In attentive 11 year old who has behaviour issues

[Abcd1234]

Hi,

I am new here so hello everyone. My daughters constant behaviour made seek help from other parents who could be in my situation. My girl is 11 years old she has attention and focus issues can't sit straight up for 5 mins while doing online tutorial she remains still for hours while watching her favourite show. She has screen addiction last few months she has emotional outbursts every now on then blames me for her bad behaviour. Yells , screams. I have booked a psychologist appointment next week to attend counselling toghether I believe she has undiagnosed ADHD as I have done some online screening with her they all said she could have ADHD. She creates drama loves being sad and blames me for her situation.

I badly need help her behaviour gives me panic attacks and palpitations I don't know how to handle her. I feel many times we both are failing to understand each other.

Thank You.

[Courtney-RO]

Hi @Abcd1234 and welcome to the ReachOut forums!

Thank you for sharing your situation with us. It sounds like it has been a challenging time for both you and your daughter while you try and navigate these behaviours. I can hear your frustration and exhaustion. It sounds like a really difficult situation to be in, especially having to manage these outbursts of yelling and screaming too. Do you mind me asking if these are new behaviours, or are they something you have been trying to manage for a little while now?

I also want to say well done on making an appointment with a Psychologist. Talking to a health professional like a Psychologist or a Counsellor can be really helpful in such a stressful and overwhelming situation, especially if you were wanting to talk to someone about a potential diagnosis. It can also help ease some of your worries and help you develop a strategy that can support you.

I'm sorry to hear that all of this stress has been causing you panic attacks. Have you been able to find anything that helps to distract you at all? ReachOut has some great resources on how to manage Panic attacks, if you were interested in having a bit of a read. Another great website is the Raising Children’s Network, they have a range of articles on ADHD and other family supports. I wonder if any of these articles might be helpful to your situation? 

I thought it might also be worth mentioning that ReachOut offers free one-on-one support with an experienced professional for parents looking to navigate parenting. You can find more information on this service here if this is something you might be interested in. 

With the challenges you have been facing recently, I am also wondering if you have support for yourself? Is there someone you can talk with about this, such as a trusted family member/friend?

We're all here to support you.