dont give up please

[nohospitalplease]

help my child has been seeing a child psyciatrists and child counsler for two years now. he has been diagnosed with adhd odd ocd bipolar depression anxiety disorder and anything else they decide to say at the time. he has been on atleast 6 different medicines and nothing is helping. he is just getting worse. he was just taken off of zooloft so now all he is on is abilify 10 mg once a day. things are getting bad i had to take him out of school cause it stressed him out to much. they want to send him 45 min away and admit him in the hospital to try and find the right medicene combination, but i think they are just tired of trying, but with our insurance i cant take him any where else and i can not put him in a mental hospital were i can only see him during counsling sessions half hour twice a week. please help i dont know what to do!!!!!

[Whitworth Cat]

My twelve year old daughter has just commenced ablify 2.5 miligrams daily. She has experienced the common side effects IE, nausea, lightheadiness and headaches. Upon researching this drug, it would appear that it has not been approved for use on children under 18. My daughter has been  diagnosed with BIPOLAR disorder and mild ADD. Obviously she needs treatment and I am concerned about the saftey of the drug. Has anybody else have any information or experiences similiar to my daughters.

[dean20653]

Hi there. I am new to the site and stumbled upon your story. I am not sure how much this will help but it may be of some good. I displayed alot of anger at a young age strated when i was 5 by the time i was 9 they told my mom to admit me into a mental hospital for a 1 month eval and balance of medication. my mother and i faught constantly. I even swung at her a few times. she denied the fact that i was a stupid child and said all i wanted was attention. by the age 10 i was arrested for setting 7.5 acres of land on fire cause the owner told me to get off his property. I scared my mother so bad she decided to admit me. No need to sugar coat it. I hated her for that...however, after 2 days I missed her so much all i could do was think about being home in my bed. I had counsling everyday up there and everyday I asked, What do I need to do to get home. They told me i needed to get under control. I faked it, they never realesed me. they knew i was faking (still dont know how they knew) anyways. after 45 days they let me come home on several meds (sorry I dont remember the names) and counsling. I had a much bigger respect for my mom after that. things were not perfect but improving. now i am 25 and just last year i looked at her and told her thanks for everything. See I am now a homeowner with 3 kids and a wife, i hold a steady govenment job and have not been on medications since i was 16. maturity played a big part in the "healing" of my problems. My mom told me she loved me and was very proud I have came such a long way. I guess the point I am trying to make is what may be resented today could be greatly appreciated in the future. I think back and wonder what would have happened if I did not get the direct help. when would drugs and suicide/homocide thoughts come in or act out. Even though I hated my mom, now as an adult with ADHD (more thank likley still have it...no meds though :-) ) My mom saved my life and more by getting me the help I needed. Cant tell you what to do Just wanted to share the story maybe it will help. Good luck.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

If your son required an emergency appendectomy, you would not hesitate for one second allowing him to be admitted to the hospital. You would not be thinking about whether he might resent you or think you don't love him. You're creating an obstacle that isn't necessary. Treat the current situation just like you would treat the need for appendectomy - it's no different.

[nohospitalplease]

MY SON IS ONLY EIGHT YEARS OLD. I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT LETTING HIM GO TO THE HOSPITAL BUT I AM AFRAID IT COULD BACKFIRE ON US WHAT IF HE RESENTS US OR THINKS THAT IT PROVES TO HIM WE REALLY DONT LOVE HIM. ALSO THEY CANT TELL ME HOW LONG HE WILL HAVE TO BE THERE

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

You might be making a mistake by not cooperating on the inpatient plan. At times this is absolutely the best option; it allows for sustained observation and evaluation, while addressing the medication issue under direct medical supervision. How old is your son? Perhaps another way for you to view the situation is that his clinicians are realizing that the current state of affairs is not effective, and they are recommending a useful alternative. You might well be better off to cooperate with the recommendation instead of objecting to it.