I think my child may be psycotic

[Lewis321]

Please don't judge I know it sounds horrible but I believe my daughter who is 8 may be psycotic. 

She is currently being assessed for possible ADHD but some other professionals have said she doesn't seem very ADHD. 

She has frequent violent, aggressive and emotional outbursts and it has got to the point where she is a danger to others. 

She has come at me with aerosol cans, glass, wooden slats trying to intimate me. She attacks her sibling on a frequent basis. She craves constant attention and has admitted she always wants things her way. 

I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similer or could tell me if there is a difference between this kind of behaviour and ADHD? 

[FMW]

I don't think ADHD is usually associated with violence and aggression.  It sounds like she needs a psychological evaluation by a psychiatrist, not a general practitioner MD.  

[Wiseman2]

Get a referral to a pediatric neurologist. They will run the appropriate tests to determine what's going on brain-wise, metabolically, genetically and psychiatrically.

[SingFish]

Is this the child who has gone to live with her mother @Lewis321 ?

[LynneVicious]

My son has ADHD. This doesn’t seem familiar behavior. I’d see a pediatric neurologist asap. Does she have any allergies?

[Lewis321]

50 minutes ago, SingFish said:

Is this the child who has gone to live with her mother @Lewis321 ?

Yes. 

[Lewis321]

46 minutes ago, LynneVicious said:

My son has ADHD. This doesn’t seem familiar behavior. I’d see a pediatric neurologist asap. Does she have any allergies?

No allergies

[SingFish]

There isn't much you can do at this time @Lewis321 It's all been placed in her mother's hands.

Are you worried/missing her?

 

[Lewis321]

11 minutes ago, SingFish said:

There isn't much you can do at this time @Lewis321 It's all been placed in her mother's hands.

Are you worried/missing her?

 

Yes worried, missing her plus I feel really guilty for how things have panned out

[SingFish]

11 minutes ago, Lewis321 said:

Yes worried, missing her plus I feel really guilty for how things have panned out

I am so sorry, life is so hard sometimes. Focus on yourself and your other child for now. 

[ShyViolet]

Yes I remember your other post where you said that the child has gone to live with her mother.  There's no way we can answer this question.  The child needs serious professional help.  Since you don't even have the child in your custody now, focus on your other child.  Maybe her mother is better able to deal with it than you were.

[BaileyB]

I don’t think it’s a neurologist you need, rather a psychiatrist. Your child’s physician should be able to make the referral. 

If I may, there are programs that provide services to help families to deal with challenging behaviors, to assist with co/parenting skills, and provide counselling services for parents and siblings - you need to find a physician or a social worker who can help you to access the right services. 

Edited March 1, 2022 by BaileyB

[dramafreezone]

5 hours ago, Lewis321 said:

She has come at me with aerosol cans, glass, wooden slats trying to intimate me. She attacks her sibling on a frequent basis. She craves constant attention and has admitted she always wants things her way. 

 

Aggression towards authority figures is extremely alarming.  I echo what everyone else has said, she needs to be evaluated and receive treatment if appropriate.

[Wiseman2]

4 hours ago, Lewis321 said:

Yes worried, missing her plus I feel really guilty for how things have panned out

If the courts/social services placed her with the mother, you'll have to be cooperative and trust that the mother will do the best for her. Be as supportive to the other child and the mother as possible.

[Ronni_W]

Lewis321,

I haven't read any other of your posts or threads about this. I think that people who are telling you to "focus on your other child and your own life" are terribly well-intentioned but also terribly misguided. How can you NOT be also 100% equally concerned about and focused on this daughter whom you love equally and with all your heart?

I do agree that there are no easy answers for you to come by. I read that this daughter is 8 years old. Nevertheless. I would offer to treat her as someone who is much more psychologically developed/mature, rather than condescend. Trust your own instincts about your own daughter. Just ask her, "Do you have any sense, idea or concept of what you need that you feel you don't have, that is causing you to act out in this way?" (We adults will feel all 'intellectually superior' and, "Oh, no -- an 8-year-old simply does not have what it takes to be able to answer a question like that, phrased that way!!!"" But. Who cares? What is there to lose at this point? Put such a question to her anyway, and see what she answers. She may surprise all of us.)

Her own subconscious does have some (if not all) of her own answers. You can trust her (her own subconscious) about that, even if it never gets uncovered or exposed to you, her mother or any/all of her therapists and psychologists. I would, at this point, try to not put any labels on her; not "ADHD", not "psychotic", not any other pathology. First see what you can learn or find out from her directly.

I do feel for you, about it. In your shoes I'd feel all kinds of helpless, useless and powerless. (Sly Stallone felt the same, when his young son had to go into surgery.) But you still can be a strong and determined pyscho-emotional support for your 8-year-old daughter. Let her tell you what she needs for that support to happen for her in all of the ways that she needs it. Just because there isn't a scientific study to support what she, uniquely and individually needs, does not mean that what she tells you will be 'wrong' or 'false'.

All of my best.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Ronni_W

[spiderowl]

On 3/1/2022 at 2:58 PM, Lewis321 said:

Please don't judge I know it sounds horrible but I believe my daughter who is 8 may be psycotic. 

She is currently being assessed for possible ADHD but some other professionals have said she doesn't seem very ADHD. 

She has frequent violent, aggressive and emotional outbursts and it has got to the point where she is a danger to others. 

She has come at me with aerosol cans, glass, wooden slats trying to intimate me. She attacks her sibling on a frequent basis. She craves constant attention and has admitted she always wants things her way. 

I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similer or could tell me if there is a difference between this kind of behaviour and ADHD? 

It sounds like she needs a proper evaluation by a child psychologist.  Such aggression is unusual.  If you cannot think of any reason why she is behaving like this, then trust your instincts and seek help with professionals.  I am sorry, this must be very distressing and worrying for you.