Can mania/hypomania look like severe impulsivity??
Very confused, trying to sort out the puzzle of my son who I am still not sure has BP or just mood dis nos. One feature he is ALWAYS had is severe impulsivity. Half pdocs say its ADHD, half say nothing of it, some say its mania, some say its pdd behavior. The impulsivity is always like is a mad man looking for provoke and bother you. He will with no thinking lick you, poke you, poke your privates, rub his nose on your face, put spit on you, jump on you, and any other extremely invasive things which defy all personal space. He does not do this all the time (comes and goes) or everywhere. It does happen at school where it gets to the point where the teacher or aide has to follow him around and literally steer him away from other humans. This behavior, which i have been told from phosp is just a "behavior disorder" - "just" ? what does that mean? Anyhow, this behavior coincides with some mood issues, but he never has had textbook mania: he doesnt have the sleep issues usually, he doesnt have grandiose ideas, he doesnt think he can fly or is someone he is not, but he definitely gets sped up, he talks a mile a minute but he ALWAYS talk a lot........I have been told this can jus be a part of Tourettes which does have mood problems as part of its syndrome, but I have never seen a kid with this impulsivity issues, and he has no real other adhd symptoms........the impulsiviy is like a combination of a behavior issue as it is plainly attention seeking (negative, he will do something and then wait for your angry response and laughs gleefully or gets mean) and of compulsions - he will tell you he cant help it he HAS to touch/poke/etc, so maybe its a combo of adhd and tourettes (the compulsions are tourettes)......
Anyhow the point of this post is does anyone see impulsivity as a major part of their child's mania/hypomania?? Or is mania clearly defined and doesnt really encompass this as a main feature? Thank you.
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Clara - mom, person, Florida, 38
Elijah - 12 yrs old, Dx: PDD NOS, mood disorder NOS (or some pdocs say IED, BP unsure) OCD/childhood anxiety disorder, Tourettes, trichotillomania.
Current treatments/meds: Have been through a ton of meds with zero improvement, been through some vitamins and supplements with no improvement. Particularly interested in natural treatment/diet and dream someday of achieving stability with no pharmaceutical meds. Abilify 30 mg, clonidine .1
If we want to get technical, then no, it is not part of the criteria for mania, but there is this component:distractibility (i.e., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli). Except that in your son's case, it is internal stimuli that is distracting him.
What you are describing does sound a lot like autistic-spectrum behaviors, but it also sounds a lot like the behaviors described by Dr. Doris Rapp, MD. You might want to read her book, Is This Your Child?
It is likely that your son may have more than one issue affecting his behavior. My younger daughter did have multiple issues. She did have some OCD manifesting from stress. She also had some Tourettic tics. She also had problems affecting mood. She had problems affecting sleep. And whether from the medications or from whatever disease process, her brain's cognition (IQ) did become slightly impaired compared to what she started out with.
--Jeanie aka "Naomi"
It's Not Mental
Older dd: formerly(?) teen-onset bipolar (morphed into ultradian cycling): "Recovered" after over 13 years - stable off psych meds almost two years. Now fine on just diet changes and higher thyroid levels (after healing - addressing gut issues/Candidal overgrowth while using EMPowerPlus and other supplements). She added a little EMpowerPlus back on as a multivitamin simply because she feels better on it - gets sick less often.
Younger dd: formerly(?) Childhood-onset schizoaffective, TS, OCD, anxiety, PTSD, migraines. After over 15 years, is now "recovered" for almost 5 years after treating endocrine issues, food sensitivities, gut issues, sleep issues, nutritional/mitochondrial needs.
Clara,
You say your ds has TS? I wonder how much of this is tic/compulsive behavior? When my ds17's TS was at it's worst, he had all sorts of weird things he did. He didn't get into other people's personal space like that, but he touched all sorts of things in weird ways. I tend to agree with Naomi that this sounds like there is an ASD component. Is he able to describe in any way what's going on in his head throughout the day?
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Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17 1/2, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 16, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 1/2 & H, 11 1/2
Married 18 years to DH, 51
FROM TBMF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.
Naomia:
I have heard of that book and just ordered it, thank you. Is that your website and book? Love it.
Brenda: Alot of this is TS yes. He will tell me he cant control it, he has an urge and has to do it much like the touching you describe, but also he will tell me he likes getting me upset (I think its stimulating for him).
Thank you for the perspectives.
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Clara - mom, person, Florida, 38
Elijah - 12 yrs old, Dx: PDD NOS, mood disorder NOS (or some pdocs say IED, BP unsure) OCD/childhood anxiety disorder, Tourettes, trichotillomania.
Current treatments/meds: Have been through a ton of meds with zero improvement, been through some vitamins and supplements with no improvement. Particularly interested in natural treatment/diet and dream someday of achieving stability with no pharmaceutical meds. Abilify 20 mg, clonidine .1
"Is This Your Child" is by Doris Rapp. "It's Not Mental" is by me.
--Jeanie aka "Naomi"
INM-Facebook
Older dd: formerly(?) teen-onset bipolar (morphed into ultradian cycling): "Recovered" after over 13 years - stable off psych meds almost two years. Now fine on just diet changes and higher thyroid levels (after healing - addressing gut issues/Candidal overgrowth while using EMPowerPlus and other supplements). She added a little EMpowerPlus back on as a multivitamin simply because she feels better on it - gets sick less often.
Younger dd: formerly(?) Childhood-onset schizoaffective, TS, OCD, anxiety, PTSD, migraines. After over 15 years, is now "recovered" for almost 5 years after treating endocrine issues, food sensitivities, gut issues, sleep issues, nutritional/mitochondrial needs.