Hello Im glad I found this site. My son is 9 years old. He was diagnosed ADHD/ODD back in 2005. He was just recently diagnosed Bipolar. He is taking Vyvannse 50mg and Risperidal .5mg twice daily. He has been a handful. We have been going through this since the end of 2004 trying to figure things out and I think I am finally understanding why we haven't been able to help him. He is very moody. You never know which kid your going to get moment by moment. I guess that is called rapid cycling. He is very violent towards everyone specially his 4 year old sister. He has busted his fathers lip open. And one time I had to pin him to the ground so he couldn't hurt anyone or himself and he tried to bite and head butt me the entire time. At that point I realized how strong my little boy really was. But Anthony doesn't seem like some of the other kids that I have read about on these posts. He doesn't seem like he is sorry when this happens. I think he is actually glad that he made us so upset and hurt. Maybe that is the ODD part of it all. I don't know where the ODD stops and the Bipolar begins. He hates to lose if I try to spend time with him and play things and he loses Im either a cheater or an idiot and he just blows up in a rage. His school work is good no problems at school at the moment. Before he would overflow toilets and hang on door stalls but this year its not bad. He won't participate with talking at the couclers appts. So Im just kinda lost right now. He had a mri and a emg done. We have an attorney who is doing an appeal for us for ssi. And I heard there should be special circumstances for him at school. I need to check out the link that was posted. Any how thanks for listening. chreey

Hi,
1) Get a copy of this book:
The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder -- Third Edition (Paperback)
by Demitri Papolos and Janice Papolos


2) Also look at this site for a sample IEP to give you an idea of what you can do at his school to help him.

http://www.bipolarchild.com/IEP/

3) Also google the "Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation" to find lots of parents of bipolar children. Here is a list of symptoms from that site:

The Vyvanse does not make sense to me if he is still raging.
Are you seeing a psychiatrist who specializes in children?

Mari

Thanks for the info. He is seeing a child psyciatrist. She continues to give the vyvannsse for the adhd along with the risperidal to help stabalize his mood. Since she increased the risperidol his mood has gotten better there have only been a few issues. But it has also been such a short time between Im not sure if it is indeed the medication helping or not. It is just rough since my four year old sees my son screaming and crying and acting out when he doesn't get his way or is in one of his rages. She thinks that is the proper way to react to things. Since one child already has it whats the chances of my other two children having it or ending up with it? Thanks chreey

My 16 yr old just had to be taken off of the Vyvanse after being on it for a short time because it made him angry and violent, foul language, depressed. Right now he is on nothing for his ADHD until we make sure his mood evens out.

You sound like you have it far rougher than I do. My son is not really violent or angry unless he perceives being attacked or if he doesn't get his way. As Mari said make sure that the psych doc is a pediatric psychiatrist.

Hi,

From my understand of reading what is available on-line, a person has a 10% chance of getting bipolar is she or he has a sibling with bipolar.

But apparently this can vary from family to family based on other factors as well, like age of onset.


http://www.mddaboston.org/HTML/lect020900.html





M.

Hi, I wanted to make a statement on the IEP part of this issue.

Since he isn't having problems at school at present. There is a good chance
the school will not want to put one in place. But because of the medication
and the diagnosis's he has. THey can and should at least put a 504 plan
in place. This would level the playing field by putting some things in place
so that if he starts to have problems they can be addressed.

Both bipolar, or emotional issues, and ADHD can be addressed in either
a IEP or a 504 plan.

Donna

The school doesnt want to do a iep. They didn't even want to update his psych eval. for the attorney. They said he showed no signs of a learning disability from his previous one when he was 4 years old and Isteps were good. I did go out and get the bipolar child book. It is very helpful. He goes back Oct 2nd probably going to have to up the risperidal. He was doing ok for a while then ever since friday he is very irritable again and being mean to sister. The doc wants to get mood under control so the vyvannse will work.

You need to look into getting him a section 504 plan. This is different from an IEP (and an IEP can still be obtained should it ever become necessary.) A 504 plan will level the playing field for you son and give him safeguards and protection while in school. A 504 covers both mental, physical, and emotional disabilities. They are not based on grades or performance in school like an IEP is.

Here is some 504 information. Please feel free to ask if you would like more information!

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was passed by congress in 1973. Regulations implementing the statute became effective in 1977. For many years school districts perceived its main obligation as ensuring physical access to public buildings (i.e., ramps were installed, curbs were cut, elevators were added to multi-level buildings, rest room stalls were enlarged,
etc.). Schools were at the same time committed to compliance with special education regulations now referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act - (IDEA). With passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Congress required that school districts make their programs and activities
accessible and usable to all individuals with disabilities. Within the last several years, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has become active in assisting school districts in further defining “access.” The definition of access means more than physical access; a child may require special accommodations such as modified assignments in order to benefit from their education.

HOW DOES SECTION 504 DEFINE
“APPROPRIATE EDUCATION”?
A free appropriate education is one provided by the public elementary or secondary school which includes general or special education and related aids and services that
(1) are designed to meet the individual educational needs of a person
with a disability as adequately as the needs of a non-disabled person are met, and
(2) are based upon adherence to evaluation, placement, and procedural safeguard requirements.

HOW DOES SECTION 504 DEFINE “DISABILITY”?
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects persons from discrimination based upon their disability status. A person is disabled within the definition of Section 504 if he or she:

ELIGIBILITY FOR 504 SERVICES
• has a mental or physical impairment which limits one or more of a person's major life activities; The impairment must impact the child’s education.
“Major life activities” include functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.

Thanks for info. Any info that can be given is very appriciated. Being so knew at all this I don't know if Im coming or going. Im just glad I have a diagnosis and know why I feel this way. My son's an I's relationship has been severely damaged by all of this. I love him and want to help him but it is just hard to feel close to him most if the time. Are relationship is getting better I wish I could say the same between him and his father. But his father is immature and in denial and doesn't even ask about doc appts or tests because he doesn't believe Anthony has ADHD/ODD or Bipolar. I don't know what he thinks I guess he just thinks he is a brat. Sometimes I think my husband has one if not both of these diagnosis. I know Im depressed have been for long time. Im very stressed. I went to a couple of different docs and all they would give me is antidepressents and they don't work. They wouldn't give me zanax or anything because Im so young I guess. Im 26 years old now this was last year. I have been on paxil,zoloft,effexor,prozac, and took trazadone for awhile for insomnia. Anthonys psyciatrist said that since these meds didn't work that maybe I had a mood disorder. But she couldn't say cause she wasn't my doc and hadn't evaluated me. She did say she was concerned for me and my 4 year old daughter since she was going through what the entire family was going through. chreey

Chreey

Please go see your family doctor. Talk about the issues with Anthony, the
stress that is brought on by this and even about his fathers denial and
how this leaves you to do all the work. And taking on all the problems.

I believe like your son's counselor you need to try a medication specifically
for anxiety. But you need to work on this with your family doctor.

There are some specific medications better for anxiety. And also mood
problems. I take cymbalta, for anxeity and for pain issues I have. Its
doing me lots of good also. But there are others too.

donna