"Voices in head" when to worry?

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Registered: 01-19-2005
"Voices in head" when to worry?
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Mon, 01-28-2008 - 10:39am

We are having so much stuff going on with Eric right now that I am having a hard time separating what to worry about and what not to worry about.


Here

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Registered: 01-19-2005
Mon, 01-28-2008 - 11:30am

Just a follow-up note.

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Registered: 11-28-2006
Mon, 01-28-2008 - 11:31am

Hi Katherine,


I don't know anything about BP behavior, except if it's a mood disorder, but thats just it with my boys, a mood disorder and they don't do any of the other symptons of BP.


I can tho give you my opinion on the OCD/Tics/stim behavior.

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Registered: 11-28-2006
Mon, 01-28-2008 - 11:34am

One more thing I want to add since reading your second post....


Is when you talk about symptons of BP for adults.

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Registered: 04-28-2007
Mon, 01-28-2008 - 11:38am

Hi Katherine,

You ask really good questions. Yup, bp is a common co-morbid dx with autism. Early onset BP (EOBP) can manafest as early as age 2 (although a dx at that time is almost always resisted), it's later on that parents see how the behaviour at age 2 was indicative of future symptoms. Many kids get the ADHD dx first and later it's obvious it s a mood disorder. Really EOBP can come on at anytime. BP is different in kids than adults. Classic manic depression in adults would be excessive spending, less need for sleep, euphoric behaviour v's deep depression. In kids mania comes across as irritability, anger, aggression, giggle fits following by spacing out, feeling miserable.And kids rapid cycle; Liam is an ultra rapid cycler, up and down several times a day, even in an hour.


Wow, that's a toughy, I think it's when the behaviour affects everyday living. Tapping a pencil on the desk 15 times every time they start a new sentence would be an OCD trait. Liam's lip licking is more a tic/stim, and although he needs lots of vaseline, it doesn't really affect his daily life. Lately Liam has been telling me goodnight and he loves me several times in a row at bedtime. I get the same comments when I need to go somewhere without him. This is a borderline OCD trait. Even the pdoc suggested that we should make light of it and see if it's a phase, but if it gets worse to tell him (pdoc).

Our kids are so visual, the visual part of the brain is often in overdrive, (hence the cartoons or movies in the head comments). Liam calls it his daydreams.

Meds may well be necessary, but there are so may out there and each kid is soooo different. Evelyn's David's meds work for him, but they didn't do anything for Liam. But be careful of anti anxiety meds; if we are looking at a possible mood-disorder anti anxiety meds can trigger mania in kids.

Do you have a developmental ped? I ask as pdocs are really trigger happy with the rx pad? I ofeten joke if I had to ask a pdoc for directions I'd get directions plus a prescription, lol.

The ped neurologist may help, but if his/her only recommendation are anti anxiety meds I'd get a second opinion. Some kids do well with a stimulant, others a mood stabilizer, others atypical anti-psychotics. Liam is currently stable in Seroquel (AP) and focalin (ADHD med) The focalin focuses him and he is less scatterbrained, and the seroquel seems to be quieting the voices and movies in his head, thus he is less aggressive and more compliant. Wow I just wrote a novel here, if you have any more questions, feel free to email me liam330@windstream.net

Dee

edited to add: saw your second post. Mood disorders are like everything a long spectrum. Liam is more angry and irritable; not so much depression, but boy when he's manic he's flying.




Edited 1/28/2008 11:41 am ET by roanmom
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Registered: 03-28-2003
Mon, 01-28-2008 - 12:00pm

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Edited 2/19/2008 11:22 am ET by littleroses
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Registered: 01-19-2005
Mon, 01-28-2008 - 2:38pm

Thank you all for your responses.

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Registered: 12-22-2003
Mon, 01-28-2008 - 7:35pm

I'm going to have to say "ditto" to everything that Dee said- especially since she's the person who helped me so much with Claire.

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Registered: 01-19-2005
Tue, 01-29-2008 - 8:27am

Thank you, Amy.

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 01-29-2008 - 10:03am

For a bit of a different take, 2 things you mentioned reminded me specifically of Mike. Actually 3 things.

1) The OC behaviors. Yes, Mike has/had those to the extreme. Even some that are considered OCD specific like handwashing and not stepping on lines. He was at his worst right around 1-4 grade with those behaviors.

2) Watching movies in his head. Mike did this and has said about hearing voices but on further investigation I don't believe it is voices like the typical schizophrenic voices. Rather he is replaying things and his mind is just so busy going over and over those things. Or he will expand on some movie obsession theme with his own story and it is the same thing. I always pictured schizophrenic voices to be more novel and separate.

3) The cycles that looked like BP with never with the depressive side. This was actually one of the things that ruled out BP for Mike along with others stuff. For instance, we did try BP meds and they did NOT work for him and we were always able to point to a trigger that set off a particular cycle and by limiting these triggers we could limit the mood swings and cycles.

We did go to a psychiatrist, psychologist, neurologist, etc. I will say that for Mike medications including anti-anxiety meds did not work. What worked was reducing the anxiety situations in his life and cognitive behavioral type methods. The 5 point scale for one. Sensory stuff as well and diet (of which you are queen).

Not saying you shouldn't take him to someone. That is an individual choice and you know Eric best if that is what he needs. But my experience is that a psychiatrist is going to be even quicker to recommend meds than a neuro. In fact I think that is pretty much their entire job, prescribe and adjust meds.

Just wanted to give you my experience on these. We went through extensive evaluations and the finding was he was autistic and those other symptoms are the way his autism presents.

Renee

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Registered: 01-19-2005
Tue, 01-29-2008 - 11:26am

Wow, Renee, thank you.

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