourself get so deep in this disability that you forget who you are, and know you are doing everything you can for your child! if you need support, I would love to talk!

[hell1971]

Hi

I can totally relate, my daughter who has just been diagnosed bipolar is 9, we have had problems with her since she was a baby, as a baby she would cry for hours at a time as she got older she had major sensory issues, anxiety to the extreme, especially if we were going to a new situation, she has always been a complete control freak ( this is so she can be in charge of her world and not be surprised by others ) when she started school it would take all my energy just to get her there she would scream all the way and this lasted a year, the teachers had to prize her off me but once at school although she would be quiet and scared she really didnt cause much of a fuss but at home she would have major meltdowns. At the age of five she became so distressed that she didnt want to go to camp she said she wanted to kill herself ( how does a five year old know this, she tried by holding the quilt over her head.) She was diagnosed at first with Extreme anxiety disorder (GAD Generalised Anxiety Disorder) Her mood swings were in a cycle, we would have several good weeks then things would fall to peices, she would have periods of obvious depression periods of extreme anxiety, since the age of five she has wanted to die when ever she gets too upset, now she has been put on a mood stabiliser, now that she is being treated for the right illness things are slowly getting better, it is not over by a long shot but there is hope. Last year when she had a major 8 week long depression I realized this was more than anxiety and her therapist and psyciatrist were so focussed on it being extreme anxiety I became obsessed with trying to find out what was wrong with my very sweet girl who when well was almost a perfect child but then would suffer these major mood changes, I made myself sick and had a nervous breakdown or major episode, I was then diagnosed bipolar after taking an antidepressant, a few months later my daughter started to go down hill again and her psyciatrist thought he knew better and said we should try medication for the first time, she went on prozac and went manic, this lead to then finally diagnosing her with  "bipolar", it has been a long road getting here but at least she is now being treated for the right illness, all I can say now is you are not alone and I know exactly how desperate you must feel, dont ever give up trying to get her the help she needs but make sure you also get the support you need and some restpite or you could end up being sickyourself  so look after yourself or you will be in no state to look after her. hugxx

[cki]

My heart and support go out to you.  I have a seven year old daughter that has been raging since she was two weeks old.  She screemed for 10 plus hours a day and it really hasn't stopped.  Her rage is also brought on by any transitions, the word "no" or having to do anything she needs to do to get from A to B, ie, getting dressed, brushing teeth, transitioning from floor to floor of our house.  She is very obsessive and controlling.  Even at the little age of 2 and 3 she would rage if she didn't have a certain group of stuff, with her that she was obsessing about at the time. Constantly trying to make order out of the chaos of the world around her.  She has been in therapy since she was 15 months old, first OT for sensory/vestibular issues, she falls down or bumps into things, screaming at the slightest bump, sometimes 5 or 10 times per day.  She has been in behavioral therapy since she was 4.  She has been diagnosed with mood disorder, possible bi-polar, and executive functioning issues.  I as her mother and primary caregiver am completely and utterly exasperated. My husband does a lot on the weekend but doesn't know the extent of it and how I feel, caring for her every day, every difficult transition.  I love her and have given my all for her to help regulate her moods and mind, therapy, and keeping her on a sensory diet and her rigid schedule that she needs in order to function, all the while trying to keep her mentally organized.  When she erupts like a hurricane I still feel like a failure.  It is very very difficult to parent a child like this and because I don't have other children to return my love, makes it even more difficult and leaves me with a very empty feeling.  I have many friends with children with sensory issues but none that are severely disregulated and violent like my daughter.  She has made strides in the past year with therapy and I try to hold on to this fact but it is very hard to remember this when her mood turns on the downward spiral.  I would love to be connected to other moms and or dads with children of this age with mood disorders.  Keep up your strong work and know that you are doing the right thing always helping your child. cki

[ILADVOCATE]

Its best if she has a diagnosis not to emotionally react to what she does. That doesn't mean it should occur but its up to a psychiatrist to adjust treatment and a child psychologist could help her with coping skills and speak to you how to handle it. Bipolar can have outbursts of anger and there are periods in between where a person doesn't have moodswings. Speak to her psychiatrist about this and what to do.