Extreme anger in 5 yo: psychologist or psychiatrist?
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Anonymous
+100 My son had food allergies and language delays, which used to make him very frustrated, but only at home with me or his grandma. With his dad he would moderate his responses. And at school he behaved very well. Our therapist did mention that him taking out frustrations at home is much better than elsewhere, and he does that because he feels safe and also he has very high expectations with his mom. Having said that, I try hard not to lose my temper, repeat back what he says to make sure he knows I am listening, build positive experiences together, watch out for hunger or tiredness or boredom etc. The books on explosive child and raising strong willed kids helped too. |
Anonymous
Uuuuum, I think you're a moron. |
Anonymous
+1 Except for the psychiatrist part. I would check out a child psychiatrist as well. |
Anonymous
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"Except for the psychiatrist part. I would check out a child psychiatrist as well."
But the general rule is don't medicate unless you've tried behavioral therapy and are still in behavioral therapy (ADHD excluded from this). As the mother of a slightly older child who has been to three psychologists, I personally don't believe age 5 is old enough to get a good evaluation and engage in good behavioral therapy to get to the point where you decide you must add meds to the mix. (The exceptions being with extreme behavioral problems, like early childhood bipolar, but given OP's child is doing okay in school I don't think it rises to this level). |
Anonymous
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Wow, some useful info on this thread. Not OP, but I have an 8 yo DD who has the same issue. I made an appointment with the ped. for next week or so.
The worst part is the other parents, some who think its their way or no way. Awful. You are not alone, OP. I let my DD pick her own friends, am I doing her wrong? |
Anonymous
Is this your point - OP should do nothing because you (an expert after having 1 child and 3 psychologists) don't think: a good evaluation can be done on a 5 yo, behavioral therapy isn't effective for a 5 yo, and because he doesn't show these negative behaviors in school they don't rise to the level of concern. Really? Do you know how ignorant that sounds? Just because that may have been true for you and your DC doesn't make it true for everyone - as I can attest. We got great evaluations for our kids at 5 and sometimes younger. One of our DCs had anxiety at age 4 that was significant enough for us to seek an evaluation and therapy which were enlightening and helpful. He wasn't even in school at that point! Cognitive behavioral therapy can be very challenging for younger kids and we didn't have much success with it until about age 10 but even at age 3-4 there is a lot you can teach a child to help them - calming breaths and movement breaks are two very easy, very effective techniques that help with a lot of symptoms. We started teaching our kids yoga and stretching when they were quite small. It's how we introduced meditation and mindfulness which has also been very effective - but ultimately not enough and we have used medication when needed. Your comment to the effect that since OP's DS is doing fine in school it doesn't matter what he's like at home is just plain ignorant and short sighted. If the behavior is having a significant impact on their home life and relationships and it definitely rises to the level of concern. It's incredibly shortsighted to be aware of a serious problem and wait until it's also a problem in school to be looking into it. It's like knowing your kid has a LD but waiting until he's failing in school to do anything about it. Why wait? No one is suggesting OP go the medication route right off but to do nothing is just plain misguided. |
Anonymous
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I have a difficult child, so I have some experience with issues like this. My best wishes that yours will turn out to be less difficult than mine.
My recommendation is to get into therapy immediately. If there is a serious issue, the sooner you begin working on it, the better. Even if it turns out to be something like an allergy, the therapy can help you weather the storm until the physical cause is identified and eliminated. Do yourself a favor and spend a little time doing some research. Some posts already talked about possibile environmental factors. Also research the mental health issues that children can have. Do you read any of those and feel like it fits your child to a T? If so, mention this to the therapist. This is how my child got diagnosed, and it sped up the process by months. Avoid medications for ADHD and other such things if you can, but if you've exhausted all other possibilities, be willing to at least give it a try. Part of me hates myself for every milligram of drugs that goes into my child's body. But since the medication was started, the peace and happiness we have had in our home that we just could not find (and we tried going with just therapy for years) has shown me that it was the right choice. Good luck! |
Anonymous
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In children, extreme anger and aggression can be related to depression. So I would definitely head to a psychologist first. Sometimes depression in kids can be dealt with through play therapy, and only sometimes does it require meds. But a good psychologist will help you with figuring out which is true in your child's case.
http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/depression-children |
Anonymous
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Your comment to the effect that since OP's DS is doing fine in school it doesn't matter what he's like at home is just plain ignorant and short sighted"
Calm down, crazy person. I didn't say do nothing - I just explained why I thought OP should not see a psychiatrist and was years away from considering meds at this point. The advice I've given is in line with what I've been told by a number of top developmental pediatricians, as well as child psychologists, in terms of dealing with these types of issues. The child psychiatrists we've seen, in sharp contrasts to these other professionals, have been very unimpressive and have offered meds as their only solution, after consultations of less than 15 minutes. Perhaps there is a quality child psychiatrist in the DMV who would do more than this, but I have yet to find that person. |
Anonymous
Nope, this is still terrible advice. I see a "top developmental pediatrician" in precisely the same situation (DC ended up having ADHD and anxiety) adn he certainly didn't tell us to wait. And I can't imagine any professional -- top, middle or down -- saying "years away from considering medication." Yes, of course, don't go straight to medication. Try other options first. But if NOTHING else works, and there is a medical solution, yes try it. And for goodness sakes don't wait "years" to make that call because thats years of your DC's problem not being addressed. PP it sounds like when you've seen these professionals you heard the parts you wanted top hear. |
Anonymous
I would have her undergo a complete neuropsychological evaluation first. It's possible that developmental/learning issues are causing her to be very frustrated and angry. Rule these out (or in) and you will have a btter idea where to go from here. I also see some red flags, and am the parent of kids with learning disabilities. Knowledge is your friend.  Good luck OP
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Anonymous
| Dr. Michael Kronen |