My daughter is younger, 15, but she had a lot of those same issues but they are not as bad now. We have been to several different psychiatrists and tried a lot of things but right now she seems to be doing well with a mix of antidepressants and mood stabilizers. She is going through therapy as well and the goal is to try to get her to work on behaviors and tone down the medications. As much as I don't like all the meds, the destruction and damage without them made it difficult to do anything or even be in the same house with her. In addition I tried to find a caregiver who could have a structured schedule which included exercise and good nutrition. It may help to keep track of what she eats and how often she has the outbursts and then discuss with her doctor. If the medication is not improving anything then they need to try something else.

Have you looked at PANDAS? is this a sudden onset of OCD, aggression and anxiety? Research that and see if it applies to your situation (see the PANDAS Network web page.)

I have a son that is 29. He has had so many caregivers. It's not him its the people that work with him that would get him upset. They did not understand his world. I just started with a new caregiver its a female and so far so go. You have to get into there world understand what they are going through. God bless.

Autism spectrum and sensory issues tend to contribute to a lot of behaviors. Overstimulation can lead to "staring" episodes and if they don't have the verbal skills, they will also meltdown. Some of the medications I have tried turned them
"zombie" like or caused massive weight gain. I did not start any of the medications until the behaviors went way out of control.

I am also experiencing this with an 8y/o. Do either of your children have a coexisting diagnosis that would cause these behaviors? Were there any adverse reactions to medications prior to the behaviors that may have changed things chemically for your kids?