Re:After OCD - what's next?

[Guest guest]

My brother relayed to me that he feels he had OCD as a child (checking

behaviours) after I shared with him that our 10 year old daughter now has

OCD (germs). My brother, and also father, have both suffered severe

depression at mid-life. I suffer from some depression but not as severe as

my brothers. Definitely think there is a gene in there somewhere but cannot

say for sure. So I am thinking down the line that my 10 year old may have

further issues of another nature, perhaps depression.

Jane

[Guest guest]

My brother relayed to me that he feels he had OCD as a child (checking

behaviours) after I shared with him that our 10 year old daughter now has

OCD (germs). My brother, and also father, have both suffered severe

depression at mid-life. I suffer from some depression but not as severe as

my brothers. Definitely think there is a gene in there somewhere but cannot

say for sure. So I am thinking down the line that my 10 year old may have

further issues of another nature, perhaps depression.

Jane

[Guest guest]

Hi, Jane. I think it would be surprising if someone with OCD didn't

experience depression too. I know when our son is going through a

rough patch, he gets depressed. It's hard to see or believe there is

a light at the end of the tunnel when you are battling OCD every day.

.. . Especially when you are a kid. Josh's current therapist told us

depression often goes along with anxiety disorders.

Having said that, I also have to say that my father suffered from

pretty bad depression his whole life. Yet, my sister and I don't.

BJ

>

> My brother relayed to me that he feels he had OCD as a child (checking

> behaviours) after I shared with him that our 10 year old daughter

now has

> OCD (germs). My brother, and also father, have both suffered severe

> depression at mid-life. I suffer from some depression but not as

severe as

> my brothers. Definitely think there is a gene in there somewhere

but cannot

> say for sure. So I am thinking down the line that my 10 year old may

have

> further issues of another nature, perhaps depression.

>

> Jane

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My 10 y.o. OCD/ADHD son also has tantrums and rages that we've been

told are not bipolar, as he lacks other symptoms needed for that

diagnosis. He has only what appears to be the aggressive form of

pediatric mania. But it is hell, I know, and with a 14 y.o. it must

be very very hard. I'm so sorry you and your child are suffering.

I think there are cases when bipolar is emerging, and only shows

these manic attacks at first, and also cases where BP is not the

right diagnosis. The field doesn't know what to call it though, or

how to treat it. My son responded well to the mood stabilizer

Trilpetal, which has very little side effects.

The National Institute of Mental Health is conducting a study of kids

with what they are calling " Severe Mood Dysregulation " to distinguish

it from bipolar disorder and to examine the effectiveness of lithium

in some cases. My son qualified, though we haven't done any testing

yet. It is not a treatment program, it's research, but we felt it

would help us figure it out to have specialized test results and get

my son in front of some of the best and brightest in this field.

They won't have much for the public for a while, so getting inside

the system seems the quickest way to access the latest.

I will share whatever we learn about my son if he does the 8 - 12

week inpatient track which involves medications. We may also choose

an outpatient track, where he stays on his meds and takes tests for 2

days, then comes home. We still get the results.

Let me know if you ever want more info on this. It isn't something

that has to be acted on immediately, as the study will go on for

years. (The NIMH is outside Washington, DC.)

Hang in there,

Pam in MD

[Guest guest]

Thanks Pam. We've discovered, as many may have, that diagnoses is

merely a label. It does give the docs something to shoot for to be

able to best treat the kids. But when we were going through the

initial diagnoses we also had a ODD diagnoses at the time (now

possibly thinking it was more bipolar). My wife feared that she

kept getting more and more problems. But I said it still the same

problems, just another label.

Currently our dd is on Abilify and will be transitioning to

Lamacital for the bp-like rages. She has not been diagnosed as

bipolar, but has the some bipolar tendencies. So her pdoc is

treating her as if she is bp, because the meds work the same. The

meds don't distinguish what they are treating (oh, it's for bipolar,

then go to this part of the brain. Schizophrenia? Then route

here....). Just like antibiotics don't distinguish what bacteria to

treat, but some are better for some than others. So when we found

the meds were antipsychotics my wife freaked! But the doc said not

to worry, she's not psychotic, but the med works on the mania as

well as patients who are psychotic.

Our pdoc didn't want to go to Lithium because of all of the testing

(blood, bp, etc.). He said Lamacital is his drug of choice due to

the safety of it versus Lithium.

Cheers

>

> My 10 y.o. OCD/ADHD son also has tantrums and rages that we've

been

> told are not bipolar, as he lacks other symptoms needed for that

> diagnosis. He has only what appears to be the aggressive form of

> pediatric mania. But it is hell, I know, and with a 14 y.o. it

must

> be very very hard. I'm so sorry you and your child are suffering.

>

> I think there are cases when bipolar is emerging, and only shows

> these manic attacks at first, and also cases where BP is not the

> right diagnosis. The field doesn't know what to call it though,

or

> how to treat it. My son responded well to the mood stabilizer

> Trilpetal, which has very little side effects.

>

> The National Institute of Mental Health is conducting a study of

kids

> with what they are calling " Severe Mood Dysregulation " to

distinguish

> it from bipolar disorder and to examine the effectiveness of

lithium

> in some cases. My son qualified, though we haven't done any

testing

> yet. It is not a treatment program, it's research, but we felt

it

> would help us figure it out to have specialized test results and

get

> my son in front of some of the best and brightest in this field.

> They won't have much for the public for a while, so getting

inside

> the system seems the quickest way to access the latest.

>

> I will share whatever we learn about my son if he does the 8 - 12

> week inpatient track which involves medications. We may also

choose

> an outpatient track, where he stays on his meds and takes tests

for 2

> days, then comes home. We still get the results.

>

> Let me know if you ever want more info on this. It isn't

something

> that has to be acted on immediately, as the study will go on for

> years. (The NIMH is outside Washington, DC.)

>

> Hang in there,

> Pam in MD

>