Psychiatry

Today was the first day of school and after seven years of practice, I think we've almost got it. It's helpful to know your children well enough that you can anticipate their reactions and help them compensate for their weaknesses. I have one in high school, one in junior high and one in elementary school, all with different schedules, start times and finish times. It's a little bit like being in a Paris train station with the destinations, arrival and departure times whipping around the boards continuously. I knew Gavin (10th grade) was going to be very anxious until he actually got to school this morning, so I didn't worry too much about him trying to sleep all day yesterday, or… [more]

Justin, Justin, Justin. He’s calmer and less of a motor-mouth on his new ADHD medication, but we’ve been watching for 11 days and there’s no question that he is much MUCH more whiny and petulant. He had a touch of that already, but it’s so excessive now that I asked the doctor if we could try a new medication. When my oldest son had to start taking medication for ADHD and Depression, it took us a few months to find the right meds in the right combinations. This is only one med and we’re now going to try the one that works for my two older kids so hopefully it works for Justin. I asked Justin his opinion about whether he thought… [more]

Just last week, my 8-year-old started ADHD medication. My older two (15 and 13) had started in junior high. Neither of my older two are hyperactive, so there were no behavior problems in school (other than my 13-year-old talking too much to all her friends). But they couldn’t focus, organize, remember or discipline themselves to stay on task in a six-period day. I had been hoping against hope that my youngest would never need medication. He has had some behavior problems in school (chatty, lots of energy, seeming unwillingness to buckle down and work), but I was hoping they were just normal little boy problems. I told myself I wouldn’t medicate him unless he wasn’t able to function in school and that we… [more]

In a recent post, I blogged about my surprise that my daughter’s IQ continues to increase despite the fact that she has FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.) A reader wrote an interesting comment about her child who is diagnosed with inattentive ADD. She said that their family psychiatrist told them to expect their child’s IQ to increase after she had been on medication for a while. While I had never heard this before it really could help to explain my daughter’s IQ increase. Momtomany wrote; “Actually, just the medication alone can help. Our psychiatrist told us that we could expect to see a jump in our child's IQ scores, once she was on medication for a while (inattentive ADD). We did-- about an increase of 10-12… [more]

I have been quite impressed by my 14-year-old daughter’s honesty during the last several visits we have made to her psychiatrist. With each visit, she seems to open up a little more to him. This is important for several reasons. First, she is nearing adulthood and would like to live on her own someday. Therefore, it is important for her to not only own her disability but also begin taking over the management of it. Secondly, the doctor cannot help her if she is not honest about how she is doing and feeling. While her doctor and I can see the outward results of her actions, we cannot determine what thoughts drove her to those actions. Therefore, if she truly desires to improve she must be… [more]

A few weeks ago, I took my eight-year-old child to the doctor for croup. The doctor noticed that he was also wheezing. Our son had infantile asthma when we adopted him and occasionally has still has episodes of wheezing. We have a nebulizer at home for treatments and I used to take it with us if he was having a day of difficult breathing. I asked the doctor if my adopted child was old enough for an asthma inhaler. I explained my concern about not having an emergency treatment with us during hockey or soccer games. The doctor assured me that he was old enough and agreed that my son should always have an inhaler with him. He told me about a new type of inhaler… [more]

I am guilty. I admit to running out of children’s Motrin in the past and just giving my child half of an adult tablet. My thinking, like so many parents, was that children need the same medicine as adults, just in smaller doses, because they are smaller. However, that is not always the case. Some medications affect children much differently than they affect adults. When it comes to giving our children medications, we need to remember that they are not just miniature adults. If you are fostering children, or if a child is placed with you, but not yet adopted, you need to be especially careful with administering medications. Your agency can remove your license and remove your foster children from your home for giving them… [more]

For those of us privately adopting infants this is rather scary news. A new study showed a connection between a mother suffering from severe stress during the first trimester of pregnancy and her child developing schizophrenia later in life. The study identified death, or severe illness that could result in death, of a close relative as a severe stressor. The study did not identify the stress of making a plan for an unexpected pregnancy as a severe stressor. However, the stress involved in planning for an unborn child is surely equal in magnitude to the stress of coping with the death or severe illness of a close relative. The article also quoted a report from the Archives of General Psychiatry that linked stress during pregnancy… [more]

Are you adopting a child that requires daily shots? The thought of giving your new child a shot everyday can be a little intimidating if you don’t have any experience giving injections. It is important for you to become confident in giving the shots for the health of the child you are adopting. You may want to familiarize yourself with the feel of giving shots by practicing. You can fill your syringe with water and practice injecting the water into an orange or a grapefruit. Try to press the needle quickly through the skin and practice injecting the water in one smooth motion. Keep repeating this procedure until you feel comfortable and confident. Shot time seems to be easier and less painful for the child… [more]

Every two months I take my teenage daughter to see her psychiatrist. He always asks how she is doing, just as he has done for the past four years. After he asks her, he will ask me what I think. Then, based on our answers, he writes out prescriptions for medication for the next two months. About twice a year, he makes changes in her prescriptions. I have actually been impressed by the maturity of my teenage daughter’s responses over the past year. For example, today she looked right at him when she spoke. She told him that she has been having trouble with lying and stealing. Whenever she tells him that she is having a problem, he will ask questions to make sure he understands… [more]