Parenting is HARD!

Oct 07, 2008 11:00

So, what do you guys know about bipolar/depression/anxiety in kids ( Read more... )

goober, everyone here is a crazy person

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moosesal October 7 2008, 15:37:01 UTC
No real experience with bipolar in kids, by my husband has been on and off all kinds of meds for depression since he was about 9 years old ( ... )

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misanthrope7842 October 7 2008, 16:18:38 UTC
Thank you!

I love my doctor, she's been my PCP since Goober was an infant, and she's great about open communication. She also knows me well enough to know I'm not medicating for convenience, so that's super helpful.

It's mostly just so odd, because he had this problem (though to a lesser degree) two years ago until I put him on a higher dose of ADHD meds, but no real problems last year, when he was off the meds. That's why I'm thinking it's not ADHD, or at least not mainly ADHD, because it's not a consistent problem. It's very much stress related from what I can tell.

Thanks!

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moosesal October 7 2008, 16:25:08 UTC
I'm wondering if part of the changes have to do with development too. Our brains change as we grow and maybe he didn't really need anything last year. As to the stress ... man. That's a toughie. As tough as it can be to cope with stress as an adult, I think it's even harder for kids. Some kids just get stressed and anxious and how do you help them learn to deal with it? I just can't imagine. Good luck. And I'm glad to hear you're doctor is a good one.

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misanthrope7842 October 7 2008, 17:06:00 UTC
Thanks! Yeah, how can you help a kid deal with stress? Here, Goob have a bubble bath and a nice glass of wine? Poor kid.

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moosesal October 7 2008, 17:07:17 UTC
LOL. Well, that might work. But I don't think that's the track we want to start him down at his age. *g*

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misanthrope7842 October 7 2008, 17:23:53 UTC
Hey, maybe I can get the Dave's crackwhore cousin to hook him up with some doobies! Because THAT'S parenting with love.

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moosesal October 7 2008, 18:19:40 UTC
Only if you smoke it with him to make it a true bonding experience.

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tempore October 7 2008, 16:34:01 UTC
Yes, this. My family has had to experiment to find the right combo for my nephew's meds (and, I think, while he's a kid and growing, will continue to have to do), and even the slightest adjustments are hugely noticeable.

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misanthrope7842 October 7 2008, 17:06:53 UTC
That's one of the hardest things, too. With him constantly changing - Goob's ten and puberty is definitely settling in for the long haul - it's hard to get and keep anything consistent.

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tempore October 7 2008, 17:14:25 UTC
Absolutely. And with Ian, it's not even that he grows that much (cuz seriously, that kid is TINY!), but it's like his body adjusts within a couple months.

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misanthrope7842 October 7 2008, 17:26:11 UTC
Last time Goob was on meds, I would take him off for two weeks at Christmas and Spring break, and we'd go back to readjust then. That seemed to work out best, and was spaced about right to be every three months or so.

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tempore October 7 2008, 17:55:54 UTC
Yeah, my sister likes to give Ian "breaks" as well on it. It helps, I think, though days when Ian is not on his medication can be... trying (says the Auntie who took him to the Aquarium last year on fall break without him on them.)

It is hard to get a younger kid to be able to talk about it properly, which is in large part why good doctors are worth their weight in gold.

As to the cornucopia of genetic disorders and such... doesn't it just make life more interesting? :D I am, though, seriously convinced at this point that everyone has something -- or maybe that we're hypochondriacs, or a combination of both. Maybe more that we just take ourselves too seriously, these days? Who knows?

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