Who can help my 11 year old??????????????

[Jeannebean]

Schizophrenia or bipolar or what can it be with AD/HD. My 11 year old needs help and I do not know who can help me. He has phobias really bad, he has complete meltdown. He freaks out if you ask him to go somewhere inside or out, he freaks out if death pops up in his head. I finally got him in a special program at school on his IEP with AD/HD and emotional disability but they do not know what to label. His therapist we quit going to cause all she wanted to do was focus on AD/HD and put him on medicine. I am not putting a kid on meds until he fully diagnosed with whatever else he has.

[mtgoat911]

contact you local state department of disibilities
they should be able to refer you to a program
the one in my area is called childrens developmental center
you can also try mental health
but in the mean time, just take an hour or so each day to work on your childs problems
because medicine and therapy is not a cure all
it will help, but at the end of the day, his progress will be your concern
you can do it!  just start with one issue and go from there

[KatEyes]

About the ADHD... been reading a lot lately about children dx with this and who have behavior problems having a higher rate of sleep apnea (usually due to tonsils and adenoids). Chronically interrupted sleep stages and oxygen deprivation to the brain wreaks havoc with the brain. Yes, many children have issues without apnea, but it's worth making sure your child isn't one who does and could be helped in that respect.

[jdtm]

I agree with the first reply to your posting - sounds like anxiety to me.  If so, then a therapist is not what you need but a physician with experience in anxiety issues as a child neurologist or child psychiatrist.  Medications as the one mentioned in the above posting can help "take the edge off" and are often used for that reason, but they do not "cure" anxiety.  Anxiety is managed through proper behaviours which a child can learn through intervention (often simple things which a specialist can describe to the parents) and/or therapy (and often these are methods given to the parent by the doctor to help the child).  If anxiety is the issue, I assure you that your son will not outgrow it nor will it go away.  By the way, many children suffering from anxiety are often misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD as the behaviours of anxiety often mimic those of the hyperactivity; and this includes learning difficulties in school.   Also, I might add that anxiety is a very common issue with children and also, it is highly treatable.

If you would like to read more about anxiety, I might suggest that you google the phrase/words as "childhood anxiety" or "anxiety disorders" or similar items.  I wish you the best ...

[babygirl6152]

Maybe she will be able to diagnose better when she has the other under control-

My thoughts- sounds like anxiety- anti anxiety meds like zoloft may help. A GP can prescribe that.

I would recommend the same therapist if they have already bonded- you got frustrated but imagine how much you will have to put your son through to get to know another therapist. Or maybe he didn't go that many times. How long has he visited with this therapist?