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I called the Sheriff.
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<blockquote data-quote="susiestar" data-source="post: 532579" data-attributes="member: 1233"><p>Do you have a copy of The Bipolar Child by papalos? the last name is problem spelled wrong, sorry. It is a great book on bipolar and it has a medication protocol. If the psychiatrist thinks that he has bipolar, why is difficult child not on at least one mood stabilizer? the abilify is an atypical antipsychotic and yes, it is also needed and is helping, but it will NOT stabilize his moods. Until moods are stable, NOTHING is going to improve. The medication protocol is designed and approved by the board that certifies child and adolescent psychiatrists, not something an author created. </p><p></p><p>I will warn you that MANY (all the ones I have spoken with - each time Wiz had a problem (or had to see a new psychiatrist)they wanted to change the diagnosis to bipolar but they NEVER wanted to follow the protocol so i refused. Drove several psychiatrists NUTS - which I admit was kinda fun because they were idjits and short stops on our road to help. I always had the book with me and opened it when they started to talk medications. The psychiatrist would say that he wanted to change to this antidepressant and I would say "Wait a minute. You say he is bipolar, and the acad of psychiatrists says that people with bipolar should NOT take a/d's until they are stabilized on 1-2 mood stabilizers and an antipsychotic if needed. we know that if he is bipolar then he is in NO way stable, so why not do a medication wash and then start with the mood stab/antipsychotics? or at least use those in addition to what he is on?"</p><p></p><p>THey would then decide he was NOT bipolar and his medications just needed an adjustment. Asking WHY??? they didn't want to do the mood stabs, esp since Wiz had NO problems with whatever tests were needed to monitor his medications, never got a real answer. Most sort of just looked at me with that idiotic 'How dare you question me?' look and ignored the question. But if they ever tried to use the bipolar diagnosis, they had to answer the ?? before they could rx anything. </p><p></p><p>WHY this protocol? Because it WORKS. We have several adults on the board with bipolar and they have told us that the difference between being on an a/d and being on the proper medications for bipolar is incredible. A/d's generally cause mania and they often felt wonderful on them, but they got stranger and more manic and out of control. On the mood stabs and antipsychotics, they felt more like themselves than they ever had, or had in years and years. If it works that well for adults, then it is worth pushing for with kids, at least I felt that way.</p><p></p><p>the book is very helpful. Until difficult child is on the right medications, and that can take quite a while to find them and get them to the right level, pretty much NOTHING you do is going to change his behavior and problems. He NEEDS these medications to correct his brain chemistry and until that happens he is UNABLE to change. he is NOT in control of everything, and all things you are doing are great but won't help the bigger picture because this is a chemical imbalance - a physical problem. My mom raised us with the line "physical solutions to physical problems". Too short to reach something? get a stool. Chemical imbalance? Take medications. therapy won't help a chemical imbalance any more than it will fix kidney stones or diabetes. Sure, some things will help the symptoms, but until the problem is addressed, all the therapy in the universe won't really help. </p><p></p><p>Get to the doctor with husband and difficult child. Start a parent report and take it with you - make sure to have extra copies in case you want to leave sections with the psychiatrist. If husband won't take you to the psychiatrist, send difficult child to work wtih him for a few days. Sure his boss won't like it, and maybe husband will have to take a sick day or two or three, but he WILL get the point. You may not have the legal rights of a parent, but you love the child and you may have to back husband into a corner to force him to get the best help for difficult child.</p><p></p><p>the parent report info is in my sig and it is an incredibly powerful tool. You write it all about difficult child - the good as well as the bad - and you keep ALL the info you have in the report. The thread explains it - and you can find the thread by the link in my signature.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="susiestar, post: 532579, member: 1233"] Do you have a copy of The Bipolar Child by papalos? the last name is problem spelled wrong, sorry. It is a great book on bipolar and it has a medication protocol. If the psychiatrist thinks that he has bipolar, why is difficult child not on at least one mood stabilizer? the abilify is an atypical antipsychotic and yes, it is also needed and is helping, but it will NOT stabilize his moods. Until moods are stable, NOTHING is going to improve. The medication protocol is designed and approved by the board that certifies child and adolescent psychiatrists, not something an author created. I will warn you that MANY (all the ones I have spoken with - each time Wiz had a problem (or had to see a new psychiatrist)they wanted to change the diagnosis to bipolar but they NEVER wanted to follow the protocol so i refused. Drove several psychiatrists NUTS - which I admit was kinda fun because they were idjits and short stops on our road to help. I always had the book with me and opened it when they started to talk medications. The psychiatrist would say that he wanted to change to this antidepressant and I would say "Wait a minute. You say he is bipolar, and the acad of psychiatrists says that people with bipolar should NOT take a/d's until they are stabilized on 1-2 mood stabilizers and an antipsychotic if needed. we know that if he is bipolar then he is in NO way stable, so why not do a medication wash and then start with the mood stab/antipsychotics? or at least use those in addition to what he is on?" THey would then decide he was NOT bipolar and his medications just needed an adjustment. Asking WHY??? they didn't want to do the mood stabs, esp since Wiz had NO problems with whatever tests were needed to monitor his medications, never got a real answer. Most sort of just looked at me with that idiotic 'How dare you question me?' look and ignored the question. But if they ever tried to use the bipolar diagnosis, they had to answer the ?? before they could rx anything. WHY this protocol? Because it WORKS. We have several adults on the board with bipolar and they have told us that the difference between being on an a/d and being on the proper medications for bipolar is incredible. A/d's generally cause mania and they often felt wonderful on them, but they got stranger and more manic and out of control. On the mood stabs and antipsychotics, they felt more like themselves than they ever had, or had in years and years. If it works that well for adults, then it is worth pushing for with kids, at least I felt that way. the book is very helpful. Until difficult child is on the right medications, and that can take quite a while to find them and get them to the right level, pretty much NOTHING you do is going to change his behavior and problems. He NEEDS these medications to correct his brain chemistry and until that happens he is UNABLE to change. he is NOT in control of everything, and all things you are doing are great but won't help the bigger picture because this is a chemical imbalance - a physical problem. My mom raised us with the line "physical solutions to physical problems". Too short to reach something? get a stool. Chemical imbalance? Take medications. therapy won't help a chemical imbalance any more than it will fix kidney stones or diabetes. Sure, some things will help the symptoms, but until the problem is addressed, all the therapy in the universe won't really help. Get to the doctor with husband and difficult child. Start a parent report and take it with you - make sure to have extra copies in case you want to leave sections with the psychiatrist. If husband won't take you to the psychiatrist, send difficult child to work wtih him for a few days. Sure his boss won't like it, and maybe husband will have to take a sick day or two or three, but he WILL get the point. You may not have the legal rights of a parent, but you love the child and you may have to back husband into a corner to force him to get the best help for difficult child. the parent report info is in my sig and it is an incredibly powerful tool. You write it all about difficult child - the good as well as the bad - and you keep ALL the info you have in the report. The thread explains it - and you can find the thread by the link in my signature. [/QUOTE]
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