Anxiety and anger in 11yr girl with ADHD - non-med. solution?
My daughter has seen a Pediatric psychiatrist and been diagnosed with Anxiety, ADHD, OCD. I think she may have ODD too or something along those lines. This is just some examples of what I experience. She wakes up angry, will yell and snap at me all the time, will only let me do things for her and rarely let her dad. I have to sleep with her every night. She yells at us, will block me from going past her, talks back, has problems with making decisions and will slam doors. At school she doesn’t have these behavior problems but has problems focusing, being on task with school work, decision making and being organized. We have tried many medications with no improvement. We have tried Strattera, Vyvanse, Ritalin pills and patch, Prozac and Intuniv. Unfortunately mental health issues runs on both sides of the family..bipolar, OCD, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. I am curious if others have been in this situation and tried something different then medication with success. Hypnotherapy, diet change, TMS, therapy that is different than sit on the couch kind and share your feelings, etc. Thank you for listening.
Parent Replies
My daughter, 18, is adopted. She has ADHD, diagnosed in 4th grade. Adderall works well for her. Since the age of 15, she was diagnosed with a mood disorder (anger and social anxiety). She takes Lamictyl. She is also on Caplyta for depression although not a bipolar diagnosis. Plus, she takes Deplin as a food supplement. (She has tried Ritalin, Concerta and Latuda which weren't a good fit.) Dear daughter also does talk therapy. She is managing pretty well. She takes 3 classes at the community college, takes the bus, and works at a grocery store. I'm proud of her. Getting outside for walks and having a dog are helpful. Melatonin is great when she takes it. We are in touch with her birth family and as you said, these are hereditary issues. The right drugs are helpful. I would not recommend continuing to sleep with her. I hope some of this may be helpful to you. Hang in there as you work to find the right solutions for your kiddo!