[Momaroo]

Hi all, my first post here. I hope this is in the right place. Our son is 12 and we’re still trying to figure out his diagnosis. Mostly due to his age. So far ADD, GAD, MDD, possibly bipolar, and Tourette’s.

He has occasional rages where he becomes violent and suicidal. Thankfully, he’s still young enough that we can control him and no one has gotten hurt. These episodes are 10-20 minutes and rare. When he snaps out of it he’s very apologetic and embarrassed. Thankfully he’s still young enough that he can be physically controlled. He also has expressed a lot of interest in killing “something”. And wants to go hunting to “satisfy” this need. After the last episode where he was screaming for someone to kill him and that he would kill all of us, we went straight into his psychiatrists office, told doc EVERYTHING as always, and all the doc did was increase the Abilify dosage. Didn’t say much at all. (I honestly thought the doctor was going to recommend inpatient treatment or something but he barely looked up from his laptop.)

Google articles recommend we get him intensive psychiatric help as soon as possible. Is there something else we should be doing??
He sees his psychiatrist monthly or more frequently with a med change. He normally sees a therapist weekly but we’re trying to find a new one for him.

With a kid with these major issues, we’re not sure who to turn to for help. Any suggestions as to the type of therapist / treatment? Any and ALL advice will be welcomed. Please and thank you for your help!

[Skeezyks]

Hello Momaroo: Well... as you probably realize, we here on PC cannot diagnose your son. Our purpose here is to provide one another with support & to share experiences & information. And since I'm not a parent, I'm afraid there's little I would be able to offer other than to say that, under the circumstances, perhaps a change of psychiatrist is in order? From what you wrote, it doesn't sound as though the one you're seeing is taking much of an interest.

As an adult, I expect the psychiatrist I see to handle my appointments the way your son's is being handled. But, at least personally, I'd be concerned given the way this psychiatrist is handling you son's case. I do think it will be important for you to find your son a new therapist, or perhaps a child psychologist, as soon as possible. Here's a link to a listing of parent's & children's resources from PsychCentral's archives. Perhaps there will be some helpful information there. (Note the "Find a Therapist" box a little ways down the page to the right of the screen.):

https://psychcentral.com/resources/P..._and_Children/

Also, here's a link to an article, also from PsychCentral's archive, on the subject of aggressive children:

https://psychcentral.com/lib/aggressive-children/

And lastly, here's a link to a PC article on the subject of Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Of course, I don't know if this is relevant to your child. But, in reading it, it sounded as though there might be some similarities:

https://psychcentral.com/blog/archiv...r-in-children/

I see this is your first post here on PC. So... welcome to PsychCentral! I hope you find the time you spend here to be of benefit. I don't know if you're here just to try to gain some insight with regard to your son's current situation; or if you plan to continue on with us. However if you plan to continue on, may I suggest you introduce yourself over on PC's New Member Introductions forum? Here's a link:

https://forums.psychcentral.com/new-...introductions/

There's a lot of support that can be available here on PC. The more you post, & reply to other members' posts, the more a part of the community you will become. Plus there are the chat rooms where you'll be able to interact with other PC members in real time (once your first 5 posts have been reviewed & approved.) My best wishes to you...

Is in patient at a hospital an option? One of my kids has been before and it was amazing and a lot more helpful than our private therapist. They can actually observe your son over time and that is HUGE for diagnosis and treatment.

[Guiness187055]

I second going IP for a while

[Momaroo]

Thank you for your replies I wasn’t asking for a diagnosis - he has enough already lol. My worry is that he shows major warning signs that are supposed to be addressed with major intervention but I don’t know what that looks like.
All of my research say “Get him help immediately.” But his doctor barely looks up from his computer and his therapist didn’t do much other than ask about his day. (I’m picking a new therapist for him.) Am I supposed to push for more than just weekly therapist appointments and occasional doctor visits?

Mentioning ODD, that was a consideration but he is actually a very well mannered, thoughtful kid and none of the doctors he’s seen in the past believe that diagnosis fits him. The only time he isn’t great is when he has an “episode”. The “espisodes” happen once every few months-ish. Although, his perceived need to kill something is constant.

In patient isnt a possibility because my husband is NOT on board with it at all. He has an overwhelming hate for hospitals, etc and doesn’t believe patients in mental health facilities are treated well.

[Victoria'smom]

What is his accommodations at school? I don't know where you're located but you can look for intensive outpatient program or a therapeutic school. Does he have a therapist at school?

Don't expect the dr to react, or be ready to hospitalize him that easily. As long as he doesn't present there and willing to abide to his treatment plan and not an immediate threat to himself or others the dr. wont bat an eye. The pdoc needs to appear on your son's side and not have "knee jerk" reactions.

your best bet is call an ambulance next time he's reacting like that. In the mean time lock up all pills and sharp objects. What medication is your son on? I know when my son was on ADHD meds he was suicidal every night as withdraw set in.

You could always go to a neropsychiatrist or a children's hospital or university hospital even if it's hours away. It's worth the drive. We had to do that with my son's cyst. We traveled 4 hours one way. We also traveled that far for specialized therapy. It's a lot but it's only ones a month until he's stable then less as time goes on or have them suggest a clinic near you. I like having a therapist that is in the same office as the psychiatrist because they share notes. Do you have any other children?