C
comatheart
Guest
I'm so frustrated.
difficult child has been taking Zoloft and Abilify for several months now. He seemed to do well for about 2 months and then he became pretty depressed again. The psychiatrist raised the Zoloft and here we are a couple weeks later with hypo mania symptoms. When he is at the top of his "rollercoaster" (as we call it) he does stupid things. We've been keeping track and it's clear as day.....he does lttle things like talking really fast, skipping around the house, signing loudly inappropriately (he is normally not a signer!) giddy behavior to BIG things like shoplifting, skipping school, doing drugs and attempting to hurt his siblings. He doesn't think of consequences at all when he's at the top of his roller-coaster, he doesn't care.
At our recent psychiatrist appointment he sat and described his life as going well. He minimizes everything and tells the doctor what he wants to hear. Then the doctor turns to me to check in and I explain how he's currently at the top of his rollercoaster and has been skipping classes at school and lying. He has been suspended from school. All of his grades have dropped. He is stealing again and otherwise doesn't give a flying flip about anyone or anything besides himself. I questioned the medications, I don't think they are working to control the mood swings and wondered if if were possible that we need to try something different. He only does the bad things when at the top of the rollercoaster. The doctor did not agree and was hesitant to raise the Abilify, but he did. He said it is all behavioral and he is a teenage boy and that we need to seek Counseling. UGH!! difficult child was in counseling for over a year before we even considered medicating him. I don't see how counseling can help someone who is a compulsive liar. We spent $$$$ paying for him to sit there and manipulate and lie to the guy. So psychiatrist turns to difficult child and asks if he felt comfortable with the counselor. difficult child shakes his head NO.
ARRRGH! We took him to 3 counselors before we found the one he liked. Never ONCE did he tell us he wasn't comfortable with him. In fact, just the opposite, he really liked him. Unfortunately, there's only so much the counselor could do with difficult child since he would never talk and when he did, it was lies upon lies. ETA: I know my son needs to continue counseling, I'm just frustrated that the psychiatrist doesn't seem to be listening to our major concerns and so easily wants to dismiss them to a counselor when we've already been down that road. 
Finally, difficult child is really scaring me. You may remember me posting about how he chopped up prescription medications to give to his unsuspecting brother "as a joke"? Well we are seeing other frightening things too. Last week he was messing with the youngest brother and choked him out. My husband heard commotion in the other room and found difficult child with his hands around his brothers neck. Our youngest could not breath and began choking and gagging when difficult child was forced to let go. This episode did not occur during a fight, difficult child was happy as a clam and still to this day doesn't seem to think it was a big deal.
Then a few days ago we were all sitting at the dinner table eating when our new puppy began yelping out in pain. Everyone rushed into the living room to see what the problem was- well everyone besides difficult child. He sat there and continued to eat his dinner without a care in the world. Who does that when a person or animal is crying out in pain!?!?
I feel like no one is listening to us and our concerns regarding difficult child and I'm afraid. Who do we turn to that will listen and take our concerns seriously before difficult child does something to harm himself or someone else??
difficult child has been taking Zoloft and Abilify for several months now. He seemed to do well for about 2 months and then he became pretty depressed again. The psychiatrist raised the Zoloft and here we are a couple weeks later with hypo mania symptoms. When he is at the top of his "rollercoaster" (as we call it) he does stupid things. We've been keeping track and it's clear as day.....he does lttle things like talking really fast, skipping around the house, signing loudly inappropriately (he is normally not a signer!) giddy behavior to BIG things like shoplifting, skipping school, doing drugs and attempting to hurt his siblings. He doesn't think of consequences at all when he's at the top of his roller-coaster, he doesn't care.
At our recent psychiatrist appointment he sat and described his life as going well. He minimizes everything and tells the doctor what he wants to hear. Then the doctor turns to me to check in and I explain how he's currently at the top of his rollercoaster and has been skipping classes at school and lying. He has been suspended from school. All of his grades have dropped. He is stealing again and otherwise doesn't give a flying flip about anyone or anything besides himself. I questioned the medications, I don't think they are working to control the mood swings and wondered if if were possible that we need to try something different. He only does the bad things when at the top of the rollercoaster. The doctor did not agree and was hesitant to raise the Abilify, but he did. He said it is all behavioral and he is a teenage boy and that we need to seek Counseling. UGH!! difficult child was in counseling for over a year before we even considered medicating him. I don't see how counseling can help someone who is a compulsive liar. We spent $$$$ paying for him to sit there and manipulate and lie to the guy. So psychiatrist turns to difficult child and asks if he felt comfortable with the counselor. difficult child shakes his head NO.
ARRRGH! We took him to 3 counselors before we found the one he liked. Never ONCE did he tell us he wasn't comfortable with him. In fact, just the opposite, he really liked him. Unfortunately, there's only so much the counselor could do with difficult child since he would never talk and when he did, it was lies upon lies. ETA: I know my son needs to continue counseling, I'm just frustrated that the psychiatrist doesn't seem to be listening to our major concerns and so easily wants to dismiss them to a counselor when we've already been down that road. Finally, difficult child is really scaring me. You may remember me posting about how he chopped up prescription medications to give to his unsuspecting brother "as a joke"? Well we are seeing other frightening things too. Last week he was messing with the youngest brother and choked him out. My husband heard commotion in the other room and found difficult child with his hands around his brothers neck. Our youngest could not breath and began choking and gagging when difficult child was forced to let go. This episode did not occur during a fight, difficult child was happy as a clam and still to this day doesn't seem to think it was a big deal.
Then a few days ago we were all sitting at the dinner table eating when our new puppy began yelping out in pain. Everyone rushed into the living room to see what the problem was- well everyone besides difficult child. He sat there and continued to eat his dinner without a care in the world. Who does that when a person or animal is crying out in pain!?!?
I feel like no one is listening to us and our concerns regarding difficult child and I'm afraid. Who do we turn to that will listen and take our concerns seriously before difficult child does something to harm himself or someone else??
