Bipolar Disorder in Children

[turtledude]

Re: Bipolar Disorder in Children

One might add "mild paranoia" to the list of subsymptoms below psychosis. There's nothing quite like having one's behaviour put under a microscope 24/7.
8 hrs. of continuous deep REM sleep induced by a common inexpensive muscle relaxer can work wonders.
(btw, I went to bed at 7pm)

[Seveen]

Re: Bipolar Disorder in Children

my son is on meds (ADHD) and has been since 5 years old

his father and i did not want to do meds - we tried diet, behavior modification and natural products - nothing worked for him

then we agreed to meds

this did not automatically solve the problem

each child is different and responds to meds differently

some didn't last long enough - some made him lethargic - some made him more hyper - he didn't want to take them (i found 2 dozen thrown in the pot cabinet one day)

finally one teacher at school helped us chart his daily behavior (blurting out, talking, non-focus) and we worked with his doctor until we came up with the right combination of meds for him

his grades improved, his friendship improved (much teasing at school for his behavior (and sometimes inappropriate action by teachers), his behavior at home improved

he has one pill per day - and it was hard to get that into him because at the time he takes it - morning - is his lowest point of the day - and his inattention and defiance cause him to fight against it - i stand there and watch him take it now

at 13 - i do not see his unmedicated behavior getting any better - i talk with him about the possibility that he will have to take them for the rest of his life

now medication is not the magic bullet - i still work with his doctors because growth, height and weight - cause the dosage to be monitored and changed

do i want my child to be on medication - NO

does the medication work for him and improve his quality of life - YES

i would rather have my child medicated than jump off the roof

[diabolical_Tanya]

Re: Bipolar Disorder in Children

This defendant began an evil scheme that ended in murder," Middleton said.

Husband also faces trial
Riley and her husband, Michael, are both accused of murder in their daughter's December 2006 death in Hull. Michael Riley will go on trial after his wife.

Middleton showed jurors a note written by Carolyn Riley in which she detailed how much money the family was collecting through Social Security disability benefits — $2,668 per month — and how much additional money she hoped to collect — $633 per month — if she could convince Social Security doctors that Rebecca also had a mental disability.

But Carolyn Riley's attorney, Victoria Bonilla, said Carolyn took Rebecca to a psychiatrist when she was 2 because she was concerned about the girl, who was very active and had difficulty sleeping.

She said Carolyn Riley followed the instructions of the psychiatrist, Dr. Kayoko Kifuji, who diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder when the girl was 2 and bipolar disorder shortly after she turned 3. It was Dr. Kifuji, Bonilla said, who prescribed Clonidine for the ADHD and Depakote for bipolar disorder.

Defense: ‘Not nefarious’
"This is not nefarious," Bonilla said, but consistent with common medical practice to treat ADHD with Clonidine.

Bonilla also disputed allegations made by prosecutors that Carolyn Riley ignored pleas to help her daughter after she became ill with pneumonia. She said Carolyn Riley bought her daughter some children's cold medicine and gave it to her.

"Carolyn Riley did everything she could to treat her child. Carolyn Riley thought her daughter had a cold," she said.

Bonilla said a defense medical expert, as well as a prosecution expert, came to the conclusion that Rebecca died of pneumonia, not a drug overdose.

"She did not die at the hands of her mother," Bonilla said.

Middleton, however, said that in the last year of her life, Rebecca Riley was given well over the amount of Clonidine prescribed by Kifuji.

Middleton used a gruesome photo of Rebecca in his opening statement to the jury.

The photo, taken by police after her mother found her dead on the floor of their bedroom, shows the little girl wearing only a pink pull-up diaper, lying on a pile of magazines and clothing and a stuffed bear. She had a pink liquid oozing from her nose and mouth.

Carolyn Riley showed little emotion after her daughter was found dead, Middleton said. Later that day, he said, when Carolyn and Michael Riley went to get their daughter's things at her school, the principal saw them "joking and laughing" outside the school.

But Bonilla said Carolyn Riley was a "loving and caring parent," and was seen distraught by emergency responders after she found her daughter dead on the floor near her bed.

"She was cradling the child. She was hysterical," Bonilla said.

Like a ‘floppy doll’
One of the first witnesses to testify for prosecutors was Ellen McCarthy, the nurse at the Weymouth preschool Rebecca attended during the year before her death.

McCarthy said that in the months before her death, Rebecca was so lethargic and weak she was like a "floppy doll."

"When she was in the gym, she would sit down on the floor with me and she would just flop down," McCarthy said.

McCarthy said she was concerned about the amount of medication Rebecca was taking. She also said no one at Rebecca's preschool saw the aggressive or violent behavior Carolyn Riley described when explaining why Rebecca was on the powerful drugs.


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The school principal, Victoria Silverstein, said that she once had to help Rebecca get off the school van after the driver called in and said the girl was shaking. Silverstein said that when she went to help her, Rebecca collapsed, "so I picked her up in my arms and carried her into the school."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34943897/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

[Seveen]

Re: Bipolar Disorder in Children

and thus the need for constant monitoring and adjustment with doctor involvement

[Nylah]

Re: Bipolar Disorder in Children



I'm thinking my friend will have to relent in the future like I said above, and maybe put J on medication. J is just too smart for her to control with stern talking to's, and time outs....She says the therapy doesnt really help right now so I dont see it improving.

the issue is trying to convince her that meds may be the way to help. I dont know if I can.

I really feel bad for all of them.

[FrenchTickla]

Re: Bipolar Disorder in Children

my sister was diagnosed with it in her mid teens but she doesn't have the violent tendencies so mi cyaan help u

she chose not to stay on meds tho because of the dulling effect. she describes her euphoria and it is quite interesting. i hate when she swings into the sadness tho. seems nothing can get her out of it.

[Seveen]

Re: Bipolar Disorder in Children

my son does not "dull" on the meds - he is his same feisty self but he can stop to listen and has the ability to take the conversation in and act on it - and not be as LOUD and "bouncy"

my doctor said the meds provide a kind of white noise to block out some of the sounds that are flooding his senses making it hard for any one thing to penetrate - we tried some other therapies - ball therapy and the headsets - but while somewhat effective - headsets and balls don't work in the every day world

it took time and effort to work and get the right one for him and his condition but the relief is worth it

[Seveen]

Re: Bipolar Disorder in Children

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Nylah</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

I'm thinking my friend will have to relent in the future like I said above, and maybe put J on medication. J is just too smart for her to control with stern talking to's, and time outs....She says the therapy doesnt really help right now so I dont see it improving.

the issue is trying to convince her that meds may be the way to help. I dont know if I can.

I really feel bad for all of them. </div></div>

not trying meds is still part of the denial process

i bet she takes aspirin for a headache