Wayyyy OT: My daughter has ADHD and Depression
It has been a long summer. The middle of May my 10 year old daughter tried to hang herself on the playground at school. She spent 2 weeks in a mental health hospital. She has been going to therapy and seeing a psych doctor regularly.
She has started taking a medication called Concerta. This **** scares the hell out of me. I hate to give her ANY meds. I know my daughter isn't the only child with these problems or taking this exact medication but she is my ONLY daughter. This medicine is the one the doctor says he'd give to his own children. She seems to be doing well with the hyperactivity, thinking more clearly, can play games without losing focus. BUT she's moody! VERY moody! She is also taking Celexa for the depression.
This is all so new to me and frankly, scares the HELL out of me. I am Bipolar. Family history of mental illnesses run deep on both sides, mine and her dad's. Why the HELL does she have to be going through this?? When she has an anxiety attack my heart breaks because I know how hard they are on me, I can only imagine how they feel to a child! My heart breaks for her. YET I still have to be her parent and teach her how to behave. All I want to do is, hell I don't even know.
I don't know why I'm spilling my guts on here. You guys seem like family and I know there are others out there who will understand. No one in my life truly understands.
We just take it day by day. That's all I know to do. Swing a critter, say a prayer, send healing thoughts, HUGS, whatever it is that you do! Thanks for listening to my late night, well early morning, babbling!!
Ruby
She has started taking a medication called Concerta. This **** scares the hell out of me. I hate to give her ANY meds. I know my daughter isn't the only child with these problems or taking this exact medication but she is my ONLY daughter. This medicine is the one the doctor says he'd give to his own children. She seems to be doing well with the hyperactivity, thinking more clearly, can play games without losing focus. BUT she's moody! VERY moody! She is also taking Celexa for the depression.
This is all so new to me and frankly, scares the HELL out of me. I am Bipolar. Family history of mental illnesses run deep on both sides, mine and her dad's. Why the HELL does she have to be going through this?? When she has an anxiety attack my heart breaks because I know how hard they are on me, I can only imagine how they feel to a child! My heart breaks for her. YET I still have to be her parent and teach her how to behave. All I want to do is, hell I don't even know.
I don't know why I'm spilling my guts on here. You guys seem like family and I know there are others out there who will understand. No one in my life truly understands.
We just take it day by day. That's all I know to do. Swing a critter, say a prayer, send healing thoughts, HUGS, whatever it is that you do! Thanks for listening to my late night, well early morning, babbling!!
Ruby
tazmaddy34 is my 
HW/SW/CW/GW 346/335/183/150 5'4.25"
goodness I can only imagine how hard it is for you to see her go through issues..and I am so sorry you have to, too.
Just know that she will get through it..some medicines are amazing and I am sure you know that there is no one medicine fits all..so maybe it will take a little bit of time to find the right medication and the right dosage to make her comfortable and you as well.
I have had panic and anxiety attacks on and off since I was about 8..they come in spurts. I will go years without them..and then get them horribly for months at a time. It got pretty bad when i was away at college my sophomore year and I was a mess..but my mom did the best to talk me through it when i needed her and trusted that I knew my breaking point and when I needed to get help. I was never on medication with the exception of a horrible attack that lasted a couple days and I finally made an emergency appt and was given a limited supply of ativan to help. best stuff i've ever had.
But, you will get through it..and she will..just you like did when you were younger and your other family who have mental health illnesses. Just be there for her in any way you can..the support means the world to a person when they are scared.
keep your chin up!
Just know that she will get through it..some medicines are amazing and I am sure you know that there is no one medicine fits all..so maybe it will take a little bit of time to find the right medication and the right dosage to make her comfortable and you as well.
I have had panic and anxiety attacks on and off since I was about 8..they come in spurts. I will go years without them..and then get them horribly for months at a time. It got pretty bad when i was away at college my sophomore year and I was a mess..but my mom did the best to talk me through it when i needed her and trusted that I knew my breaking point and when I needed to get help. I was never on medication with the exception of a horrible attack that lasted a couple days and I finally made an emergency appt and was given a limited supply of ativan to help. best stuff i've ever had.
But, you will get through it..and she will..just you like did when you were younger and your other family who have mental health illnesses. Just be there for her in any way you can..the support means the world to a person when they are scared.
keep your chin up!
Thanks Diane! I haven't told a lot of people. Well, till now. Mainly just family. She was getting bullied last school year and I don't want those kids to have more ammo. Ya know what I mean? I pray this school year will be better. She has a worker through her child theropy who will be visting the school weekly or when theirs signs of problems. This worker will work with teachers, counselor, my daughter, have meetings and such. We chose this option so she has one more person being an advocate for her well being. Hopefully with the entire group of support she has things will be better from here on out. I'll do WHATEVER it takes!!!!
Yes, I have your number. I want to call but most days there aren't enough hours in a day. Our garden is being very fruitful this year and we're doing a lot of canning and freezing and such. Thank you DS! lol
Lots of Love to you
Ruby
Yes, I have your number. I want to call but most days there aren't enough hours in a day. Our garden is being very fruitful this year and we're doing a lot of canning and freezing and such. Thank you DS! lol
Lots of Love to you
Ruby
tazmaddy34 is my HW/SW/CW/GW 346/335/183/150 5'4.25"
Best thing you can do for her.
As she continues to be medicated and succeeds and is no longer under the pressure of "why cant you sit still? Stop interupting, Why are you so impulsive? cant you make better choices?" and doesnt hear those comments, her self confidence will grow and she will no longer feel so alone and like she is always the bad kid. The depression wont go away but it will start to be more in a shall we say manageable perspective.
Counselling by someone with no less than an MA degree, so she learns tools to help with her impulse control issues, which BTW part of ADHD, also tends to have a secondary issue, like sensory disorder, bi-polar, maybe a place on the spectrum. The tools the counselor can teach will enable her to continue to be empowered and gain a new likeing for herself.
i find that we also learn and heal with the child that is learning to be empowered.
Good luck to you both.
(deactivated member)
on 7/23/11 1:35 am
on 7/23/11 1:35 am
Ruby,
This is a really tough spot to be in. I hear you saying that you don't want to medicate her, but ADHD is a medical condition. When my oldest son was diagnosed with ADHD, I was completely against medicating him. You see, I used to teach in public schools, and saw a number of kiddos that were being medicated for ADHD, and were in a zombie-like state. I knew that I DID NOT want that for my son. I talked with my therapist about it, and she said, "Well, ADHD is a medical condition, just like diabetes is. If he had diabetes, would you medicate him?" Wow. That threw me for a loop, but it got me to thinking. In the end, we did decide to medicate him, and we are very happy with his results. He takes a combination of medications, which took a few years to figure out. He now takes Strattera and Concerta. He also takes 1/2 of a Clonadine in the morning with the other two medications and then takes 1 1/2 Clonadine pills at bedtime, to help him sleep. He has come from teachers wanting to hold him back, being in the principal's office often, to straight A's and B's, and being on the honor roll all four quarters this past school year.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is...yes, this is hard, and yes, it's probably going to suck pretty bad for awhile. It does get better. If she's not already, get her into a pediatric psychologist. Sometimes, a regular psychologist (that only sees adults) just don't do as well with kids. We drove four hours one way to get our son to a pediatric psychologist, and it was totally worth it. Once he was more stable on his meds, we were able to have his pediatrician handle his med refills every 90 days. Here's some really good news for you......girls generally "grow out" of ADHD before boys do. I am a little concerned about the Celexa you mentioned. I didn't think Celexa was indicated for use by children and adolecents.
Keep fighting for your daughter. If you don't like something your doctor is doing or saying, speak up and tell them so. If you're not comfortable with something, never be afraid to get a second opinion or even a third! You know your kiddo better than anyone else, and you ultimately know what's best for her. I wish you and your family the best!
This is a really tough spot to be in. I hear you saying that you don't want to medicate her, but ADHD is a medical condition. When my oldest son was diagnosed with ADHD, I was completely against medicating him. You see, I used to teach in public schools, and saw a number of kiddos that were being medicated for ADHD, and were in a zombie-like state. I knew that I DID NOT want that for my son. I talked with my therapist about it, and she said, "Well, ADHD is a medical condition, just like diabetes is. If he had diabetes, would you medicate him?" Wow. That threw me for a loop, but it got me to thinking. In the end, we did decide to medicate him, and we are very happy with his results. He takes a combination of medications, which took a few years to figure out. He now takes Strattera and Concerta. He also takes 1/2 of a Clonadine in the morning with the other two medications and then takes 1 1/2 Clonadine pills at bedtime, to help him sleep. He has come from teachers wanting to hold him back, being in the principal's office often, to straight A's and B's, and being on the honor roll all four quarters this past school year.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is...yes, this is hard, and yes, it's probably going to suck pretty bad for awhile. It does get better. If she's not already, get her into a pediatric psychologist. Sometimes, a regular psychologist (that only sees adults) just don't do as well with kids. We drove four hours one way to get our son to a pediatric psychologist, and it was totally worth it. Once he was more stable on his meds, we were able to have his pediatrician handle his med refills every 90 days. Here's some really good news for you......girls generally "grow out" of ADHD before boys do. I am a little concerned about the Celexa you mentioned. I didn't think Celexa was indicated for use by children and adolecents.
Keep fighting for your daughter. If you don't like something your doctor is doing or saying, speak up and tell them so. If you're not comfortable with something, never be afraid to get a second opinion or even a third! You know your kiddo better than anyone else, and you ultimately know what's best for her. I wish you and your family the best!
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