We're ALL Mad Here

[OMGwtf*whatnext]

So my son was dx'ed this summer with type 1 diabetes. Shortly after that, his behavior problems started escalating. He's always been one of the most interesting kids I've ever known, funny, creative, intelligent, with an outrageous, In Your Face approach to life. He's also the kid that all the other parents don't know how I do it.

He was dx'ed autistic at 3, PDDNOS at 6, Hyperverbal, Type 1 at 9.

He's been very depressed so I took him in for counseling. Depression is common in kids who are newly dx'ed with chronic diseases. The psychologist recommended meds, sent us to a psychiatrist for evaluating.

Today we got our script. Wellbutrin for the depression and Risperdal to counteract the psychotic symptoms she thinks the wellbutrin will cause. She also mentioned ADD, BiPolar, and his hearing voices. So this is, I suppose, just the tip of the iceberg.

I have been medicated in the past, so has the hubby, but we both opted out of staying medicated for reasons of our own. I don't believe the boy will have that option for now, maybe never. Right now, I'm reeling over some of the things the doc said. He's just so young.

Thanks for having these forums! This is the kind of crap that I would never be able to put elsewhere, I think. LOL

[tigrre]

Going on the theory that he IS bipolar:

My symptoms showed up when I was 9, but I wasn't dx'ed until I was 13. 

Your sons getting a chance at help BEFORE he has to experience years and years of the intense mental anguish a lot of us have been through.

You clearly love your son.  You understand that his behavior isn't a personal flaw or something he's doing on purpose.  You're willing to get him the help that he needs.  I can't say that things are going to be easy for him (or you) in the future.  But you're doing everything right IMO.

[OMGwtf*whatnext]

Thanks, tigrre, for the response.

What kind of symptoms did you have at 9?

We'll start the meds tomorrow and see what starts to happen in a month. I really hope he doesn't gain weight, complicating the diabetes.

I've always recognised that he was different and raised him knowing that it's OK to not be like all the other little monkeys. As far as doing things right, I hope so.

[tigrre]

I was a pretty rapid cycler.

[OMGwtf*whatnext]

That sounds exactly like what he's been doing lately.

Irritable, mean, then goes into crying that he can't take himself out of, to being happy for a few days.

Here's an example: Yesterday, we had a great afternoon! He was going to help me make dinner, and we were both looking forward to spending the time together. He spilled the box of cheese crackers, and went straight into meltdown. He cried and sobbed and kept insisting that he couldn't pick up the mess (if he had left it, I would have ignored it for (ever!) a month, because I am crazy and I do not notice things that I feel are unimportant) and my husband came in and said pretty much "Sweep up the crackers!" He was firm, but not mean. The boy picked it up, but he was horrible all the rest of the evening and didn't cook with me. Mean, especially to me and his brother, grumbling for 2 hours about how he'll get his revenge, etc. I called him up and asked him to lick out the bowl, and he was mad because I did that. So I licked it out myself, then he was mad about that and cried and cried.

He let me read his journal and one of his entries says he was planning suicide for when he got older because he's too young now to make that decision for himself and I had told him no, that he wasn't allowed to (lol).

As for your question, He really likes his therapist, and her underling comes to visit him at school. He likes the underling, too. He wishes that he got the whole hour with her instead of 45 mins because I take 15 to talk about how our week was.

He's asked me to medicate him in the last few months, but he didn't know what for. When I told him I was making the appointment to get the meds, he has actually been much better, relieved, I think, that I was doing something. He was paying attention today to the psychiatrist, but more of the Knowing about diagnoses is going to be left to me so I walked him through a MI 101 this afternoon and will give it to him in small enough doses for him to adjust at a good pace.

Good Grief, I've written a book.

[tigrre]

He's 9 so he's beginning to realize (or already has) that adults lie, don't always know what's best, make mistakes, etc.  9 year olds have better BS detectors than most people probably realize.

So I think its really good that you're trying to educate him and that he has a therapist he feels like he can trust.

You may get a better response to your thread if you have a moderator move it to the parenting board.  I'm not sure how much I'm helping you since I don't know that much about autism and I don't have kids.  There are plenty of people around here with bipolar and autism and I'm pretty sure there are some parents whose kids have both those diagnoses' that could give you some opinions/advice that might be more helpful.