Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Psych

We went to Hollis's psychiatrist today to get the lowdown on her behavior issues (being wildly hysterical nonstop, inability to settle herself down, appetite for destruction, sleep disruption, angry outbursts with aggression, etc.) The behavior has changed so much from the time of the surgery, we weren't sure that it was something that was always there, and was tempered by the seizures, or whether the combination of her meds might be doing something new, now that there are no seizures to contend with.

Dr. W. felt it was probably a combination of her mental status changing after the surgery and now having the wrong psych med for her behavior. Prior to the surgery she was on an anti-anxiety med, as we had guessed that a lot of her outbursts were related to being afraid of various situations she was in (claustrophobic rooms, new environments, doc's offices, etc.). If that anxiety is not as much an issue anymore, then perhaps the medicine is what is causing all this new bizarre behavior. So, we're going to wean her off the anti-anxiety med, and see how she does. If things don't improve, or we still are having the off the wall hysteria and aggression, we'll try another med to see if we can better manage her behavior, because she isn't responding to punishment, avoidance, or praise techniques.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi,
We have a little boy with MR, seizures and multiple other health problems that sounds like he could be Hollis's twin with the behaviors. He is also 9 yrs old. Everything that you have been blogging for the past several weeks is exactly what we have been dealing with on a daily basis. He knocks the lamps off the end tables and peels off wallpaper, all while laughing uncontrollably. It is a new adventure everyday, but what a joy he brings to our lives. Your going to the store adventure was also funny, becuase that is excactly what he does. I found your blog on Jessie's site. It is nice to meet another mom that is going through the same things that we are.