[maggyjo]

I need some help. I am new to this whole thing.

About a year or so ago my 16 yo son was diagnosed as possible bipolar-mood disorder. It was a long year but we got him help and meds and up till about a month ago he seemed stable.

I have struggled for years with anxiety and depression, meds and therapy have not worked. I recently changed therapist and pdoc and now they are wondering if maybe I am bipolar. So far lamictal has really help and we are still experimenting to find meds to work with it, so I can become more stable.

So lately 16 yo son has been picking on his sibs until they cry even after being asked to stop over and over. He gets stuck on subjects and talks and talks without shutting up. He is as annoys other and is driving us all crazy. When he behaves this way it drives away friends too. We have not seen this behavior in months. How do we know that this is not impulsive ADHD behavior(which was his original diagnosis) or a manic phase?

Thanks
Maggy Jo

[Forgive77]

He may need new meds or to up them if he has been stable before, and not now. Some ADD meds can exacerbate mania. You might need to check that too.

[wing]

Mania is commonly misdiagnosed for ADHD. There are a few more symptoms that would indicate mania, mainly not sleeping or eating. Plus if the behaviors are escalating that would be more of a mania. What Forgive says about ADHD meds is also true. You probably need to get him back to the pdoc for another evaluation just to be safe.

My son is on lamictal and doing well. The doc chose it because I do well on it, and they start with one that works on a close relative. Maybe they'll try lamictal for him.

[astone131]

Its sounds like the begginning of mania. My pdoc just put me on lamicatal beacuse i was very unstable. he said he will gradually increase the soe everytime we meet.