Originally Posted by BeckyC
Hi Jen,
Your description in your second post sounds very much like my DD - she's almost 8 and in 2nd grade.

She has described her losing control as "being trapped in a cage and that a weight is on her" She too starts out VERY angry and then it turns into sobbing and saying the same things about being stupid and/or no one likes her, has no friends, etc.

I'm very interested in what you say about it being anxiety attacks. That is something I never thought of.

Finally, how did you go about searching for a development-behavior pediatrician? This may be a Dr. we may need to see.

Thanks!

My son is 7, and is in the 2nd grade as well. He often tells us he has no friends and that nobody likes him. Later he'll start talking about a friend at school, so I think he does have friends. The teacher says he interacts just fine. He just speaks in absolutes a lot. If something happens one time, it "always" happens.

I'll let you know what the doctor says about the anxiety and whether or not she thinks these are actual anxiety attacks. When I researched in online, I read in multiple places that in children an anxiety attack can resemble a tantrum.

We chose our doctor based on a recommendation from a friend. We drive about 2 hours to get there. There are developmental-behavioral pediatricians in our area as well, but I felt better going to someone who was recommended. I really like her a lot, and she's good at tailoring the treatment to the specific child. My friend and I have boys the same age with similar issues, however they do have issues that set them apart. The doctor has prescribed different medications based on the differences she sees in our children, and she has made specific recs for each of us. I like this because I find that too many doctors have a one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approach to treating ADHD and related disorders.

Try google-ing "developmental-behavioral pediatrician" for your area. Then check for reviews online. You can also ask your regular pediatrician if they have a recommendation. Good luck, and I'll keep you posted on what we find out.