Warning: This post contains information about behaviors at home after receiving residential care, related to Reactive Attachment Disorder, Bipolar, Depressions, Mania, Psychosis and Autism Spectrum Disorder and may be triggering to some.
The end of March marked 20 weeks since she returned from residential treatment.
We kept saying that if we could make it through the first three months, all would be well.
In some ways this is true.
The psychiatrist knows how well Sunshine is doing at home, and how that compares to residential. She wants to do all she can to help Sunshine remain at home.
Sunshine is settling in. Her behaviors are improving in some ways.
She is learning and making so much progress as she homeschools.
At the same time, the more time Sunshine spends at home, the more behaviors related to Reactive Attachment Disorder come out. This has been hard.
The psychiatrist wants to make sure that Sunshine can be happy and healthy now, and in the long run, which means weaning medications that can be weaned.
This is always a trial and error process that requires a withdrawal period that is never fun.
One could say the last few months have been the best of times and the worst of times.
If you'd like to know where we started in regards to behaviors when Sunshine first returned from residential, be sure to read the post below.
The post shares information about behaviors during residential and the first 10 weeks home.
10 Week Post Residential Update: Behaviors
20 Week Post Residential Update
January Behaviors
January 15, 2023
1 hour
Mom's turn to go to church with siblings.
- kicking furniture
- head banging
- biting hand
- screaming
January 15, 2023
30 minutes
Mom's turn to go to church with siblings.
- kicking wall
- screaming
18 Days of Safe Behaviors!!!
February Behaviors
February 2, 2023
15 minutes
- biting hand
- throwing stuffed animals
- biting stuffed animals
- trying to rip stuffed animals
- screaming,15 minutes
February 4, 2023
45 minutes
- kicking furniture
- throw shoes
- head banging,
- screaming
February 5, 2023
20 minutes followed by 40 minutes of crying
Mom's turn to go to church with siblings.
- stomping, kicking
- head banging
- screaming
- mild aggression towards Mom
February 10, 2023
5 minutes
Peer/Sibling Related
- kicking wall
- thrashing
- screaming
Stopped taking Zyprexa/Olanzapine
February 11, 2023
Sunshine's white blood cell count was dangerously low. For this reason she needed to wean off of one of her medications. Zyprexa was added last over a year ago), so that was the one we weaned first.
February 11, 2023
20 minutes
Zyprexa withdrawal
- kicking wall
- punching furniture
- screaming
February 13, 2023
1 hour
Zyprexa withdrawal
- kicking
- hitting
- punching
- throwing objects
- aggression towards parents
February 17, 2023
5 minutes
Zyprexa withdrawal and sickness/flu B
- head banging
- scratching face and arms
- biting hands
February 19, 2023
1 hour
Mom's turn to go to church with siblings and sickness/flu B
- kicking wall
- head banging
- biting hands
- throwing objects
- aggression towards Mom and Dad
- screaming
February 19, 2023 again
20 minutes
Mom's turn to go to church with siblings and sickness/flu B
- kicking furniture and appliances
- aggression towards Dad
- screaming
Psychiatrist Appointment
February 21, 2023
Stopped L-Methylfolate
February 21, 2023
We had observed that L-Methlfolate was causing anxiety to the point that Sunshine was biting her nails until they bled. The goal was to see how Sunshine would do without it and if it was necessary.
February 21, 2023
45 minutes
Sickness/No L-Methylfolate
- kicking wall and furniture
- scratching face
- biting hands
- aggression towards Mom
February 24, 2023
15 minutes
No L-Methylfolate
- head banging
- biting hands,
- screaming
March Behaviors
March 4, 2023
2 hours
Mom's turn to go to the store with siblings, no L-Methylfolate and 9 days until Sunshine's staycation with Daddy and Mommy's vacation with Dinomite, Bulldozer, and Princess
- kicking wall and furniture
- throwing items
- destruction of property
- aggression towards Mom and Dad
- screaming
March 5, 2023
20 minutes
Mom's turn to go to church with siblings, no L-Methylfolate, and 8 days until Sunshine's staycation with Daddy and Mommy's vacation with Dinomite, Bulldozer, and Princess
- growling
- kicking couch
- aggression towards Mom
March 6, 2023
1 hour
No L-Methylfolate and 7 days until Sunshine's staycation with Daddy and Mommy's vacation with Dinomite, Bulldozer, and Princess
- kicking wall
- throwing objects
- screaming
March 6, 2023 again
1 hour
No L-Methylfolate and 7 days until Sunshine's staycation with Daddy and Mommy's vacation with Dinomite, Bulldozer, and Princess
- kicking wall
- throwing objects
- screaming again
March 6, 2023 a third time
1 hour
No L-Methylfolate and 7 days until Sunshine's staycation with Daddy and Mommy's vacation with Dinomite, Bulldozer, and Princess
- kicking wall
- throwing objects
- screaming
March 9, 2023
2 hours
No L-Methylfolate and 4 days until Sunshine's staycation with Daddy and Mommy's vacation with Dinomite, Bulldozer, and Princess
- kicking table
- throwing objects
- screaming
March 9, 2023 again
2 hours
No L-Methylfolate and 4 days until Sunshine's staycation with Daddy and Mommy's vacation with Dinomite, Bulldozer, and Princess
- kicking walls and furniture
- destruction of property
- scratching face and arms
- aggression towards Mom, and screaming again
March 9, 2023 a third time
2.5 hours long
No L-Methylfolate and 4 days until Sunshine's staycation with Daddy and Mommy's vacation with Dinomite, Bulldozer, and Princess
- kicking walls and furniture
- scratching face and arms
- throwing objects, threats of harm
- swearing, aggression towards parents
- screaming
March 10, 2023
2 hours
No L-Methylfolate and 3 days until Sunshine's staycation with Daddy and Mommy's vacation with Dinomite, Bulldozer, and Princess
- kicking walls and furniture
- scratching face and arms
- throwing objects
- threats of harm
- swearing
- aggression towards parents
- screaming
Message and report of week’s behaviors sent to psychiatrist asking how to proceed.
March 11, 2023
- Received response from psychiatrist.
- L-Methylfolate put back in.
- Staycation/Vacation Plans Cancelled
- Hospital safety plan put in place if Sunshine aggresses towards parents again.
18 Days of Safe Behaviors!!!
March 28, 2023
30 minutes
Sickness, Mom went shopping with siblings the night before, Dinomite started Spring football practice
- kicking walls and furniture
- throwing objects
- threats of harm
- swearing
- aggression towards parents
- screaming
- Police called.
- Sunshine is transported to ER by police voluntarily.
- Mental health screening completed.
- Asked to remain in hospital overnight for observation.
March 29, 2023
- Meet with on-call psychiatrist and regular psychiatrist.
- PRN switched.
- Sent home with understanding that if after PRN takes effect behaviors continue, Sunshine will go back to the hospital.
And that's how our month of March ended.
Over the past three months we have not been able to easily identify when manic and depressive episodes are due to so much sickness going around.
We have however identified the following patterns.
- There has been a cluster of behaviors between the 10th and the 15th of every month in 2023.
- Behaviors increase when Mom leaves the house without Lily.
- Sickness causes behaviors to increase.
We're very anxious to see what April and May bring in regards to behaviors, patterns, and more.
I want to be sure to leave you with some good news after such a horrible end to 20 weeks post residential, so here's the good stuff!
The Best News
Sunshine loves being home with her family, except for days she aggresses towards parents.
She is working hard to improve table manners, following the chart we made for her. (These skills deteriorated significantly while in residential.)
4 Reasons Children Struggle with Table Manners with Free Printable
Sunshine continues to have issues wetting her pants during daytime hours. She has stated that wetting occurs when:
- She wants attention
- She is angry at a caregiver
- She doesn’t want to stop what she’s doing to use the bathroom
Sunshine struggles with hygiene tasks due to sensory issues, but is willing to and is working at improving skills in the areas of:
- Bathing
- Going to the bathroom
- Brushing teeth
- Brushing hair
Sunshine's confidence in school abilities has increased significantly, to the point that she acknowledges she’s smart and has a desire to work independently when confident in her abilities.
Sunshine's elf-esteem has improved significantly, as she learns and accepts it’s okay to be herself, with her own interests and passions.
Sunshine continues to thrive with the use of Internal Family Systems Therapy with parents and siblings at home.
Sunshine sleeps much better after weaning from Zyprexa.And that's where we're at with everything!
For those who would like to follow Sunshine's journey with mental health struggles, be sure to subscribe to our free newsletter by clicking the link below.
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