Is it just annoying behavior or bipolar ?

waytootired

New Member
I have a question for all the experienced warrior parents of difficult child's with BiPolar (BP).

We are having problems with behavior when difficult child is bored. When he is playing playstation, swimming or busy in an activity behavior is normal(for him). Other times..he is rolling around on the ground, whinning," I'm bored, there's nothng to do...and then it goes into kicking things(while still rolling around on the floor)bad langauge, "I hate myself", "I wish I were dead" and it gets bigger and more dramatic. Of course I make some suggestions and he says...I don't know..Whinning :grrr:!! A lot of the time I can get him interestied in doing something...other times it gets very distructive and ugly. Other times I walk away and he slowly runs out of steam...as long as he isn't in distructive mode.

Another hard time is bedtime...again the rolling on the floor thing, whinning "nooooo" and goes into "I hate myself" "I want to kill myself" Yada Yada.....kicking walls, pulling sheets off the bed, somtimes hitting me or my husband.

In your opinions....Is this a kid being a pain in the bottom :devil: or is bordom & bedtime triggers for bipolar behavior episodes. He says we can't help it.

I'm so tired...I hate summer.. :crazy:
 

busywend

Well-Known Member
At 11 that is pretty intense. I would call this his answer to boredom - he is no longer bored because he is having a tantrum. It is doing something. I wish I had ideas to redirect him quickly. Maybe a trampoline? Not sure this is BiPolar (BP) behavior. I do not think this is a mood swing.
 

Steely

Active Member
I would not be of the opinion that this is bi-polar behavior, but rather some signs of depression. Depression is at its worst when there is time to think about it, which is what is happening when he is bored. I would definitely call the psychiatrist, but I would not be leaning towards BiPolar (BP) necessarily.

The first signs of BiPolar (BP) I saw in my difficult child were the rapid mood swings. Those mood swings happened regardless of what he was doing or where he was. Then the behavior escalated to grandiose behavior, like thinking he could take on the whole neighborhood, including adults, with his fists. It was scary. Then it progressed into the sleepless nights, compulsive spending, etc.

I would be willing to guess that his boredom is exacerbating his depression - but that is only my guess.
Good luck.
 

Alisonlg

New Member
Sounds a LOT like my M before we got him stable. Wow, flashbacks! Boredom and Bedtime were HUGE triggers for M. Now that we seem to have the right medication combo going :::knock on wood::: these behaviors have subsided.

M is being treated for rages and anxiety. M isn't labeled BiPolar (BP)...though his last psychiatric hospital psychiatrist gave him a rule out of BiPolar (BP).

Is this your Early Onset Bi-Polar (EOBP) son, or your ADHD son you're asking about?
 

tessaturtle

New Member
Sounds like our difficult child too not to long ago before his hospital admission for 3 months. He is Bipolar (has been diagnosis that since he was 6) and they have had a hard time getting a handle on it because they said it seems to be a complex form of it. They are treating him more for the depressive sides of Bipolar (he went through the I want to kill myself thing right before admission). THe combo of medications have been working pretty well, but lately (the last 3 or 4 days) he has been having melt downs. The transition to staying at our house full time started this past week, so probably it isjust fall out from that...but you never know...

anyway, since his medication change and stabilization, the bedtime rages have pretty much subsided...good luck!
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I do think it is a good idea to call the psychiatrist. Like Alison's difficult child, boredom and bedtime were huge triggers at one point for our difficult child. To an extent boredom still is.

I'm sorry you are so tired and not enjoying summer. Hugs.
 

waytootired

New Member
Thanks for the sharing your experiences. It really does help to hear from others.

Alisonlg: This is my 11 year old difficult child with the official diagnosis of a mood disorder, unofficial(because of his age) Early Onset Bipolar...which he is being treated for.

We are taking him off Risperdal because of high Triglycerides & Cholesterol. psychiatrist wants to try Geodon or Abilify? Now the medication game begins AGAIN.....
 

Janna

New Member
I would suspect the "I'm bored" type stuff is probably from boredom LOL! Playing the Playstation can only be fun for so long, ditto to watching television. Quite honestly, my Bipolar kiddo, unlike many of the challenging kids, really doesn't care for video games or television unless he's interacting with others while doing it.

Try outside stuff. Do you have a yard? The park? Sidewalk chalk, sidewalk paints, collecting rocks, sticks, riding bikes. Water games. Try filling balloons with water. Dollar Store ~ poster boards, finger paints, take them outside. Make stuff, with sticks, rocks, paints, etc. Get creative.

The rolling around on the floor ~ sounds attention seeking to me. Ever ignore it?

The "I hate myself" stuff, yeah ~ that's what I'd worry about. Document, document. Start keeping track, you know, in a notebook or something. How often, what starts it, maybe you can figure out the triggers. I'd still talk to the psychiatrist about it.

As far as medications, Risperdal here is voodoo. Made my son hallucinate, triggered mania, was ugly. We had very good success with Abilify, although I know some that haven't. We ended the Abilify, because it's not a long term medication, and after 16 months, it pooped out. We're trying Geodon now, it's only been a few days, but I'm personally not impressed thus far. Although, every kid is different.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Im with Janna on the "Im bored" talk. It probably means just that...he is bored. Both of my younger two were very active kids even though they had different dxes. They needed a lot of outside play. They were not inside kids unless it was raining and even then they got antsy inside. I hated rainy days!

There used to be a poem that went something like this: "I wouldnt take a million for this little boy of mine, but on a rainy day just offer me a dime!" Boy could I relate...lol.

I think the behavior you are describing sounds more like attention seeking more than outright bipolar but then I think I would run it past a doctor.
 

mattsmum

New Member
I would take it seriously and I would call his therapist tomorrow and mention what he is saying. Sounds like depression to me.

My difficult child becomes angry and destructive too, and they diagnosed him with a mood disorder/bipolar. They told me that in young children, the aggression is the depression piece.

I would take it seriously. My difficult child can hold it together when he is watching TV too.
 
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