Looks like a manic episode- what could it be?

amother

Yellow

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 6:06 am

dd10 behaved very strangely for a few days.
She couldn't fall asleep, for hours and hours , and was up early the next morning.
She was jumpy, dancing, laughing, - in an exaggerated manner.

almost like she was doing it on purpose, for attention- but when I managed to calm her and
have a quiet conversation with her for a minute she told me "I couldn't stop"
There was no reasoning with her.

This went on for 3-4 days. and disappeared. She's back to her calm, rational, mature, self.
I checked her for strep and it was negative.

any other ideas as to what it could have been ? should I just forget about it since it seems to have passed?

FranticFrummie

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 7:18 am

Don't worry now, but keep an eye on it. If she seems unusually sad or withdrawn in a few days, you need to start keeping a log of her moods. This will help a lot if it ends up being something the doctor needs to know.

Is she under any extra pressure at school, test coming up, etc.? Has she shown any signs of ADHD before? Keep that in mind, as well.

amother

Bisque

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 7:38 am

Is she on any medication that was changed or she got a different company generic pill or this was out of the blue? If she ever can't fall asleep again you can give her Benadryl. Psychiatrist told me that that's what they would start with in the emergency room.
Think if her manic type of behavior was because of the sleep deprivation or two symptoms together.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 9:01 am

momX4 wrote:

Did she get candy in school that day as a 'prize"?

Normally a good point, but I can't imagine the effect lasting 3 to 4 days straight. Besides, some doctors are now saying that a "sugar rush" is a myth. In my experience sugar does make a big difference in behavior, judging from DD and all the kids I've ever taught and babysat.

amother

Slateblue

Tue, Dec 25 2018, 10:42 am

OP, my daughter has bipolar II disorder, and the way you describe it is pretty much how it presented itself - it's called hypomania. However, I think this would be rare to happen to a 10 year old (my daughter was well into her teens when this occurred and she was diagnosed.)

I think FF's advice makes sense - keep an eye on it, and if it happens again or any sort of pattern, take her to a doctor.

(I took my daughter to her very-well-respected doctor about 5 times, and each time he shrugged it off and said it was normal, till it got so bad he finally sent us to a psychiatrist. I wish I could have spared my daughter the intense symptoms she had when she finally was given the relief she needed via medication. )

another amother posted to give her benadryl if she can't sleep - that's what her doctor told us to do as well. However if she ends up taking benadryl for sleeping for like 3+ months, that would be a sign that it's time to see a psychiatrist to get her on something better and more effective. I sometimes wonder if the lack of good sleep for that long period of time triggered the intense symptoms that ended up having to be treated with much stronger meds....

My daughter's condition does seem to have been triggered by getting her period - there usually is a trigger with bipolar disorder, and she got her period at the same time coinciding with the symptoms that lead to her diagnosis.