Child in crisis- depression - need aadvice

[newnhdad]

need advice. I have an adolescent with sever behavioral issues. Suicidal thoughts, violent behavior, bursts of emotion, anger and very drastic mood swings. Like you see in the movies about crazy people, but from a 12 year old.

we have tried all sorts of therapy but nothing seems to move the needle. The last evaluation mentioned posbile hospitalization and medications. Does anyone have experience with this?

[AllAmericanGirl44]

Bkmk

[Gay State Conservative]

Nothing seemed to help.

Sadly,there are more than a few things that even the most skilled physicians and surgeons cannot cure.A couple of years ago I met a senior brain researcher from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (a *very* highly respected research center).He told me that even today scientists know less about the human brain than they know about the surface of the moon.

Hopefully researchers will soon come up with something that can help your sister.

[donna]

You’ve got a good idea. Lots of physical activity for good sleep.

Praying and psychiatric help are mutually exclusive. Just pray.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Oh that was not the only time. BCH brags that they specialize in Parentectomys.

They have some skilled doctors and some major fools there and it seems to be a toss up of which you will get when it is a hard case and this will probably be a hard case.

[Pocketdoor]

This is going to sound really dumb maybe but it changed my kids behavior. We watched the TV show “Super Nanny”. I DVRed them. Just don’t tell your kids “oh, you do that.”. They know. There was just something about it, we all started to show more respect to eachother.

[S.O.S121.500]

bookBUMP

[Madam Theophilus]

Has your child had a rigorous physical? Have thyroid levels been checked? Hormonal imbalances can cause psychological symptoms and are often an overlooked cause of depression. Even if it is found your child has low/normal levels, find an endocrinologist willing to try low dose hormone treatment. Subclinical hypothyroidism is now being recognized as a cause of depression.

See: https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/thyroid-deficiency-and-mental-health

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890856709642040

https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/depressive-disorders-children-and-adolescents

[freeandfreezing]

I think we might be heading to the children’s hospital with the results.

Children's Hospital in Boston may not provide as much help as you would expect, and that you need. There are other Boston area resources that are better, like McLean Hospital, or the other Harvard affiliated organizations. McLean Hospital

Cambridge Health Alliance

Most psychiatric care is delivered on an outpatient basis, so you will be looking to establish a relationship with a psychiatrist who has expertise in the kind of problem you child is facing and access to other specialists. You may be able to meet with the provider away from the hospital setting, since that may be a lot less stressful for you and your child.

Many psychiatric hospitals have a typical mode of operation which can terrify adolescents, so you need to be sensitive to that.

[21twelve]

Bump to post 31 - lots of great points.

We did a “mindfulness” thing with our daughter. It was very helpful to her and mom and dad. At first it seems like a bunch of crap - but after a few sessions I started to “get” it. At the end I said “You know - EVERYONE would benefit from these skills.”

[Gay State Conservative]

Children's Hospital in Boston may not provide as much help as you would expect, and that you need. There are other Boston area resources that are better, like McLean Hospital...

Having worked for Harvard Medical School for decades I can guarantee that the quality of psychiatric care would be outstanding at both hospitals.The advantage of at least starting with Children's Hospital is that they are better equipped to determine if there are any "physiological" issues at play.Of course McLean Hospital,being a division of Massachusetts General Hospital,has such resources too.

[piasa]

You may want to have the child checked for more conventional medical issues as well—— when things go wrong with the heart or gall bladder, etc., it can completely change a person’s personality. Heart problems and gall bladder infections often bring on anything from moodiness to incredible anxiety, and a sense of doom and despair long before any obvious heart attack-like pains show up.

[Wuli]

“Thanks you and to all who made recommendations. The outside activities stopped about two years ago when the scouts and church groups transitioned from elementary age to older kids. A lot of the friends made the transition okay but not my child.”

One word jumps out to me with that - insecurity.

I'm making a wild guess, but possibly something - emotionally, physically, mentally - your child, entering puberty by chronological age, may have some/an insecurities/insecurity, about their own level of maturity at this point compared to their peers.

IF - a giant IF that has anything to do with it, the facts of THAT situation is normal; some are ready/mature sooner, and some later, but as the years go on the “slower” ones in the majority of cases do “catch up”. Any kid who has issues with that must be told that. Some “early bloomers” are even occasionally surpassed by some late bloomers, in some manner of maturity, somewhere between 12-13 and when most everyone has become an adult. I was an early bloomer in some ways, and much later bloomer in others. As others began to "catch up" to me, some went passed me, before we all seemed to even out by college. Somehow, someone has to sit with the kid and try to get to the root, and it may not even be what any initial angry words from the child indicate. Some "reasons" may be just the surface reasons and not the one(s) underneath it all. Hopefully, someone can get them to truly open up. Our prayers to you and your family.

[infool7]

Dear FR Prayer Warriors

Please keep newnhdad, his daughter and family in your prayers.

We are running out the door to the 4:15 Mass will be keeping them in our prayers.

[Ted Grant]

Praying!

[fieldmarshaldj]

Prayers for your child to get the help they need.

[lysie]

Prayers for your family.

[fatima]

Got it.

[trisham]

Prayers for you and your family are on the way.

Be strong and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the LORD,
your God, who marches with you;
He will never fail you or forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6

[antidisestablishment]

Prayers up here. My family has dealt with severe mental health issues and I appreciate the toll it takes. I wish I could give you The Answer, but beyond faith, I have none. Too many secular options can exacerbate the problems.

May God grant you peace and strength. Trust in Him, and seek discernment in all.