jewelies

Hi there,
Just wanting some input on my son who is 13 and Bi-Polar. I know background is important so here we go. My son was demonstrating severe anti-social, angry, overeacting behavior in Kindergarten. We knew immediately there was something wrong. We took him to a psychiatrist and they disgnosed him ADD, put him on meds and none seemed to help. In first grade he was getting suspended for complete resistance. We lived through hell for that year, the next year we finally changed Dr.s and got a diagnosis of Bi-polar, and started a combination of meds, he improved a little, and we got him into a special school for Children with behavior disorders-best thing EVER! He stayed at that school on anti-depressants for 2 years and graduated out of the program for doing well. Our son as he grew into his 3rd and 4th year of school (at the special program) demonstrated mostly depressive behaviors, with resistant tendencies, and impulse control. He seemed to do ok though. We then put him into the regular schools special programs, still for behavioral issues, but less regimented. He has stayed that way on Zoloft for about 3 years now and is doing really well, excellent grades, but still catching up to consequence interpretation, impulse control (manipulation, to get others going), easily irritated, not as depressed, better sleeping habits, just overall better. My opinion is because of all of the behavior learning he has done since 3rd grade. He is now in 7th grade, and starting puberty, and it has done well in some areas-maturity, happier, better able to make friends, choosing the right. I've also noticed that he is demonstrating some mania-hyper sensitive-easily irritable to extremes, outbursts in class, highly manipulative and a little irrational at times. My theory is that although he has done well on the Zoloft all of this time, and it has helped with the depression and self-esteem, he is now experience the manic part of the disease as hormones kick in. It's just starting- I've seen manic, his Dad is Bi-Polar. I ask my son about what he thinks about all of these changes and ask if he would like to talk to the Doctor about it (as if he really has a true choice, but we know if we can get their buy-in, it always helps) He says that he doesn't care, and that he doesn't see a difference on or off his medication (which we have tried). On his medication he gets manic, so we have temporarily taken him off until we can get to the Doctor. I see him get a little depressive behavior, but not too extreme, not as extreme as the manic when he is on Zoloft. Is this common for puberty? Any additional advice?