Hi,

Has your son been hospitalized?
Was he evaluated by a team of mental health specialists who set you up with support services? Sometimes hospitalization can get the attention of doctors who are being lazy.

In the US, the pdoc might
1, take the child off Abilify since it does not seem to be working
2. raise or lower the dose of Abilify
3. add a med to the Abilify
4. drop the Abilify and replace it with a mood stabilizer or another anti-psychotic.

Has the pdoc tried meds other than Abilify?
Is the Abilify working for sleep? Does he sleep?

I'm aware that you recognize this as a crisis. You somehow need a team of people to recognize this as a crisis and take action.
It is wrong in 100 different ways for your daughter to have to live with a violent brother in the house. She is supposed to be safe and she should be allowed an expectation of safety from her mother.

Make sure she has the phone number to call the police so that they can take him away to a hospital in an emergency.

Get on the phone and contact all available agencies and people. If the cannot help now, get put on waiting lists. Get them to refer you to other people. Go up the chain to executives or politicians.

By any chance is your son on any med beyond Abilify and Melontonin?
Is he on a med for ADHD? He might not have ADHD and if he does, the protocol is for the raging and violence to stop before medicating for ADHD.

Check doses from scientific articles (not from manufacturers) on the internet. Melatonin is a hormone that does not bring about sleep. At small doses (in some cases) it can advance the onset of sleep a little.

Most people are using more than they the helpful dose.
http://www.ehow.com/about_5297316_me...dangerous.html
Side Effects
There are no known serious side effects but some melatonin users report having a headache or upset stomach. Anecdotal evidence and a report from the University of Maryland Medical Center indicate that some people experience nightmares or very vivid dreams and restless sleep. It would be very rare to have an allergic reaction, but if symptoms arose---including difficulty breathing, hives or swelling of the lips, tongue or throat---then immediate medical help is necessary.


I'm curious about his milkshake and carb diet. What if you stopped giving him cow mik and switched to rice milk or almond milk in case he has an intolerance to the milkshakes? Try cutting off the pasta and bread. Stick with rice and non gluten / wheat products for three weeks and see if you notice anything different.
With his current diet he is probably missing some nutrients. Do you add vits and minerals to the milkshakes?

Here are two sites sthat might be helpful if you have not tried them yet:
1. bpkids.org This is more active than here.
2. http://www.bipolarchild.com/Resources/index.html

Pdocs in the US are reluctant to diagnose is children.
They do offer treamtent under various names.
So perhaps do not focus on the diagnosis.
Keep focusing on the symptoms and the treatment options


I am the only on in my family who is dx'd bipolar but plenty of people on mom's and dad's family tress are undiagnosed with anxiety, alcoholism, eating disorders, depression, street drug use, and so on. I'm not a researcher, but some of this stuff on a spectrum seems to run in families.

--Essentially, know that you are not alone and that other families have struggles. Get more help from docs for him. And get more support for yourself and your daughter.

--Try changing his diet if you can.

--He could very well grow out of by the time he is a young adult.
Keep hoping for him. He needs you.


M.