Topic : Spirited Kids

I cannot believe any doctor would prescribe Depakote to a child. I am an adult with Bipolar disorder and take Depakote. Depakote is so hard on your body. My PDOC would prefer me  (as a adult) to be able to use a different medication due to the risks, but Depokote is what works for me. Also, I am suprised you say he was given Depakote for depression as Depakote is a anti-eplipetic medication that is also used for controlling mania in people with Bipolar Disorder. It is not an anti-depressant. I really hope the doctor explained throughly the damage it can and often does cause. I hope your doctor is requiring regular testing of depakote levels and liver function.  

  

I am sorry, but this seems as irresponsible as giving Lithium to a child. I would get a second opinion. and fast. 

I too, believe that depakote should not be prescribed for a child. I was diagnosed as bi-polar, depressed, O.C.D. and mania. I was once prescribed depakote (made me see triple) and risperdol (which is a tranquilizer, and also used for sychosis).  But I dont understand why a child would be put on a medication like that , knowing what all the risks are. The depakote made me suicidal and violent. But I know it does differently for everyone.

Both my babies are very spirited. My seven year old daughter is so hyper, she seems to be teaching my two year old son to be hyper too. They are never still except when they are sleeping, but that doesn't even last the whole night through. I have tried everything from Timeout to taking their toys away. Nothing works.I feel crazy at the end of the day and sometimes can't wait till bedtime. Am I crazy? No I am exhausted. But I love them and they are my sweet angels, (when they want to be)

Hello.
  This will be somewhat long. First I'll start off with saying I have three children; Zachary 4, Mikayla 2 and Allyson 8.

  I knew from when Allyson was a toddler that there was something wrong.. she was always 'bouncing off the walls'  I couldnt even get her to watch tv for two mins.  As time went on and she was in Pre K and then K - the teachers could not handle her. So i had her tested( conners rating scale and well as psychiatrist evaluations). Back then, she was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD.   So from that time till just recently she went through some medicine for the ADHD.  About six months ago she was then Diagnosed with Bipolar and ADHD and the Dr put her on medicine for both. I then after a few months requested the dr to take her off the medicine for Bipolar which was serequel 10 mg and Lamictal 100 mg(not sure of spelling of either) and right now shes taking just Adderall xr 30 mg.   I have taken her to see another psychiatrist who tells me theres no way a child can be bipolar and adhd at the same time... so I am really confused.

This has been a long struggle for my husband and I. She is always lying about everything. Fighting litterally with her brother and sister.  We can't have animals because she killed the last kitten we had. Shes very loud when she talks, when she talks its like she yells. She is very energetic.  Mornings are awful when its time for school.. that is the worse part of the day. In school she doesnt respond to the teachers sometimes when she is spoken too.. Sometimes doesnt do her work but just  sits there.  There is a lot of off the wall things she does but it would be a book for me to sit here and type it all out.   
  So basically to make a long story short... How do you punish a kid that has these disorders? I have tried everything I could think of   from time outs to taking things from her, grounding her from her favorite things.. I've been to parenting classes thinking that maybe it was me with the problem.. but that didnt help.. ive tried an award system and praise  and nothing has worked... on some occassions I have spanked her butt like when she brings harm to others such as her siblings and when I do that she laughs and says 'that doesnt hurt'.
 Just recently and I dont know the results yet.. she had a cat scan and an EEG done.   But I am seriously going out of my mind and I'm slipping into depression or something .. I am always angry, always frustraited and I feel like I never get a break from anything.  All adive is appreciated. Thank You.

My son is 8 years old and has gone through alot I had to give custody to his dad when he was 2 because we were getting a divorce and I had no where to live but at a friends house and it wasn't a good place for him for almost a year I think he got to see me maybe four or five times but I finally moved in with my mom and he started visiting every other weekend. after four years his father and I started dating again around that time his grandmother and grandfather split up and he came to live with and my roomate and her 2 kids. now we all live together in an apartment.My roomate has a son who is 9 and a daughter who is 3. My son yells at everyone has physically thrown things at me and tries to hit the 9 year old he's disrespectful to me and our roomate.the only person he listens to is his dad and sometimes thats even questionable.We've tried taking all the toys and games away,time out,spanking everything he just keeps on.My stress level is so high because it starts from the time he gets up till when he gets home from school and finally goes to bed.If any one has had an angry child like this please let me know how to help him because I'm out of ideas 

My daughter is soon to be 6 years old and VERY spirited.  I've seen it since she was about a month or so old.....when she would sleep only 4 hours of a 24-hour period.  Her boundless energy led me to put her into gymnastics programs for babies and toddlers when she was only 5 or 6 months old.  I also enrolled her in preschool when she was 2.   

  

I also got her into tae kwon do at 2 and a half.  She got her black belt at 5 and is working on the different degrees of black belt now.  I have found, with her, that the martial arts and the discipline they provide, is just what she needed.....along with a strict sleeping and eating schedule, which I imposed pretty early on, after I read the book "Healthy sleep habits, healthy child".  :) 

  

  

  

I was given a suggestion of a book geared towards parents of kids with O.D.D. and it may help its working with my 8 year old son its called your defiant child 8 steps to better behavior and its by Dr. Russel A. Barkley it has questionaires and goes step by step through all 8 steps and after a week I have seen improvement.I hope maybe this will help a little I understand the stress and how hard it is.I have cried many nights due to the stress hang in there.

yep, my son is full of energy, day in and day out nearly 24/7. As soon as he wakes up he wants to have breakfast asap, then dressed and out the door. He HATES bein stuck indoors.

I have a 3.5 year old boy, who we thought we were going to lose after he was born. while i was pregnant i found out i had group b strep and the doctor took all the procotions needed but he still ended up getting meningitus. our hospital didn't seem to ketch it even though they started treating for it after a almost 2 weeks in the hospital they said he was fine. a week after being out of the hospital he stoped eating and we took him back to the hospital this is when we found out he had meningitus. since we live in a smaller town they air lifted him to the closest new born ICU, when we arrived there since we were not allowed to fly with him, he was hooked up on everything possible. the doctor there told us he would not make it over night. this was deffently hard for me being this is my first child. we were not allowed to stay in his room for the rest of the night, the next morning when we came back he had been taken off  ventilations and said he was going to make it. we spent another month in the hospital there with my husbands work being so support of this. My son is now almost 4 and acts just like a normal boy. i am so glad we have him and he has learned to be a great brother of our new addition a now 6 week old boy.

MY DAUGHTER IS 35 YEARS OLD AND SHE HAS A 3 YEAR OLD SON AND 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER.  SHE YELLS AT THEM ALOT.  IF SHE IS TALKING ON THE TELEPHONE OR TALKING WITH SOMEONE,  AND THEY ASK HER A QUESTION, SHE YELLS AT THEM. 

  

I FEEL THAT SHE SHOULD STOP TALKING FOR A MOMENT AND ,LET THEM KNOW SHE HEARD THEM, AND ASK THEM WHAT THEY NEEDED.   

  

IF I SAY ANYTHING TO HER, SHE GET ANGRY WITH ME.  I JUST WANT TO HANG UP THE PHONE IF SHE IS TALKING WITH ME, AND SHE YELLS. 

  

MY GRANDKIDS DO NOT DESERVE THIS. THEY ARE VERY GOOD KIDS.   

  

PLEASE HELP !!! 

  

P. CARPENTER