Need info on any type testing for chemical inbalance of brain for 13 yr old to provide appropriate care/meds?

Question

My grandson has been diagnosed as ADHD, RAD, and they aren't sure if it is bipolar or not. No meds so far have helped and he has been on over 15 of them at max. dose.Some not prescribed for children. Need to find out if a LP would give me the info of whether he has chemcial imbalance in frontal lobe. The system I am working with has never heard of such a thing, is it possible or not? I am at wits end and need some solid medical answers. He has mood swings from good to bad with no provocation, just being told "no" sets him off, which could be normal for age,however he gets aggressive and at times violent. Been suspended from school for assaulting teacher, he is now in JDC and headed for training school where he has been previously and it did more harm than good. Some want him put away in mental institution for good. Not going to happen until I have exhausted all my resources for care. Can anyone help me out with this? Thanks, a loving grandmother and guardian of said child.

Answer 1

Hi, I know exactly what you are going thru. Been there myself for 17 yrs strong. My youngest was diagnosed with ADHD with a compulsive behavior disorder. This is completely different than your reg. diagnosis of ADHD. Alot of physicians don't notice or haven't been familiar with in their studies. ADHD with a compulsive behavior is much to be desired if you don't know what it pertains too. Not only is the child hyper with no attention span whatsoever but he is also aggressive to himself or to others. He/she also is capable of "taking things" that don't belong to them, starting fires, wanting to do things that are not normal which the "compulsiveness" comes in. Their mouth runs overtime and the littlest thing will set them off so do speak. Very defiant and they do not like authority figures or discipline. Does this sound like your grandson's actions and behavior? If this sounds like your grandson you need to contact your regular physician or a child psyhcologist and explain to him what you "think" might be wrong with your grandson and tell them that you need results. My son has been treated with the medication "adderall" 40mg. per day. Now there are others that the Dr. might prescribe. Do not let them place your grandson on "Ritalin". Why? Because your dentist will telll you at least mine did, that Ritalin will rot your childs teeth from the inside out. I know because it started in my sons teeth and thank God we caught it in time for most of them. Now this is just my suggestion. I'm no Dr. or psyhcologist this is my own experience that I had to deal with concerning my own son. I'm not saying that your grandson has the same medical problem as my son but it sure resembles his. My son has been on medications ever since he was 5. He is now 17 and still has this disorder. Some out grow it, others do not. But if I were you I would want some answers and fast if that means going to another Dr. or psyhcologist. Good luck. I feel sorry for your grandson, he's gone this long with no medications and you without no answers. He could have Bi polar and ADHD it's been known that a child or an adult can have multiple disorders. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you get the answers you need and the help you desperately need for your grandson. My thoughts are with you.

Answer 2

It is good that he has such a supportive grandmother, I hope that he has other supportive family members as well. So much could be going on ADHD I am personally familure with because I have it. RAD is a very hard thing to work with, and takes intensive couseling and parenting, as far as the bi-polar mood swings from extreme good to bad sounds like it, but its hard to sort out with everything else.
I'm glad to see your not giving up on him, but he may need more help then you can provide, I'm not saying a mental institution, however he could be hospitalized and that way they could work on getting him on a combination of medications that can help control his symptoms. Its not a bad idea. It doesn't have to be long term, but will give doctors a chance to observe him 24/7. I realize they've tried different meds, but in a hospital setting they can change meds if they don't notice a difference and find appropriate ones. It would be alot better then the boys training school.
If you went that route, and they found a way to get him stable, then the responsibility is keeping up with it and making sure he takes them as prescribed. Good luck with everything.

Answer 3

I don't what they offer in your state. I work for a mental health agency in Missouri that provides respite care for people like your grandson and the parents or guardians don't have to pay for it. Maybe your state has something similar, I think they probably do. The doctors and other staff working with them should know who can contact for this type of service or if it is offered in your area.

I'm not sure what you mean by "LP." I worked in mental health for 20 years, I read medical records as part of my job, but I never heard of "chemical imbalance in the frontal lobe." They don't diagnose psychiatric disorders that way, they just observe the behavior and try to find the best medication or combination of medications that work to control the behavior. Even if the doctors do narrow down the disorder to a specific part of the brain or whatever, the course of treatment will probably be more or less the same.
If his behavior is such a problem that he might harm himself or others, he might have to be institutionalized--it might be better for him if he can't function in another environment. They don't generally don't do that unless there appears to be no other choice. However, he might be institutionalized but be able to come home from time to time or be discharged permanently if his behavior problems are managed enough. Being in an institution is not always permanent. The law calls it "least restrictive environment", that is, he won't be put in an instution permanently unless there is strong reason to believe he can't function otherwise.

Answer 4

First of all I must ask, who is treating your grandson? If it's a family doctor, you must consider a psychotherapist. Find a good one who specializes in working with adolescents. In some cases, medication is NOT the answer. Most often family doctors are NOT qualified to treat ADD or ADHD. Your grandson possibly needs to be evaluated for defiant disorder and/or conduct disorder. Do not delay, things will get worse if the proper treatment is not given. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 5

It seems like he needs another doctor. and how old was he when he started medication. Recommend a full evaluation of your grandson. Tell the dr, if he can have testings before subscriptions are filled out. wishing you luck and a quick solution to help your grandson. Take care . bettyk

Answer 6

Well first off for the person above me, in Toronto, Sick Kids is NOT the place to go for children's mental health issues (been there done that, almost cost my kid her life). Sick Kids is great for physical health, not mental health. We had to find a GOOD child psychiatrist, eventually we ended up at Clarke Institute in Toronto. There is also a new place opening up in the Toronto area that specializes in all kinds of children's problems.

Now as to the question. I don't think there is really anything anyone can do for treating a chemical imbalance except try meds until something works. What I can tell you is that if your child is bipolar, treating the ADHD before he is stable will only result in driving him nuts!! But to do any of this you need a good child psychiatrist to do assessments, and refer you to other areas for any additional assessments.

Getting a diagnosis is certainly the place to start. But even with our daughter having the correct diagnosis, it has taken years for us to find medication that works for her. Even at that, it still has to be readjusted every once in a while. In November her anti-psychotic was out of whack and the voices were telling her to kill me. Woke up to find her crouched beside my bed with the biggest knife she could find! Lucky it only took a readjustment and she is back to doing well (well for her still means that she still has hard times, does not attend school full time, etc... but she isn't dealing with violent mood swings, psychotic behaviors, etc...).

RAD is a very difficult one to deal with, since unlike BP and ADHD, mediation does not work. He needs therapy to deal with the issues associated with RAD. I know it is hard. People screamed at me for looking to get her a proper diagnosis. The big thing is that my kid got labels regardless. Now at least she gets help and not seen as a 'bad kid'. Also with out the proper labels, it is hard to get the supports that the person needs in place as well! But regardless, you need a good psychiatrist and knowledge on the problem. I know that if I was not on top of everything, we would be lucky to be where you are, she would more apt to be dead or have killed someone else.

Yes, it sounds like he needs better medical treatment, therapy (have you looked at ‘’Theraplay’’ - good for RAD), and programs in place. Sounds like you also need better supports. But to do all of that you need a GOOD psychiatrist who will make sure he has all the testing done like neurology, etc...

From the mom of an 11 year old, treated since she was 3. BP, TS, SID, OCD

Read the Bipolar Child and see how it applys.
http://www.bipolarchild.com/

Check out CABF
http://www.bpkids.org/
and NAMI
http://www.nami.org/

Answer 7

If he was my grandson, I would want to have him seen by a paediatric neurologist - someone who specializes in children's neurological conditions. I don't know where you live but in Toronto - Sick Children's hospital would be a great place to start. They have some of the leading experts in children's medicine. Hopefully whoever gave you that diagnosis, also ruled out any medical problems ie. Brain tumour etc. With regards to the LP, I haven't heard of a LP being able to detect any chemical imbalance. all the best to you and your grandson is lucky to have a caring grandma like you!

Answer 8

just wondering if grandson developed quickly as a child.
Just heard of a drug for children that have physical and emotional changes that are diagonosed as CPP or central precocious puberty? was this ever an issue for him?

Answer 9

these sites have info on the subject your dealing with.

www.appliedscholastics.org for answers.

and http://www.libertycoalition.net/issues/cognitive-liberty/psychiatry-gone-wild-teenscreen-documents-exposed
http://www.lineofbullshit.com/archives/5-Psychiatry-Gone-Wild-TeenScreen-Documents-Exposed..html
http://www.fixcas.com/news/news.htm
for why not to go on medication