Can you describe your difficult child's manic episodes...

[whatamess]

My view of my difficult child's mood and subsequent behavior always bring the term 'manic' to my mind. For my difficult child...he cannot sit still (goes way beyond his normal adhd), his whole entire body will move constantly, for hours. Legs moving, kicking, stomping; arms flailing, poking, slapping, hitting, throwing; bumping into people, crashing into furniture; voice-loud whoops, yells, shouting in sibs ears, using words he knows are inappropriate. Bothering our cat and hamster to a degree different than usual. Ripping paper, stealing sibs toys, bothering sibs by entering their room and throwing their stuff around. He's been in this state for about 20 hours now and it is exhausting. Does this sound manic to you?

 

[mstang67chic]

In a word?


Yep.

But...has he had any medication changes lately? Some medications can cause that kind of behavior either on their own or mixed with other medications. Or..any food issues? Sensitivities to food dyes....sweetners....stuff like that.

 

[BusynMember]

Is he always this way? Has he started any new medication?

If he is always like that, it could be Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)/sensory seeking behavior too, constantly unable to sit still, seeking sensory satisfaction 24/7. Wanting to touch or feel everything, stroking someone's hair, touching someone's face, picking everything up, shaking their heads back and forth--to me that would signal sensory issues. Making weird, high-pitched throat noises or talking too loud then covering ears when THEY think something is too loud is not really just symptoms of mania. Especially if they are socially inappropriate, it could be something else. Does he stand too close or too far away from being, yell in their faces? Did he have any early delays or speech issues? Can he hold a give-and-take conversation? Does he obsess over anything?

My son was so hyper we used to say he'd hang from the chandeliers, but he wasn't manic. He was on the autism spectrum. He is really calm now, but as a toddler and younger child, he was misdiagnosed with ADHD/ODD and then with bipolar. He took a lot of medications that he didn't need. It is very hard to tell one disorder from the other. I always recommend neuropsychologist evaluations every two years until the kids are teenagers.

 

[whatamess]

He is diagnosis'd Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)-not otherwise specified, ADHD, definitely has sensory issues (crasher), but these episodes go beyond his normal sensory seeking, hyperactive, autistic-like behavior. There is a noticable difference when he gets like this. He is currently on no medications, trying to find a competent psychiatrist to look at mood disorder for him.

 

[Mandy]

My difficult child's manic episodes are really hard and they usually go something like this...

~Starts crawling, running, or laying on his back like a crab flailing. If I try to slow him down he will hit or kick and keep on going

~Starts singing and/or talking VERY loudly

~He will repeat the same thing over and over and over until I think I will go mad

~Starts playing very rough w the other kids and/or destroy things

~When I have to intervene he will start laughing with an "evil" grin on his face.

~His pupils dilate and he seems like he is far, far away.

~Finally when it is over he seems to "snap" right back like nothing ever happened.

~This can go on for an hour or more

I hope this helps! Good Luck!