I am having problems with insurance and what to do with my 10 yr old also. Her father is Bipolar, ADHD, and corderline mentally retarted. We dont have a good diagnosis due to lack of mental hth people in our city and the fact that they only do take public assistance. I have insurance through my job so I am out of luck. I have to go 1 hr away and cant get her in until May but she is in crisis now. All of a sudden she has no remorse for her aggressive behavior. She has been on Risperdal for almost 2 yrs. Her pediatrician put her on intuniv 1 1/2 weeks ago and she does not seem to be geting better just worse. She has scratched 3 kids in the past 3 days and slapped two of them also. Her 12 yr old brother is getting more and more frightened of her behaviors and so am I. We believe she is BP and we know she is dyslexic. She is so embarrassed about her learning and frustrated that with her new crises situation I am scared we are going backwards so fast that I cant keep up. She has very few friends and she is ailianating them. That fact makes her more angry but she is so off right now that her coping and reasoning skills are nill. I could hospitilize her but I cant afford it and she will feel like we abandoned her. I dont think I can do it. Its like watching your infant roll towards a 80 degree mountain and not being able to catch her.

HI,

The possible dyslexia and possible ADHD diagnoses are very small compared to the large issue of possible bipolar. The pdoc needs to treat first the largest issue.

Clearly the Risperdal is not a good med for her. Also, likely you need to stop the Intuniv since it is not helping and likely making her worse.
The pdoc needs to put her on something else.

If her brain is so far off track, she cannot have remorse right now. Do not focus on that. Get a good pediatric psychiatrist for her -- no matter how far you have to go.

Also, you have a responsibility to your 12 yr son.

During the day call the police department and ask them how they handle mental health issues for children. In other words, if she got violent in your household how would they handle it? Some departments have good policies. Also check with the ER of the local hospital. You need to have your resources in place.


These are good links:
bpkids.org

and

nami.org


M.

Also with her in crisis right now. You need to take her to a center were
they work with folks that are in crisis. THey can sometimes work to get
them into a psychiatrist earlier than you can. They can also work with
her in a outpatient way usually. I believe at least.

The one other thing I can suggest is to call Nami, or go to there website
to find someone that can help.

About the school isssues. I would call a conference if she already has
a IEP or 504. Have them work to set it up were she is succeeding more
for now. Then when she is getting more or accurate help for her mental
health issues. They can set up her curriculum to do harder things.

Also I would try talking to the few friends she has parents. And then
they too can help talk to her friends about what is going on at present
in her life.
If they understand they will be more likely to stay friends and help get
her through the situations she is in.

When it comes to the hitting and things like this. As long as its not in
school its your decision what kind of punishment you give.

Donna

Risperdal made my child prone to violent outbursts, blind rages and while he still had some of these problems without it, it was nothing compared to what it was with the medication.

I would most definitely stop letting your pediatrician treat her. Find someone in the psych industry do it no matter how far you have to do. See if your local hospital has any resources or recommendations. Good luck, been there.

Risperdal is a potent drug; a psycho-pharmacologist should be considered to include them in your child's treatment team. This state has child advocates through social services. Ask case workers at your mental health center. Ask for references and printed resources for others in the know. For sure you need someone in the psych field! In most cases, mental illness is not treated on parity with a physical illness. It depends entirely on your insurance contract and state law. Go to the emergency room of the hospital, they cannot refuse services if the child is a danger to herself or others.


How a claim is coded is crucial! So the office filing the claim must be experienced in the nuances of diagnosis, treatment and coding, along with supplementary information allowing more significance (additional allowance) to file the claim accordingly. This isn't meant to alarm you but to provide you with information and suggestions on how to proceed in this health care maze, and how it works. Learn the tools and insist to be included in all and any treatment plan for your child.

I have bipolar and have been treated by 5 psychiatrists and been on many different drugs. At the beginning I went along with the phydocs. Now I am doing fairly well and on a drug I can tolerate-that has very mild side affects. Helpful treatments are there for you to consider, and things will improve, believe in that! It is to bad you have to get stressed about this when you need all the stamina you can muster to plow through this. Remember, you are not alone, you will be helped and it will get better!

Please, you must consider yourself too. You may need intermittent medical help for you to cope with so much. Keeping as healthy and rested as you can is very important! Take care, cause we care!