Posted by Racer on January 29, 2006, at 23:00:46
In reply to newbie, posted by SteveDavis58 on January 29, 2006, at 21:22:47
Seriously -- family counseling is not about sick families, it's about families who love each other enough to put some effort into it. You sound like you qualify for that.
Psychotherapy in general would be a great way to help your daughter learn to accept constructive criticism, before this gets worse. Also, remember what she's likely going through in school -- children can be quite cruel. That's gonna have an effect on her at home, too.
And, cancer free, but what sort of organic deficits are involved? I'm guessing she's had a complete and extensive neurological workup? So that you know if, say, she's got a deficit in spatial reasoning, etc? How complete was it? Could any of these outbursts be related to physical damage to her brain? Doesn't matter in terms of behavior, but makes it a whole lot easier for you and your wife to tell her, "It's not your fault that you do this, it's because of the brain surgery -- and you still have to learn to control your behavior." (I hope that makes sense. My communication skills are out at the cleaners right now.)
The meds that your daughter are on are all said to be quite good, but I wonder that she's on what seems like a pretty heavy combination of anti-psychotics? (Not a class I know much about, beyond that they have a whole class of problems that might be hard to live with for a child.) Are all these all for the outbursts? Sounds to me as though she maybe would benefit from a second opinion from a psychiatrist who specializes in children. It's worth it, in the long run, to make sure you're not punishing her for something beyond her control, and that the drugs she's on are safe for a child. At 14, her brain is still developing, and I would worry that blocking some receptors and stimulating others might cause some changes to that development. Not saying she doesn't need these meds, just that a second opinion from a specialist seems reasonable.
I'm sorry for your trials. Best luck to you all.
poster:Racer
thread:604313
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060129/msgs/604352.html