Posted by ed_uk2010 on February 11, 2015, at 20:11:32
In reply to Desperate - 9yo anger/aggression/outbursts, posted by TM2 on February 10, 2015, at 20:42:01
Hi there,
Sorry to hear you're going through such a rough time. May I ask, is there any family history of mental health problems such as severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or suicide? Also, was your daughters health and development normal up until the recent episodes of illness? Any problems at her birth or during the pregnancy?
>Our 9 yo daughter has recently (over the past 3 months) become extremely argumentative, moody, angry, oppositional, and is having disruptive outbursts both at school and at home.
What is her behavior like between the episodes? I understand she feels remorseful, but is her mood otherwise normal?
>will rage and kick and throw things.
What type of issue initiates a temper tantrum?
>elevated uric acid level which was quickly dismissed by her pediatrician seeing that she "clearly does not have gout."
So, what explanation was given for the elevated uric acid level? Do you know whether it was only marginally elevated or substantially so? It does seem plausible that this finding was related to her joint pain, although it might not have been. I think it would be worth having this simple test repeated and examined further if it is still abnormal.
Does your daughter have any diagnosed medical problems and does she take any medication? Some medications can cause behavioral disturbances. Also, is she overweight? - I only ask because elevated uric acid is much more common in children who are overweight. Otherwise, there are a variety of causes of high uric acid in children. It often increases during acute infections, for example.
>ADD was the biggest suggestion
It doesn't sound typical of ADD. Temper outbursts are common in ADD but the problems with attention and hyperactivity are ongoing. Her problems appear episodic and the pattern of becoming mental unwell, getting better, and then getting worse again is not usual in ADD.
>The psychiatrist says she has DMDD or BP and wants to "try her" on Risperdal.
The diagnosis of bipolar disorder is very difficult to establish in childhood. As for DMDD, she is clearly having episodes of disruptive behavior but the diagnosis of DMDD doesn't explain why the symptoms appeared, disappeared and appeared again.
>We are SO nervous at the thought of putting our 9 yo on an antipsychotic.
I can understand that for sure. Of course, it wouldn't necessarily be long-term. It could be a very low dose used on a temporary basis. Hopefully, things would improve as they did before and the medication could be stopped.
Risperdal is known to decrease aggressive behavior in children with a variety of conditions.
The others mentioned an EEG study. Have you had this done? Does your daughter appear confused during the episodes and does she remember the events afterwards? A characteristic of certain types of partial seizure is severe episodes of abnormal confused behavior which are not remembered properly afterwards. This does not sound quite like what's happening, however. It is true that some forms of episodic aggressive outbursts respond to specific anti-epileptics though, even when they are not epilepsy. Meds used in children for this purpose include valproate and Tegretol.
>I've been looking at homeopathic medicine lately, but have no experience with it.I wouldn't, to be honest. By their very nature, homeopathic medicines are so diluted that they don't contain anything. They are placebos. Safe, but ineffective.
>I've been looking at pyroluria lately and wonder if it could possibly account for her erratic and frightening behavior.
Well, pyroluria is not a recognised medical condition. I don't think it's the answer.
Anyway, the vitamins you're giving sound like a good idea. Omega-3 fish oil supplements may potentially improve behavior and development in children. So that could be something to consider.
poster:ed_uk2010
thread:1076238
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20150129/msgs/1076280.html