Is She Bipolar?
QUESTION:
My daughter has been diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) and potentially Bipolar Disorder, but that last diagnosis is not confirmed yet …right now she is unable to go to school - anxiety and panic attack when the morning comes. We are extremely hesitant to go the home-school route, because of the probability of the anxiety transferring to another area –especially if she has not developed the skills to tackle it when she experiences the anxiety/panic.
I saw on your website the concept of getting her to have ‘going back to school’ become her idea …any magical ways of getting that to happen??? Her father and I are at the end of
...individual's functioning. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron-emission tomographic (PET) scans may also be useful in helping to detect abnormalities in the brain that might identify bipolar disorder. By educating themselves about the illness and its symptoms, people involved will ...
ANSWER:
You’ve raised a lot of issues here. Let’s first identify each one:
1. OCD/OCPD
2. Possibly Bipolar Disorder
3. Anxiety/Panic
5. Unable [i.e., unwilling] to go to school
Re: OCD/OCPD — Is she on an antidepressant? If so, does it help? A complicating factor is that when anti-depressants are given without mood stabilizers to people with bipolar disorder, the antidepressants may induce mania or hypomania. So her psychiatrist will need about a year of experimentation (the art side of pharmacotherapy) in order to get the right combinations and dosages of medication. It will be important that everyone in the family be patient
...can help the child take his fears out. More often, much of the child s anxiety comes from the fear of unknown, lack of control, sensitive or shy nature in combination. School refusal and some strange behavior problems can be ...
Re: Bipolar Disorder — Bipolar disorder is difficult to recognize in young people because it does not fit precisely the symptom criteria established for adults, and symptoms can resemble or co-occur with those of other common childhood-onset mental disorders and may be mistaken for normal emotions and behaviors of children and adolescents.
As a result, Bipolar kids are often given any number of psychiatric labels (e.g., ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder, etc.).
Too often they are treated with stimulants or antidepressants — medications which can actually worsen the bipolar condition.
Having said that, it has been my experience that when bipolar is suspected, it is eventually diagnosed (i.e., if her
...to take breaks quite often in order to break up the work pattern. Another cause of anxiety is loss of body control. When in the presence of others, the idea of losing control, along with feeling embarrassed is enough to ...
So my advice, based on my experience with others in similar situations, would be to begin focusing on the bipolar issue because (a) she probably is bipolar and (b) once the bipolar symptoms are stabilized, the other symptoms (anxiety, panic, OC behavior, etc.) will get addressed by default (at least from a medical standpoint).
Re: School — Going on the assumption that she is bipolar (and again, it is just an assumption at this point): Bipolar children will not function well in a regular school setting - so that’s out, period!
However, the
...diagnosed correctly. Thus, those who have the illness may not be treated early. Once properly diagnosed, however, the illness can be treated. Bipolar disorder is associated with four general types of mood episodes. A manic episode is characterized by a ...
They do miss a lot of class time (e.g., “I got a headache” “I’m sick to my stomach” bla bla bla), but most alternative schools are willing to deal with poor attendance within reasonable limits.
In any event, your task will be to have a relaxed attitude about all things — model “having a relaxed attitude” throughout the day, everyday!!! Your daughter will pick up on it at an unconscious level. Then you’ll be working your magic.
I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH: The more you and your husband develop the
...1. Being moody and less cheerful throughout almost the whole day. 2. Does not find any keen interest to take part in any activity. He or she just wants to lay down and do nothing except to ponder on anything ...
It sounds like the whole family may be in “survival mode” (i.e., spending a lot of time and energy just trying to keep the boat from sinking). One can escape from this mode by practicing “having a relaxed attitude,” a “grateful heart” and a “sense of humor.” If you think you simply can’t do this right now, then fake it anyway (i.e., “act as if” you are relaxed, grateful, and finding things to laugh about). With practice, this becomes
...s medical history as well as history of substance abuse also needs to be investigated. All this go a long way in helping in setting up the treatment pattern. 2. The second step, in long term course management for treatment ...
In summary, the real issue here as I see it is “stress.” Everybody is feeling pressure. And I can promise you that if everyone is uptight most of the waking hours — you will have a long, hard road ahead.
Mark Huttenlocker, M.A., is a family therapist who works with teens and pre-teens experiencing emotional/behavioral problems associated with ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Autism, etc. He works with these children and their parents in their homes. You may visit his website here: http://www.MyOutOfControlTeen.com
February 10th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
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