Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Health and Wellness > Mental Health
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 04-18-2022, 07:30 AM
 
403 posts, read 256,592 times
Reputation: 1111

Advertisements

My middle school child has been seeing a therapist weekly for eight months with no evidence of improvement for her condition. She has had a rare form of anxiety her entire life, and this therapist was the only one we know of that has had success with people that have this diagnosis. It is expensive. We have spent nearly $5000 so far. I think my child feels like she is fine as she is. As she is getting older, I can see how it will hinder her future opportunities for things like employment as well as overall independence. She is very attached to me.

I do not believe a different therapist would be an improvement as she has become comfortable being alone with this one. We have added in sertraline, and it doesn’t seem to help the issue. I think the sertraline is not helping and should likely be dropped from the plan. We have seen the pediatrician three times this school year over this, and I won’t drop the medicine until our next appointment in three weeks. The pediatrician doesn’t seem to be familiar with our child’s condition and is concerned and wants to be helpful, but she is out of ideas. I’m not sure if we should give up on our efforts or seek a psychiatrist’s opinion or what. I’m not sure what to do.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-18-2022, 07:40 AM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,126 posts, read 107,381,087 times
Reputation: 115947
What does the therapist say about what progress is being made, what the treatment plan is and how long treatment usually takes before an improvement is evident? What does the child say about the sessions?

And it sounds like you're saying, the therapist has put her on a certain medication, that you're questioning the usefulness of? So you're perhaps trying to figure out where to go for a second opinion about the med?

What is at the root of the rare, lifelong anxiety disorder? When was it first observed? Who diagnosed her initially? Maybe that would be the person to ask about the medication...?

Sorry, OP; I don't have answers for you yet, only questions.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-18-2022, 07:43 AM
 
Location: Full Time: N.NJ Part Time: S.CA, ID
6,116 posts, read 12,541,864 times
Reputation: 8685
Quote:
Originally Posted by A New Day View Post
My middle school child has been seeing a therapist weekly for eight months with no evidence of improvement for her condition. She has had a rare form of anxiety her entire life, and this therapist was the only one we know of that has had success with people that have this diagnosis. It is expensive. We have spent nearly $5000 so far. I think my child feels like she is fine as she is. As she is getting older, I can see how it will hinder her future opportunities for things like employment as well as overall independence. She is very attached to me.

I do not believe a different therapist would be an improvement as she has become comfortable being alone with this one. We have added in sertraline, and it doesn’t seem to help the issue. I think the sertraline is not helping and should likely be dropped from the plan. We have seen the pediatrician three times this school year over this, and I won’t drop the medicine until our next appointment in three weeks. The pediatrician doesn’t seem to be familiar with our child’s condition and is concerned and wants to be helpful, but she is out of ideas. I’m not sure if we should give up on our efforts or seek a psychiatrist’s opinion or what. I’m not sure what to do.
How was she originally diagnosed and how did you link up with this therapist? Are they a phd or md?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-18-2022, 08:20 AM
 
403 posts, read 256,592 times
Reputation: 1111
The therapist said that the time varies and treatment could be longer since we are just now seeking treatment. It became apparent when she was in kindergarten, and we were told by many that she would likely outgrow it, including her former pediatrician. I think nobody other than the therapist has any experience with it at all. We are still in the same group of Drs, but we see a different one in the group now. We spent four months with the therapist before adding in medication. The therapist agreed it could be helpful, but she doesn’t make prescriptions; it was the pediatrician that wrote the prescription. Upon reading about it, I learned that if therapy alone does not help, SSDIs can work alongside therapy. The pediatrician wants to give it a full six months before making a change on medication.

We first learned of its name by internet searches based on her symptoms, and at doctor visits told the symptoms she displays and indicated, “It appears she has _____.” The doctor agreed. Ruth, I will send you a quick PM to explain a little about it.

There is no known cause of it. It wasn’t trauma induced.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-18-2022, 08:30 AM
 
403 posts, read 256,592 times
Reputation: 1111
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1200RT View Post
How was she originally diagnosed and how did you link up with this therapist? Are they a phd or md?
No, the therapist has a masters degree and has used EMDR as well as play therapy with her. I think play therapy is what you would call the times they play with legos. We found her by emailing a child psychiatrist that is an acquaintance. She had to ask around to get us a name, since none of the pediatricians in our group knew of anyone to recommend. Apparently she didn’t personally know someone to direct us to.

Last edited by A New Day; 04-18-2022 at 08:39 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-18-2022, 08:36 AM
 
403 posts, read 256,592 times
Reputation: 1111
I think a primary hindrance to improvement is that my child doesn’t feel there needs to be a change and is comfortable with her life as it is. I am wondering if any external efforts will prove successful, since she doesn’t seem to want to change anything. I am thinking I may just be wasting my time and a lot of money on this because she is happy, even though the status quo is not ideal and it becomes more apparent as she ages that it isn’t healthy. She is content with going to the therapist. I don’t think she would mind stopping. She doesn’t think it is changing her, either.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-18-2022, 09:03 AM
 
Location: Florida
14,744 posts, read 9,684,201 times
Reputation: 11856
Therapists who are not solution oriented or solution minded are a waste of time.

It's a/should three step process. Identify-treat/rehab-reconcile. This is 50% of the process to healing, the other 50% is for the family or patient to maintain and make whole.

I'm not a therapist... I'm a realist.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-18-2022, 09:43 AM
 
Location: Full Time: N.NJ Part Time: S.CA, ID
6,116 posts, read 12,541,864 times
Reputation: 8685
Quote:
Originally Posted by A New Day View Post
I think a primary hindrance to improvement is that my child doesn’t feel there needs to be a change and is comfortable with her life as it is. I am wondering if any external efforts will prove successful, since she doesn’t seem to want to change anything. I am thinking I may just be wasting my time and a lot of money on this because she is happy, even though the status quo is not ideal and it becomes more apparent as she ages that it isn’t healthy. She is content with going to the therapist. I don’t think she would mind stopping. She doesn’t think it is changing her, either.
Change what? What exactly is happening?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-18-2022, 11:11 AM
 
2,098 posts, read 2,491,491 times
Reputation: 9744
If this child is exhibiting anxiety that is so profound it will prevent her from ever being able to hold down a job, it must surely be affecting her performance in school. Is she under an IEP or 504 at school? What does her special ed teacher say about the specific behaviors you are concerned about and are trying to extinguish, or specific social skills you are trying to help her master? Those would of course be a part of her IEP and reviewed regularly to make sure she's making progress.

With medications, I think you usually need to give it a bit of time, not just pull the plug if you don't see an instant result. I understand you may not wish to share specific details online and that is fine.

I would have a conversation with her therapist about the fact that your daughter does not seem to see a problem with her current condition. Ask for updates about the treatment plan. In special ed ARDs even for youngish middle school kids, the committee talks about what's the plan for when they age out of services in 10 years down the line. Will they live at home? Are they going to live in a state facility? Is the goal for them to be able to get a job and live in a group home? Are they on track to meet that goal? What do we need to do differently to get them there? Those conversations happen EARLY and they happen over and over again so it's not a surprise when the kid ages out of special ed services at 22.

So I think you need to have more direct conversations with your therapist and also with your child's sp ed teacher, if you aren't already, to help make sure everyone is on the same page.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-19-2022, 12:26 AM
 
568 posts, read 311,471 times
Reputation: 2191
Quote:
Originally Posted by A New Day View Post
The therapist said that the time varies and treatment could be longer since we are just now seeking treatment. It became apparent when she was in kindergarten, and we were told by many that she would likely outgrow it, including her former pediatrician. I think nobody other than the therapist has any experience with it at all. We are still in the same group of Drs, but we see a different one in the group now. We spent four months with the therapist before adding in medication. The therapist agreed it could be helpful, but she doesn’t make prescriptions; it was the pediatrician that wrote the prescription. Upon reading about it, I learned that if therapy alone does not help, SSDIs can work alongside therapy. The pediatrician wants to give it a full six months before making a change on medication.

We first learned of its name by internet searches based on her symptoms, and at doctor visits told the symptoms she displays and indicated, “It appears she has _____.” The doctor agreed. Ruth, I will send you a quick PM to explain a little about it.

There is no known cause of it. It wasn’t trauma induced.

A psychiatrist should evaluate her for meds, not a pediatrician. A child with a mental health concern likely should see a child psychiatrist for a comprehensive assessment.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Health and Wellness > Mental Health

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:26 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top