Alright...this is going to be long, but I've tried to answer all of your questions to the best of my ability. Please, keep them coming. And if anyone has explanations for anything I've said, BRING IT ON, please!
Originally Posted By: Marguerite
What did he say he was afraid of? Even if it was only a bluff, you can call the bluff by finding a way around the 'fear'. Such as a reading lamp for fear of the dark, or a search of the wardrobe plus locking it up with the key, if the kid has seen "Monsters Inc" too recently. Door closed, door open, light on, light off, window open, window closed - let him have some control over his environment and ask HIM for solutions to reduce the fear. What does he expect you to do? Allowing him to stay up (which you said is what you think he's after) is no solution, because if you get over-tired, the nightmares are worse (speaking from experience).
He's afraid of a lot (kinda like me). He doesn't like the dark, things in his room, his door closed, etc... That night he said he was hearing things (I explained that the baby could be making noise and the TV is on downstairs and could just be carrying up through the floor and we have 2 cats that could be fooling around). I've given him a lamp, but he spilled water on it and proved it's too dangerous to have in his room (I'm thinking about battery operated tap lights, now). He has the curtains open so the parking lot lights flood his room with light, too. He has the choice to leave his door open (with no heat) or close it (with the heat on). As unfair as this may seem, our house is so big, that if he leaves the door open, there's no point to the heat as it all just drifts away and is still cold in his room (our house is heated room by room). In the summer, he had to earn his window being opened and it could only be opened about 5 inches (he throws things out and hangs out of it). There's a special lock that now prevents him from endangering himself, but he was pretty good about staying away from it so he could have it opened. He had the option of a fan, but completely disassembled it one day, so we had to start putting it in his room after he fell asleep and removing it before he woke up (what a pain!). He can't have a bureau in him room because he rips all the clothes out and mixes them with his dirty clothes (holy laundry, batman!). He has no toys to comfort him because he's scared of them at night. The only time I'm more attention giving (as opposed to just sending him back to his room) is if he wakes up after having fallen asleep as he sleepwalks and has many nightmares. I just posted in the "it's 3:45 and K's still awake" topic about why my son is so scared all the time. Check it out. This may help explain a bit more.
Originally Posted By: Kjs
Just throwing this out. Has he ever been tested for diabetes?
Actually, I just went to the pediatrician and asked for a test as difficult child's p g-ma "threw that out", too. Yeah...she said the psychiatrist needs to take care of this. Did I mention I'm thinking about relocating to a new pediatrician? Heh... Besides the point, though...this was a total act of defiance, this time. If you had seen the evil look on my son's face after he did it...well, you'd understand.
Originally Posted By: wyntersgrace
Is he afraid to be upstairs by himself when everyone else is downstairs? Is the bathroom upstairs? Just wondering if he peed where he did because he was afraid to go up to the bathroom. Maybe he tried to 'hit' the garbage can but missed?
He is afraid to be upstairs, but I don't know what to do about that. He's not alone as his sis is up there, too, and I tell him I can always hear him through her baby montitor and we're right underneath him if he needs us.
Originally Posted By: MidwestMom
Why do you think your son isn't having anxiety? I'm going back to when I was thirteen and so full of anxiety I was terrified to be alone, be in the dark of my room, be upstairs when my parents were downstairs, etc. My parents told me to "get over it." Maybe your son has sensory issues or an immature bladder or maybe he really WAS scared and that was his way of proving it...just a few suggestions.
I'm sure my son is having anxiety...I was and am still exactly like him (with the exception of throwing things out windows, disassembling fans and the clothes mixing). I totally sympathize with him and try to be as accommodating as I can without letting him walk all over me. It's hard to draw the line of how much is too much, ya know? I would like to check on the bladder thing...quite the legitimate question...this time, though...I'm SURE it wasn't bladder issues. How would sensory issues play into this? I know he does have some issues (mouthing things
Originally Posted By: WeepingWillow
You mention in your profile that it is time for a new evaluation, has that happened yet? Just wondering if him being only on an anti-depressant could be making things worse. Often with our kids, just a stand alone SSRI can increase odd behaviors, impulsivitiy, and aggression. Sometimes they need a mood stabilizer of some sort to help them calm their impulses. Just a thought.
No new evaluation. STILL trying to find a doctor that takes my ins and covers my area. He has an appointment with a neuro in Dec. I'm hoping this brings up some answers. The school should finally be doing some tests, as well. I'm crossing my fingers they can come up with some explanation. I've discussed things like Risperdal with my psychologist (the darn psychiatrist is never around!!!). He's been my only means of communication with the psychiatrist. When he spoke with the medication doctor, he only kept saying "up the Wellbutrin". So that's what he did. 100mgs a day, 2x a day. No change, so far, but he just started this increase, so... I don't blame the medications for his agression, at all. There was a time (last summer) I had the doctor take him off of everything (Strattera, for a month was the last medication he had been on) to see what my son's natural baseline was. I had never seen him so aggressive and that scared the -you know what out- of me. He's going through the exact same behavior now, showing me that these medications probably aren't doing anything, at all. The medication doctor seems to think it's just not enough Wellbutrin. We'll see. The peeing thing, though? Brand spanking new behavior. Hooray! Let's see what else he can pull out of his sleeve.