6 year old daughter just diagnosed with a "mood disorder" and starting Abilify

Greetings!

My daughter just turned 6 years old a month ago, she was prescribed Abilify last week - I am VERY VERY nervous about starting her on this med, but my pediatrician fully belives it is the best treatment for her.  In researching the med for kids under 10 - I found this posting, and the website.  I feel like I am getting ready to undergo a very long, hard, mysterious journey with her and I feel I need all the support and information I can get.  My daughter was diagnosed with severe ADHD in May of 2008, and now recently my pediatrician suspects she has a "mood disorder".  I took her to a pediatrict pshychiatrist last week, who pretty much confirmed this, and prescribed Abilify.

She has raging fits at school and at home- not often but are triggered by about 3 scenerios (transitions, losing, not getting a certain color, seat, prize, etc.).  These fits are not "typical" for her age - she screams, kicks, scratches, bites, swings her fists, throws her body, hits whoever is near her, etc.

She was put on 2 different stimulant meds for the ADHD that have not worked, she was switched to Stratera 3 weeks ago (a non-simulant), and upon the recommendation of a phsychiatrist is now put on Abilify, along with the Stratera - 2mg daily of Abilify.  My head is spinning- I am not sure if it is the right thing, if she is being mediacated too quickly, etc.  My mother is bi-polar - she refused to take any medication - that is another story for another day...  So it would not be far-fetched for her to have  a mood disorder

Any insight is greatly appreciated

Mom_of_2

 

Well, as a mom who raised two boys both diagnosed with ADHD and ADD, older was supposed to be ADHD, younger ADD, I sympathize. From a background in Adolescent and child mental health, it seems to me that there are trends, such as the very large number of children who had been diagnosed ADHD, who have been reviewed and it was determined to actually be Mood Disorder.

Preferrably, a day program (Child Outpatient Services) could assist in sorting out what is what.  

Thanks everyone for your quick replies!

Response #1 - My pediatrician belive Abilify is a very good med out there, and a good "fit" for my duaghter - her belief is we treat her now, and her disorder will be less severe when she is an adult.  ANY recommended books would be helpful...I am currently reading "the highly spirited child", it has some helpful things in it...but I think my daughter is more than just "high spririted".  The whole "mood disorder" diagnosis just came into the picture a few weeks ago.  I am just now starting to "dive in" to my research on this front.

Response #2 - that is a very interesting point that her ADHD could be the symptoms of a mood disorder...I have neevr thought of it that way...she is really all over the place - the phsycologist that diagnosed the ADHD told me she basically is going through life like her pants are constantly on fire...she just goes goes goes...now she is having major manic fits that are basically triggered by her ADHD "quirks" - transitions, fixations, she has other "spectrum" behaviors as well - she does not look anyone in the eye, she lines up and sorts evreything - like she is OCD.  She has some audio processing issues - she cannot follow more than 2 step verbal directions - and has problems verbalizing her feelings. I am having a hard time sorting out what symptoms are what...what is the ADHD symptom? what is the mood-disorder symptom? what is a spectrum symptom?  They ruled out Aspergers - because she has social awareness, just not proper social queuing.  I am wondering if a nuerologist may give me more insight?  What is a "day program"?  I live in Florida - I have not really heard of anything like that. 

Response #3 - regarding the red dye - we did a full battery of blood tests for allergies over the summer - she showed up as not allergic to ANYTHING - I will look intothe "red dye" thing...that is interesting - I am wondering - could she still have an allergic reaction even though it did not show up?

Thankyou Thankyou again for reponding - it is good to know people are out there listening.

Mom_of_2

Hi!
So sorry to read about all your struggles. I'm sure others can share much better information about bipolar. There were a few thoughts that occurred to me, though. I am not a professional in any way, but I used to teach early elementary school. I have worked with special needs students & one of my research foci was ADD/ADHD. Here are a few ideas you might consider:

1. Yes, definitely try to get your daughter in to a neurologist or possibly a neuropsychiatrist.
2. If the neuro tests come back okay, ask for a referral to an educational psychologist. If you are fortunate enough to live within driving distance of a university, you can maybe even be particular enough to request a psych who will use non-language based testing. Since your daughter struggles with language & literacy, the regular tests will be skewed. A good psych can take the skewed results into account, but alternative testing would be more exact. If your little girl is either overchallenged (low-IQ, LD, etc.) or underchallenged (gifted) often that can result in extreme outbursts & aggressive behavior.
3. Ask to spend a day or two observing your daughter in school (sit in the back though so you can observe her interacting with her teachers & peers). If you can videotape her that would be even better, but that may require permission slips (some schools send out generic media permission slips at the start of school, so it might not be necessary to send out another). If possible, ask if the district has a psychologist or psychiatrist on staff who can also observe her in class. Try to see if there is something or someone who is precipitating her "fits" and whether there is something that helps her to calm down & refocus. Also, try to learn her strengths.
4. If she isn't already seeing a social worker at school, find out what groups might be available to help your daughter work on social skills. You should get a copy of her IEP & try to implement some of the same techniques at home to help with consistency.
5. Besides an outpatient psych program, you might consider special recreation programs through your county park district. Special rec can provide structure & a fun way to improve social, language & motor skills. Usually you can Google "special recreation district" and "(your county's name)" to find the nearest program.

As for the terms, maybe this site will be a bit of help:
http://www.autism-help.org/
It has info on spectrum disorders as well as co-morbid ADHD & bipolar.

Sorry for so much information. My heart just breaks for you & your daughter. I think it's really commendable that you are so invested in learning about & trying to help her. Keep at it & remember that you know your daughter better than anyone else. If something doesn't seem right, keep asking questions until you feel comfortable. Best wishes!

Mom of 2. I don't know if you are still reading these post any more since it has been awhile, but I am curious as to how things are with your daughter two years later?
I can strongly empathize with you. My daughter is now 9 and is much better. Few "melt" downs and we had a wonderful teacher conference this week. We did behavior modification therapy.