Posted by BrittPark on June 24, 2003, at 17:14:55
In reply to Zero Motivation, posted by AOB on June 24, 2003, at 13:40:22
Your son seems to have a very complex mixture of disorders. It also sounds like he has problems with treatment compliance.
Here's what I'd suggest. First get him seeing a psychiatrist. Psychologists can be helpful but more often than not for the seriously mentally ill they are counterproductive. By law forbidden to prescribe appropriate medications they often make a virtue of what is in fact a disadvantage.
In principle I agree with Linkadge's advice that simplicity in the mix of drugs that can be found that are effective is a goal. However, I think it's a subsidiary goal. The primary concern is to get your son happy and able to move on with his life. Given the broad complex of problems your son has I think it very likely that polypharmacy is going to be necessary to help him significantly.
It seems as if your son needs minimally an activating AD, a psychostimulant, amphetamines, methylphenidate, or provigil, perhaps an antipsychotic and perhaps other drugs to potentiate the main drugs. I'm not a psychiatrist, obviously, so take my advice with a hefty grain of salt. I do very much think that it is important that you find an aggressive psychopharmacologist to start the search for the right combinations of medications sooner rather than later. It's also important to find a way to ensure compliance with his medications.
Best of Luck,
Britt
poster:BrittPark
thread:236674
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030624/msgs/236733.html