Help with 7 year old child

[7yrold]

I have a 7 yr old girl with suspected bipolar with schizophrenic tendencies.

how would i go about asking her whats wrong with out making her go into her self and not expressing whats happening.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Re: help

First, who is it that "suspects bipolar with schizophrenic tendencies"? That's not a diagnosis, to begin with, and it would be very difficult to diagnose someone that young with either of those diagnoses.

Second, if you do believe that your daughter may have some sort of mental illness, trying to get more information from her or to diagnose her yourself could do a lot more harm than good. I would strongly advise you to get an opinion from a qualified child psychiatrist or child psychologist.

 

[7yrold]

i understand that part.thank you for being rude. ill just wait for everything to blow up for her when shes in her 20 s and things will just take care of them self. and yes she dose have a phyc doc but no meds.also her father has it.

 

[HA]

I want to offer you a warm welcome to psychlinks, 7yr. I don't think Dr Baxter mean't to come across as rude or uncaring. The written text does not show emotion so what seems to be written in a factual manner may appear rude.

I understand your concern about having a child who has severe mental health issues. It's really tough to find imformation and resources for children with mental illness.

I recently attended a small family conference where the topic was Children's Mental Health. I went away feeling that children's services are in dire straights. The new Mental Health Commission of Canada states that mentail illness is the orphan of health care and children's mental health is the orphan's orphan.

This mother of 5 spoke at the conference. She lost her husband to depression and had a very young child with depression so knows directly the struggle you are having.

Here is the organization she started
Parents For Children's Mental Health

Give them a call and find a support group or person you can talk to. They will be your best ally and avenue to support services for your child.

You have a hard road to travel but know that you are not alone.

:hug:

 

[David Baxter PhD]

i understand that part.thank you for being rude. ill just wait for everything to blow up for her when shes in her 20 s and things will just take care of them self. and yes she dose have a phyc doc but no meds.also her father has it.

I was not being rude. I was cautioning you about probing a young child for information when such probing might be damaging.

The fact that her father has bipolar diorder (or schizophrenia?) does not mean that your child is doomed to have it also, although you are correct in assuming that there's a risk.

What does the psychiatrist (psychologist?) say about your child?

 

[Retired]

yes she dose have a phyc doc

That is a positive step! Child psychiatrists and psychologists have the training and skills to know the questions to ask and the way to ask the question without disturbing the child.

What prompted the consultation with the specialist?