help for my 9 year old

[hell1971]

Hi My 9 yr old has a mood disorder possibly Bipolar, going back to your childhoods did you have suicidal thoughts. My 9 yr old has expressed these thoughts when ever she is unstable. Last night she had a major emotional meltdown and drew a picture of herself hanging with blood dripping from her with the words "I hate myself I want to die" the meltdown was just because we said she could not see her friend this weekend. She is not coping at the moment and we felt she needed a quiet weekend, it all spiralled out of control as it does when she is unstable, the slightest thing will set off an impending meltdown. My question I guess is do any of you remember feeling such despair so young and did you do this sort of thing. I am newly diagnosed as bipolar but I know that I only had an attempted suicide when I was forteen, I dont remember being unstable until then? any advise or comments will be appreciated.

[hell1971]

Im ok thanks freebird227, im just really stressed about my daughter, I so want to take her pain away and I cant, when I see her so overwhelmed or I find her notes of self hatred it breaks my heart all over again. She is in a mixed like state at the moment, all over the place, happy one min, angry the next, overwhelmed the next, wanting to die, wishing she was never born, thinks no one loves her, highly anxious, its a nightmare as it effects her youngest sister terribly having to watch her sister go through all of this.

[freebird227]

To answer your question Yes I had constant thoughts of death and dying. I never believed I would live long enough to see adult hood. I also had fantasy's of my family being brutally murdered while I was away from home.I was somewhere around 6 and I also wet the bed during this time.
I had no sence of self so I didn't hate myself  I only hated myself whenever I had let someone get the upper hand, Being alone with myself I didn't feel hatred matter of fact I felt better being alone.Hope this helps.
How are you doing with your bp?

[ILADVOCATE]

She needs to speak to a talk therapist as well. It may be that the medication is not working or that some event happenned in her life that was an emotional trigger point that set it off. You might try to start a discussion with her about it as well but if she can't explain it to you a talk therapist might be of help in addition to a child psychiatrist. Family therapy is good as well.

[hell1971]

She is already on medication, she has just started quitiepine, she is having therapy and has a physciatrist, she went manic a month or so ago when given an antidepressent, the doctors were convinced she had extreme anxiety, I have been telling them she has bipolar for over a year. now they have appologised and said they are one step closer to making that diagnosis. I am desperate to help her before the teenage years hit because I can only imagine how bad things are going to get.

[ILADVOCATE]

Well I had an obsession with death when I was 7 but it wasn't suicidal and I'm not sure if it was abnormal as at that age developmentally a child learns about the concept of death. I have a cousin who at that age you describe started to have suicidal ideations. She later developed anorexia and was on Risperdal for a while and is doing fine now. I would suggest speaking to a child psychiatirst first. They could also determine if medication is neccessary or if its an emotional issue that could be addressed with talk therapy or behavioral therapy.