I am utterly exhausted!

amother

Mon, Jul 12 2010, 6:05 pm

My 6yo DS has always been very tempermental. He can get very angry over anything, and I never know what those things are. Sometimes, the things I would think would make him angry he's fine with , but then something small will make him go totally berserk. He gets so mad he'll scream and say nasty things. If he's playing a game with a friend and he lost he'll literally go nuts screaming at his friend and saying mean things like don't come to my house anymore, I don't want to see you anymore etc. In general, he's just a really difficult kid. He needs constant attention, and I feel like as much as I give him its never enough. If he's not constantly entertained, he'll get into trouble. He'll do crazy things like unravel my husband's tefillin, even tho he's old enuf to know its wrong, or cut a hole in his shirt just for fun. I always need to supervise him because he's usually up to something and I am just soooo tired! My younger son is the opposite of this he's very easygoing. And I am pregnant with my third iyh. At the end of each day I feel emotionally exhausted from him.
Lately, I've been doing some research online and I found that there is a diagnosis for kids called "Anger Overload" Has anyone ever heard of this? Does he need therapy for his anger problems? Any advice is much appreciated!

mamommommy

Mon, Jul 12 2010, 7:17 pm

Anything from ADHD, ODD, sensory integration disorder, bipolar disorder etc... might be issues that could include the types of behaviors that you're describing in your ds. I strongly recommend that you have your son evaluated. You can start by speaking to your pediatrician who should be able to refer you to a psychiatrist, neurologist, or whoever he thinks would be able to make an accurate diagnosis.

How is your son in school? Does he have similar problems there, or is it just limited to the home? In the meantime, I would try to make what is called an ABC chart - Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence. (Look here for more info on ABC charts: http://www.specialconnections......a/abc
This information would be extremely helpful for anyone who will be asked to evaluate your child, as well as for you since it can help you understand certain things that might "set him off".

It's certainly possible that your son has "Anger Overload" (although you're not likely to get that as a diagnosis since it's not really accepted as a separate disorder). Anger overload usually involves an out-of-proportion, intense anger reaction. There is usually an identifiable trigger to the anger, but the "anger" is not in proportion to the perceived "insult".

Also know that your ds is still young and it can take some children longer to learn how to modulate and control their emotions. Some children just mature at different rates.

amother

Wed, Jul 14 2010, 5:42 pm

Hi, thanks for responding. I don't think he has any major disorder because when he wants to he can be an angel. It's not like he's angry ALL the time or getting into trouble ALL the time. But, it's enough to make me crazy! Also, he is extremely smart and mature for his age. But he feels like he needs to get a rise out of me when he does these things. Maybe its for negative attention, but I give him so much attention, way more than my younger son because I feel like he needs it more. He stays up an hour later then the younger one every night and I use it as alone time with him. Like tonight, I played a board game with him and we were having a great time. But as soon as we were done playing and it was time for bed, he was chutzpadik, didn't listen to me. I asked him to go to the bathroom and he was completely ignoring me. He said No! I don't have to! and finally when he did go he purposely peed outside the toilet bowl just for fun. ARGH!! I don't know what to do!