Could my daughter have pediatric bipolar disorder?

Question

My daughter has ADHD and the medication (Adderal) is not working. She has been having rage issues for a little while. I have 2 boys (5 and 1 1/2) and she is 11. She will smack my 5 year old in the face for no reason. She has been very hurtful to them. Last night, she was in a fight with a boy on our street (I can't get her to tell me anything!) and she left deep scratches on his back and arms. She has been fighting with all the kids on my street and he was her last friend. I am so embarrassed and I feel like it's my fault. I just don't know what to do. I have been reading about bipolar and it is linked to ADHD and sometimes misdiagnosed. I am taking her to the doctor tomorrow, but I am sick over this. Can someone please give me some ideas as to what could be wrong?

Answer 1

I've read the other responses, and won't repeat what has been correctly presented. I'll just add another unpleasant possibility for a diagnosis: Conduct Disorder. Hope it's not, because medication really does not help it. For children, whether it's a biological problem or part of the personality, it's important that the parent and other persons in authority are swift, consistent, and fair in disciplining aggression. If the discipline being used now does nothing to curb the aggression, be flexible and try something else. Typically, I recommend that parents focus on the childs "activity of preference"...what they request to do the most, or do the most for pleasure...and use that as a carrot (reward) for substituting "conflict resolution skills" for violence. Another thing, once a kid is on the medication merry-go-round, it almost never occurs to the doctor that medication is not the answer...even if the meds don't get the desired results. That's another problem. One more thing...the conduct disordered child tends to be angry only AFTER they experience consequences, not really before hand. So, if you daughter is fairly cheerful when she assaults, and becomes surly when she pays the price...it's probably conduct disorder.

Answer 2

Psychiatric 'diagnoses' are nothing like the diagnosis of a physical illness. You can test to see if someone does or doesn't have chickenpox, or TB, or whatever. They either do or they don't. Psychiatric labels - and that's all they are - are simply attempts to describe what's going on and offer some pointer to the sort of treatment that might be helpful. So ADHD, bipolar, whatever - different professionals would label it differently.

Whatever is going on, I am 100% certain that counselling/psychotherapy is going to be a better route for you and your daughter that any medication, in the long run (though she might - only might - need short-term medication). Play therapy is one possibility, art therapy another.

It must be fantastically difficult for you to deal with all this alongside caring for your two boys. I know how much one can feel embarrassed and guilty about one's children's behaviour, but I am sure you have done your best, possibly under difficult circumstances - it's just that she may have been a particularly sensitive or reactive child. I wonder if she is very jealous of her brothers? After all, she'd had you to herself for 6 years before the first one appeared and she must have had her nose well put out of joint. She might not say this, might even have been nice to her brother when he was little - but underneath there could be real rage at him, which gets taken out anywhere. That's just a theory, a possibility - but there will be SOME underlying conflict in her which needs addressing, and a skilled professional is the one to do it.

Answer 3

it sounds to me like simple anger issues.. Your daughter is young and doesn't know how to deal with or express her anger. She is finding inappropriate outlets for her anger. She needs to talk with a counselor so you can get to the root of her anger. Her anger could even be caused by the addrall.

Adderall can make someone very irritable and angry especially a little girl taking medicine which is speed. it may not be the right drug for her or they may need to offset it with something like clonopin or xanax, but do you really want her on all these meds?
My opinion would be to take her off the adderall and have a therapist or psychologist that can help her learn to channel her add into something positive.

Answer 4

I've heard they won't diagnose disorders such as this until the child is older... she may have ODD or oppositional Defiant Disorder... many children start with ADHD and then are diagnosed with ODD...
she must have at least half of these symptoms for more than 6 months
-loses temper
-argues with adults
-refuses to comply with adults
-deliberatly annoys people
-angry
-resentful
-spiteful
-vindictive

Children are usually resillient about things like anger, but if she holds grudges and such... this may be something you want to talk to your doctor/child psychiatrist about.

try this page: http://addadhdadvances.com/ODD.html

Answer 5

There may be other issues here.
Take here to a pediatrician for evaluation.
I think you are doing exactly what you need to do. If the doctor does not find anything physical then go to a family counselor.

Answer 6

Too bad someone can't smack HER on the butt for a change..that's what they did in the old days, instead of trying to analyze it..but then, if that happened, shrinks would be out of business...spare the rod, and spoil the child

Answer 7

Please don't try to second guess or come up with a diagnosis on your own. Diagnosing mental illness is an inexact science and extremelely difficult. Diagnosis done by a layperson is dangerous. best wishes