My baby has just picked up glass and slit his wrist......

wolonfab

New Member

My almost 6 yr old difficult child has scared me so bad tonight ...he came in covered in blood after trying to put a peice of glass thru his wrist.... There was blood everywhere...I raced him and 12 tea towels to the emergency clinic...i was shoeless and in shock..... forgot we have ambulances in Australia.....

They looked at him and the triage nurse says he needs a doctor right away...they had to stitch him with butterfly stitches as for the normal ones he would need surgery and removal of skin,,,,, will have a doozy of a scar across his wrist that will never go away they told me....and applied a pressure bandage to control the blood... he told them his 2 yr old sister did it when asked..He was laughing at the situation manically and his legs were shaking at the same time.....He told me after when i was upset and crying that it was only one thing and not worth getting upset over...He showed no emotion apart from not wanting to be touched...... and of course the manic laughing....He has since told me he did it himself even though its on record at hospital as his sister doing it now.....

I am at a loss as to why this happened and how to deal with it....He's about to turn 6 and shouldnt be this way....when does it get easier? can i never let him out of my sight again? he is hiding knives around the yard and cutting things down here there and everwhere....Im scared for my 2 yr old and i'm worried for him...should i tell the school? im gonan ring the paed on monday am...... as this is not right behavior i'm sure

any advice welcome......

sure others have been thru this..maybe not with one so young though

Please keep him in ur prayers
paula
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
Hi Paula,

I haven't been anywhere near close to what you are dealing with here. But I can tell you the two things I would do right away (and probably what would automatically happen here in the states).

First of all, I would go through my house and remove all scissors, knives, and other such implements. They need to stay locked up. Hopefully someone else will come along here shortly as I know other members have had to do this.

I would also have called my son's doctor (therapist or psychiatrist) immediately upon arriving home. Side note - had this happened here in the states, your son would have probably been sent to a phospital straight after being sewn up.

It needs to be made clear whether this was a true attempt to end his life (an awful thought for such young a child) or just curiosity. Either way, it is extrememly disturbing and a he needs to speak with a professional.

The third thing I would do is not let my younger child be alone, for even seconds, with my older child. No compromise on this in my book.

Those would be my first three reactions - hide the sharp stuff (and I know there is no preventing someone from hurting themselves but you may make it harder), get him to a doctor fast, and keep your 2 year old in your sights at all times.

Paula, I'm so incredibly sorry that this happened to you and your son. I can only imagine how afraid you were. It must have also been disturbing to hear him laughing.

I hope you are able to get some help for him quickly. Your little boy needs intervention really fast, in my opinion.

Lots of hugs and prayers too.

Sharon
 

KATES_MOM

New Member
Paula, OMG I am shaking myself. I agree he needs intervention now. I have a 6 yr. old son myself, I find it hard to comprehend that this could happen at this age. But I do know it does happen. I am so sorry for you to have to go through this. I am even more sorry for your little boy to be in this spot. Plz dont leave him alone with the 2 yr. old. Sometime mommy minds have a way of thinking, OH he wouldnt hurt the baby. But coming from outside sources listen to that. I noticed he is starting ritalin? Maybe he needs to come off of that until his moods are stable. I would run straight to a psyc. doctor or hospital. now with him. I know this has to be exsp. hard being a single parent. Keep your chin up and hang in there. I will pray!!! Kathy
 

wakeupcall

Well-Known Member
OMG........Honey, ANY doctor worth anything would see you right away. Make that call immediately and get there asap. This is extremely serious at any age and you cannot waste any time. I'm so sorry your family has to be going through this. Poor difficult child, he must be very scared.
 

SRL

Active Member
wolonfab, I agree with the other posters about the preventative measures but knowing from the Easy Child board how much trouble you are having getting help for your son, you might want to jump all over this and try and get inpatient help for him. I don't think I can ever recall a post you've made telling us that he's making good progress with the interventions/treatment in place for him.

There was a recent increase in Ritalin, wasn't he? If he's having this kind of reaction to an increased dose at this young age the best place for them to adjust medications would be in the hospital where he can be observed 24/7 and be safe.
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
Take pictures of the wounds while still fresh. Get copies of the hospital report. Do this today. Then you need to find someone who will help get your son inpatient asap.
{{{Hugs}}}
 

timer lady

Queen of Hearts
This kind of thing terrifies me. Safety proof the house & contact psychiatrist immediately. Document.

We'll be behind you as you advocate for help for your difficult child. You have a whole lot of :warrior: supporting you.
 

BonnieJean

Active Member
Hi Paula, I haven't been to the cutting part but my son kind of is like this. It's strange how he can laugh when he's hurt or sees others getting hurt, especially after all he's/we've been through.

When does it get easier!? Hate to be the burden of bad news hun, but I'm not sure it ever does. There's alot of parents who have struggled where you are, where I am and they miraculously survived with every part of their being intact, so I know you and I will too.

Wish I had some words of comfort or advice, just a friendly gentle hug!

BonnieJean
 

hearts and roses

Mind Reader
{{{Paula}}} I have no words. I'm so sorry this is happening. I agree with everyone else - get your son in to see someone ASAP and lock up all things sharp.

Many gentle hugs~
 
Paula,

I agree with everything the others have said. He needs help ASAP!!! Your post is sending shivers up and down my spine.

Please take care of yourself and know that everyone here is thinking of you... I know this sounds crazy, this thought just popped into my mind... BUT, maybe in a strange way, this happened for a reason. I know this sounds insane but now you and his doctors know what he is capable of. Luckily, you were able to get him to the hospital in time...

I read in one of the responses to your post, I can't remember which one, (I'm still in shock), that you are having an extremely hard time getting services for him. Well, its absolutely a tragedy it had to come to this, but maybe this will finally open up the eyes of all those professionals once and for all!!! Maybe now you will finally be able to get him all the help he needs. Maybe there will be a silver lining in this cloud after all...

I hope what I'm thinking makes sense to you. I just feel so badly for you and your son!!!

I am praying for you and him... Please take care of yourself!!! WFEN
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
in my opinion this is not something that will get easier unless it is treated. If part of it is autism, then that can explain the odd, flat reaction to it, but I think more is going on than Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). My son is Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and would never hurt himself or act that strangely. I usually am not one to hospitalize so young, but I'd put him in the best hospital available for a total evaluation. Also, are there any psychiatric or neurological illnesses on either side of his family tree to point you in a direction? Genetics is a big clue as to what the big picture is, and in his case he may have co-morbid problems. I would act NOW. In the US, they probably would have put him in the hospital. As for the Ritalin, for WHAT? in my opinion, putting a violent kid on Ritalin is not smart. Did this out-of-control behavior start after the Ritalin did? Will they give him something like Risperdal in Australia? That is more for rages. I can't see how Ritalin could help him. You have my prayers.
 

Shari

IsItFridayYet?
Thank God my difficult child never succeeded, but both wanted to hurt themselves at very young ages. difficult child 1 a bit older than difficult child 2.

As others have said, lock everything up. Everything. Get someone to help you brainstorm what else could be used - its not just knives and scissors. And I would be beating down doors looking for inpatient help now.

When difficult child 1 was like this, at a much older age, we were very stupid to have kept him at home. We had our reasons, but we won't do it again. Surely, even there, this will get someone's attention.

And get someone on the horn about the Ritalin. As I understand it, stims can make bipolars worse. Maybe that's a clue.

Many hugs.
 

wolonfab

New Member


Hi all
Thanks for everyones thoughts..... Thankfully difficult child is still sleeping.... i have had to scare him to keep from opening the bandage to play with the saw.....Told him they will have to use big needles if it opens.....I am upset that they took his word that his baby sister did it in the first place......

My mind is awash with questions and i cant close down..... so here i sit depressed and torn...was it my fault ? i told him to clean his room 10mins prior to the incident and he was so angry he lashed out at me then took off into the yard...did i put my boy into this deep dark mood? or was it just a awful coincidence? why do they do this? if it was to see what it feels like why would he go right down to the tendons?...i never saw them till last night(luckily there is no damage so far).... should i tell the new school if they take him? do they need to know incase or is it better to say nothing?

The problem with Australia is that they don't see any other disorders... ...My GP still doesn't like difficult child having autism.... says not another one on his books.....bipolar is an adult condition over here..... I'm gonna get to our children's hospital and get him reassessed for the third time...in my opinion the medication's can go as if he hurts himself on them whats the use.....He has only been on them for 3 mth's and was increased 4 weeks ago....someone aid to call child abuse services and tell them if he doesn't kill me ill probably kill him...they said it would mean things would get done fast...but should i have to go to this extreme......

i feel like i am babbling but i have a monster of a headache so i ham making no sense i apologize.....I think i also put my mummy warrior armour in to be cleaned...LOL
 

SRL

Active Member
Wolonfob, your current situation with your difficult child is in crisis territory. Not only on the emotional and safety side of things, but if you were in the US, there would also be someone from child protection services knocking at your door whether it was done by difficult child or by his sister. If you have been through two assessments already in a period of around a year going back to the same place for another regular type assessment will likely land you in the same spot whereas moving fast on this crisis might get him to some differerent people/channels.

As for telling the potential new school, they've already suggested that they might now be able to handle him with behaviors prior to this. For his own safety as well as the safety of other children, the school--current or the other if they are still considering accepting him--should be informed. The parents above who suggested that he be supervised at all times know what they are talking about--you can't send a young child who has slit his wrist to school the next day without telling those who are responsible for him.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I'm just curious. Why is bipolar an adult disorder in Austrailia? They will never treat a child for bipolar? I hope that's not true. in my opinion this child needs some sort of medications for mood disorders, not ADHD stimulants. I really hope you find good help for him. And if it were me, and this is just my opinion, the Ritalin would hit the trash. I can only see that making him worse. I hope he is getting interventions for autism. They start that here very early...frankly, my son was pretty violent until he got autism interventions. The earlier, the better, in my opinion. However, we didn't have to pay for them, we couldn't have afforded to pay for them. They were free through the county and school districts (((hugs))) You did nothing wrong. Your little one is just not a typical child. You are a concerned, caring, loving mom, doing the best she can with a difficult little boy. If necessary, yes, I'd keep him in sight at all times.
 
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