Below you
will find questions often asked by
parents and adult patients about different behaviors and symptoms, as
well as about Diablo Behavioral HealthCare's services.
Q1.
How do I know if my child is
Autistic?
A1.
Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means that the behaviors and
symptoms of children with autism may vary quite a bit.
Fortunately, much research in recent years has gone towards identifying
signs of autism at the earliest possible age. You may find
our
Concerns & Symptoms
page a good area to start gathering information. We at Diablo
Behavioral HealthCare have evaluated children as young as age 2 for
autism, and can refer to both in-house and outside resources for the
autistic child.
Q2.
What are
the symptoms of manic-depression?
A2.
Known as Bipolar Disorder, mood swings primarily define the basis of
manic-depression. A child, adolescent, or adult may go from
acting irritable or "high" in mood to feeling sad and hopeless, then
back up again. Changes in behavior usually accompany the
change
in mood. Refer to our
Concerns & Symptoms
page for additional information. If a person's mood or
behavior
changes to the extreme that they are feeling suicidal or are at risk of
otherwise harming themselves or someone else, do not hesitate to call
911 for immediate help.
Q3.
Will my medical
insurance cover your services?
A3.
Every
insurance is different, and each one needs to be verified by the
business office staff. Please contact our business office at
925-648-2650, and we will assist you in determining if your insurance
provides coverage for our services.
Q4. My
child has done reasonably well in school up until now. He
just
entered the 5th grade and is having problems with remembering his
assignments, writing down his assignments, and other memory
lapses. Does this mean he has ADHD?
A4.
No, this doesn't automatically mean he
has ADHD. He may have a
high IQ with some mild ADD symptoms, and often these children do OK
until they hit the grade when significant change starts to
happen. We call this," hitting
the wall". Sometimes
having a real evaluation with a focus on learning styles can assist in
putting the child on the right track.
Q5.
My
daughter just entered Kindergarten and the teacher reports that she
seems to have difficulty playing with the other children. She
is
left out of others play, and
doesn't seem to understand how to
interact with other children. Also, the teacher says she
seems to
look past her when she is talking to her. We always thought
she
was just a little different. Does this mean she has a problem?
A5.
Social skills are some of the most important skills that a child can
learn for the sake of their relationships with others. Your
daughter sounds as if she really doesn't
understand the rules of social
interaction. Also, the fact that she has some lack of comfort
looking the teacher in the eye is a red flag. You should
definitely get your daughter evaluated by someone well versed in
developmental issues.
Q6.
My
son likes to line up all of his little cars before he goes to
bed. If just one car is crooked he will not settle until he
can
get up and put it in order. My
husband's brother did this as a
child as well. Can this run in families?
A6. These
types of behaviors absolutely run in families. The idea that
these are control issues, or have something to do with whether
or
not one "bonded with their binky" are part of the past and need to be
understood in that light. The beginnings of
Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder can start in many different ways. The
amount
of distress that an individual feels in response to not being able to
do the behavior (in this case, straightening up the cars) is a central
feature that is addressed in responsible treatment, both medically and
through certain therapeutic techniques. Your child will need
a
proper evaluation to sort all of this out.
A7.
My daughter is in High School and looks and acts depressed.
She
has agreed to see someone; however, due to what I have been reading in
the press about suicide in children associated with the use of
anti-depressants, I am very worried.
How should I proceed?
Q7. Excellent
question! The use of antidepressants by children has been
controversial for some time. It is important to know that the
vast majority of these medications have not been prescribed by trained
Psychiatrists, but rather by General Practitioners and
Pediatricians. The use of a comprehensive history, taking
into
account the genetic history of a family, can avoid most of these
pitfalls. Another factor that insures positive outcome is
that
any patient starting medications must be seen frequently to ensure the
medication(s) is working properly. Your daughter needs to be
evaluated by professionals that understand psychiatry and genetics. We
at Diablo Behavioral HealthCare work with the whole family to return it
to stability.
Q8. My
daughter recently began thinking that there was something strange about
her thighs. She will look at them endlessly in the mirror and
ask
others if they see this problem that only she seems to
see. Is this some kind of OCD, or
what? It's
driving our family and some of her friends away from her.
A8. What
it sounds like is, your daughter is suffering from a poorly understood
diagnostic area known as BDD, or Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
This
is an Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorder that generally becomes
evident during adolescence or early adulthood. It is treated
with
a combination of medication and Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy. This condition can have dire
consequences if
not treated. Sufferers will often attempt to get unnecessary
cosmetic surgery, often become depressed and suicidal, and really need
proper intervention. We at DBH are more aware than most about
this unusual disorder and know how to treat it.
Q9. While
looking over some questionnaires about ADD for my child I noticed that
I have many of these symptoms myself. My question is, can
adults
be diagnosed and treated by your office as well as children?
A9. Absolutely;
we see many adult patients that have suffered with this disorder their
whole lives. Our trained staff is well aware of the
under-treated
status of adults with ADD and associated issues that accompany
this. Very prominent is depression in women that is actually
related to undiagnosed ADD. This relates to their feeling of
inadequacy due to ADD and then subsequent depression. Diablo
Behavioral HealthCare is able to tease out the difference and arrive at
proper treatment plans.
Q10. I
have real anger management problems and it has been suggested that I
get involved in some sort of anger management group. Does
your
group provide anger management services?
A10. Diablo
Behavioral HealthCare does not provide anger management services as you
are referring to. Excessive anger and the inability to
control it
is a "brain issue",
not something that you gain control over by getting
involved in a group that suggests that this will
"fix" this
problem. Excessive anger and emotional outbursts generally
run in
families and are related to "disorders
of mood". Diablo
Behavioral HealthCare does treat this condition on the individual and
family levels.
Q11. My
husband has repetitive thoughts that he
can't get out of his
mind. He does math problems in his head and sometimes
can't move
on to the next task he has before him until he has this thought in his
head figured out. It causes real difficulties for him and our
marriage. Does Diablo Behavioral HealthCare understand this
type
of problem and if so, what is it?
A11. Your
husband sounds as if he has obsessive thinking and it is a variant of
OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This type of
"brain"
problem is related to one part of the brain being more active that it
should be. Diablo Behavioral HealthCare is very aware of this
phenomenon and is able to devise treatment plans to address this
painful condition.
Q12.
My daughter's school does not seem to be
able to come up with a plan to
address her educational needs. Does Diablo Behavioral
HealthCare
assist parents in coming up with a reasonable plan that will work for
my daughter?
A12. Yes!
Diablo Behavioral HealthCare has been assisting parents with their
children in the school for over 20 years. We do a complete
assessment of the child to better understand their emotional and
educational status. We then assess the
child's unique learning
style and develop a plan that can be implemented at the school
site. If necessary, we accompany the parent to the school for
the
SST (Student Study Team), IEP (Individual Educational Plan), or to
develop a 504 Accommodation Plan. The 504 Plan is poorly
understood by many parents. It is section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This is part of the ADA, or
American's with Disabilities Act that is
Federal Law. School
Districts are required to make accommodations for students with special
needs.
Q13.
I have a sort of peculiar question. I am an adult and have
had
social problems my whole life. I just
don't get many things that
others seem to take in stride. I
don't get jokes that others do,
I don't seem to be included as part of
the group at work. I don't
understand social things and frequently others think
I'm angry when
I'm
not. Does Diablo Behavioral HealthCare understand this sort
of
thing that doesn't seem to fit into any
"disorders"
category?
A13. Yes!
Many adults were never assessed or diagnosed as children with a vague
area known as "developmental
disorders". These individuals are
often very intelligent and are often found in the high tech
area.
They frequently are socially isolated and do not understand social
nuances and abstract meanings. They often have great
difficulty
in understanding facial expressions in others. Diablo
Behavioral
HealthCare assists these adults in better understanding their condition
and arriving at treatment plans that can assist them in leading more
productive lives.
Q14.
I recently had my second child three months ago. With my
first
child I was a little
"blue" for a couple
of weeks, but this time I just
can't seem to shake these depressive
feelings and sometimes scary
thoughts. How does Diablo Behavioral HealthCare
help? My
OBGYN just said it will clear up.
I'm afraid it might not.
My mother had the same thing as well as her sister.
A14. Great
question! You are dealing with what Tom Cruise made light of
with
Brooke Shields. Post Partum Depression is nothing to take
lightly. The fact that you, and your mother, as well as your
aunt
had this condition points to the highly genetic transmission of this
condition. In her book,
"Behind the Smile",
Marie Osmond explains
in detail what this period of time was like for her. This
condition requires immediate treatment and Diablo Behavioral HealthCare
is well versed in dealing with this condition. Contact our
office
as soon as you can. We will assist you in finding the help you need,
whether it's with us or with another
provider. Read my article on Post Partum Depression in our
Featured Article area here in our website to learn more.
