Still here same problems...Please help

brandyf

New Member
we had our first appointment with the psychiatrist and the thing she had to say was that difficult child has facial tics. i.e. he is only 6, she ordered labs and ekg. we go back in 2 weeks. i think its aspergers. they think its bipolar cuz i told them my sister got a quick diagnosis of bipolar 10 years ago. pleaae!!!!!!!!!!!!! i feel ,like they use that as a quick diagnosis. what do u guys think?
 

smallworld

Moderator
Brandy, you might want to copy and repost this on the General Forum because it's not specific to an education issue. You'll probably get a lot more responses over there.
 
K

Kjs

Guest
facial tic's is not a reason for a diagnosis. My difficult child has had very noticable facial tics this last month. School Principal even called me about it. Talked to his neurologist, and he said:

difficult child came off of Lamictal- after 3 years- (mood stabalizer/seizure control medication) a few months ago. He could of had the tics and it was controlled by Lamictal.
difficult child was also on Topomax- same here. Could of controlled the tic's.
difficult child has started Concerta a few months ago. Neurologist doesn't think it is medicine related. Also said that kids with ADHD often have facial tics, and if it gets to irritating we can control it with medication.

Now, difficult child has never had any specific tests done. 3 years ago, he was brought to psychiatrist, anxiety breakdown, totally lost. psychiatrist said - Bipolar. Put him on Lamictal. Insurance/financial issues cannot have him tested.
Due to headaches, neurologist did do MRI, MRA, eeg. put him on topomax.
he is off all medications now. difficult child asked psychiatrist for something to help him stay focused. I personally see no difference whether he takes concerta or not. difficult child said he notices.
His facial tics are much more noticable when he is anxious, worried.
Facial tic's alone could be so many things.
 

happymomof2

New Member
Brandy, if your not comfortable with the diagnosis then by all means get a second opinion. I do feel some docs want to jump on certain things when that might not be the case.

Hang in there!
 

smallworld

Moderator
Brandy, psychiatrists tend to concentrate on mood issues (anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, for example). If you suspect Aspergers, I'd recommend seeking an evaluation with a neuropsychologist, a developmental pediatrician or a multidisciplinary team at a children's or university teaching hospital. You should also seek Occupational Therapist (OT) and speech evaluations.

Since your son has tics, it is not a bad idea to follow through on the neurological evaluation as well. For the most part, tics are not a serious symptom but may influence medication choices down the line.

Good luck.
 

brandyf

New Member
thank you guys so much for the info. by the way he does go to Occupational Therapist (OT) once a week for Sensory Integration Disorder (SID). no speech problems. his tic has went from sniffing his nose to the point of an ER visit to see if something was up there, to popping his ear with his hand, to clearing his throat so roughly and now its deep breaths constanting...i thought he had a penny or something down his throat. x-rays were clear. psychiatric labeled it as tics and yes, its way way worse with his anxiety. just lastnight i didnt know what was going on, right before presnt time at one of his gpa's, he all of a sudden got green-like, said his stomach hurt...went to teh bathroom...it wasnt that. he finaly admitted to me it was his chest. his heart beat.. its so scary.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I think he has a lot of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) issues. Our psychiatrist misdiagnosed my son with bipolar (yep, it took the guy all of about 30 minutes). He was wrong, but son spent three years on heavy medication. I recommend a neuropsychologist evaluation. They are far more intensive than a Psychiatric evaluation, which usually consists of just visiting and the psychiatric. diagnosis. based only on what you say, what he sees in a short period of time, and often what HE is currently diagnosing. neuropsychologist's go into far more detail and spend a lot of time with the kids. My son was tested for a total of twelve hours, and in every way. I think you're a good mom to question the diagnosis. It's always smart to get another evaluation if you aren't settled about the one you have.
I would also see a Neurologist (which is quite different from a neuropsychologist). Any child with tics should be seen for possible Tourettes. Many mental illnesses go along with Tourettes (bipolar/Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for example). Could be that too...
 

Marguerite

Active Member
The throat clearing is what difficult child 3 does. He's had other ones like the nose twitching, sniffing etc.

I agree about getting another opinion. Another family member briefly diagnosis'ed with BiPolar (BP)? Sorry, it's so often the 'quickie diagnosis' that ALL ideas should be thrown into the pot, not just the nandiest.

Marg
 
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