I have a 10 yr old daughter who is having some behavioral issues at home. She is under stress at school and home. I am trying to figure out if she is indeed having bipolar symptoms or if it is a result of everything going on. Here is how she is behaving. At school, she said a teacher (teacher A) is yelling at her and the class. She feels that this teacher does not like her. She feels singled out and that the teacher will "get on her" any chance she can. She said the teacher is mean. I have even talked to a student teacher there (teacher B) and that teacher (B), had mentioned she went to the school counselor because of how mean teacher A is to the kids. What the heck? Now what happens is my daughter will come home saying her day was "ruined" once again. She may have several things happen at school and she internalizes it until she gets home. Once home, she lets it out. She will then argue with me (mom) or pick at little things until we have a confrontation or blow up and be very dramatic over something very small. Usually she'll end up crying loudly if things don't go her way or gets what she wants. She is easily frustrated and does not know how to deal with those feelings. She gets very angry if I "interrupt her" and will shout. We sometimes get into full blown arguments. I tell her to calm down and that this is not the right behavior. She come back with a sarcastic remark. Usually this happens after picking her up from school. I get very frustrated with this as she can be very manipulative with words making things out like she did nothing wrong. She had dealt with a lot of changes in her life. In 2005 we moved, I got married, new school, new friends, etc. In 2006 new baby brother. Also we are having some issues between her and my husband. My husband is asian and does not like the negative behavior. He gets very turned off from the behavior and has distanced himself from her when she behaves this way. They do not spend quality time together as well. I do not know what to do regarding their relationship. Culture clash!! I am in the middle and stressed out. My daughter says she hates my husband and has said this to me before during one of our episodes. This is beginning to affect our family. My 20 month old son wonders why his sister is always crying over something. I am afraid he'll begin to have problems just seeing all of this. My daughter does not exhibit signs of typical depression. She just wants to play with her friends and have a good time. I understand this. She is not motivated with her schoolwork. She does what she has to to get by. She also does not care about her appearance. I have to get after her to bathe. We went to a child psychiatrist who diagnosed her with nonspecific mood disorder and prescribed Trileptal. I was concerned about giving her the meds and decided to go the route of counseling. At this point, I am thinking of trying the meds. I am concerned about side effects and how children do on this medication. Does anyone have experience with this drug in children? I am also wondering if she really needs it. Is this a life stress situation or an actual mood disorder. Concerned. Any help or advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks