hallucinations

[DragonMystic]

:( my nextdoor neighbor is about 6 or 7 and he gets hallucinations every night. he says that he's in a house and its a maze. when this happens he gets up and walks not seeing anything but not triping on things either. he's only a little kid and i want to help him but i dont know how to. :confused:

[Myst]

Are you sure he isn't just dreaming?

[Xander67]

well, this is very touchy..

he may have a gift in which case he will need to be taught how to control it,

or he hay on the other hand have a chemical imbalance in the brain...

I will pray for him!

we have a forum called Altar of the Ancients, its a place where we can put our prayers on the altar and people can come and agree with you by adding thier energy...

He deffinitely needs to see someone , but WHO???

A psychiatrist would run tests and put him on medication
a Psychologist would council him with therapy

but this could be dangerous if not addressed...

[DragonMystic]

i dont think he is dreaming. it scares him and me. his family cant afford any doctors thats why im trying to find something else to help him.

[Xander67]

if he is a child, they cannot deny him medical treatment!

if you contact the social services dept ant the hospital they can give you information, they have charity care...

they have that in NJ im not sure if it is the same for FLA or not, but it cant hurt to ask

[Flar's Freyja]

There's a link to the Florida Department of Children and Family Services in the Frustration Support thread in Pagan Family. A phone call to them should be able to hook the family up with free or low-cost services. If they don't provide them, they should know who can.

Sounds like this might be something called "night terrors." These are literally a walking nightmare, a type of sleepwalking where the child is up, dreaming and running around the house and can't be awakened. My oldest suffered from these when I was going through my divorce. One night he was literally vaulting the furniture running away from something. I was advised to just make sure he didn't hurt himself. They were as frightening for me as they were for him. They stopped on their own, but some kids need treatment if they continue for too long.

[Myst]

Why don't you think it's a dream? Recurrent dreams are not uncommon at that age.

When I was 5 or 6 I started having a nightmare everynight I walked downstairs and under the stairs and our family dog (that someone had poisoned) attacked me. I was pretty scared by it too but that doesn't mean it was real :)

Is he sleepwalking as well? And if so, let his parents know. Sleepwalking is also a common thing in young children, and unless it gets dangerous or goes unchecked will often go away on its own.

You also might want to sit with him and ask about this maze and why he's walking it, where he's going, and what's going on in his life that might be scaring him. School? Family? Friends?

[Xander67]

Myst does have a good point!

it could be a Dream, but if this is happening Frequently, and to such a degree where it is causeing that much concern, it is always safe to at least have him see someone. (just my oppinion)

[Flar's Freyja]

As Myst and I both have said, it could be stress. Little ones don't have the cognitive means or communication skills to convey to adults what is bothering them. If the family, or the child, is going through a period of stress this could be the cause and it is likely to stop when the situation is resolved.

[cherrywind]

When I first read your post it sounded a lot like sleepwalking as well. My sister when she was abot 6 or 7 used to have reoccuring dreams where she would sleepwalk. It could just be a case of that?

[flar7]

Doctor. Get tests. Diabetes or Hypoglycemia does this. A lot!!
Happens to me all the time, or at least to damn often. Also,
sleepwalkers. Serious sleepwalkers. That is more difficult to
test, need sleep study.

Take child to doctor, or emergency room of county hospital and tell
them you think it might be low blood sugar. It isnt that hard to
get medical treatment for children, especially if you cant afford it.
We have laws and agencies set up for that stuff.

Sleepwalking, usually doesnt involve a lot of terror, and not always
the same pattern or memory.

Mom has the sleepwalking thing, is an on an off type thing for her.

[Flar's Freyja]

That's excellent advice, Flar. I didn't think that there might be medical implications. Another cause could even be food allergies. My oldest, who had the night terrors, also has borderline hypoglycemia. I didn't realize the two were connected since the doctor didn't mention that.

[materra]

All of these are great suggestions...I just want to add that United Way supports non demominational sliding scale therapy for low income families. United Way is usually in every major city and they have free services. Also a call to the local County Hospital/Mental Health Department or Social Workers can get a free assessment and really reassure the kid, his family and friends. Poor little guy... growing up is hard work.