Parenting a child in emotional pain is exhausting — you’re not imagining it. You’re not alone. In this episode, I sit down with Erin Kerry, where we dig into a woman’s experience of misdiagnosis, heavy psychiatric medication, and the healing path she found beyond labels.

Why this matters: Too often medication is the first line of defense for children and adolescents. Erin’s story shows how medical history, toxins, infections, and trauma can masquerade as psychiatric disorders — and why a comprehensive treatment plan matters for your child’s life and daily functioning.

What you’ll learn: signs that behavior may be nervous-system driven, real risks of early psychotropic medication (including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), when to seek second opinions, and alternatives that helped Erin recover.

Why does my child have sudden mood swings — could it be bipolar or something else?

Look beyond labels. Sudden shifts can come from infections, toxin exposure, PTSD, or PANS/PANDAS as well as bipolar disorder. It’s scary when your child seems ‘possessed’ or out of control.

Takeaway: Ask about medical triggers (ear infections, mold, immune issues) before assuming a lifelong psychiatric diagnosis.

Parent Tip: Request a full medical review from your child’s doctor and consider immune or toxin screening.

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Become a Dysregulation Insider VIP and get your FREE Regulation Rescue Kit: How to Stay Calm When Your Child Pushes Your Buttons and Stop Oppositional Behaviors.

Head to www.drroseann.com/newsletter and start your calm parenting journey today.

How risky is starting antidepressants or other psychiatric medication for kids?

When it comes to childhood mental health medication, it’s important for parents to know the meds. While SSRIs and other prescriptions can be helpful, in adolescents they may sometimes increase the risk of depression or self-harm.

Erin shared how her own child worsened after starting Zoloft, later being prescribed heavy drugs like Depakote, lithium, and Seroquel. The experience was devastating for her family and highlights why medication isn’t always the right first step.

Parents should always weigh the risks, monitor mood closely, and insist on a clear treatment plan with ongoing follow-up.

Parent tips for navigating childhood mental health medication:

• Get informed about side effects, drug interactions, and dosage.
• Ask for the lowest effective dose.
• Request frequent reassessments and clear communication from providers.

How can I help my child without making medication the first move?

When considering childhood mental health medication, it’s essential to start with nervous-system care. Let’s calm the brain first by looking at foundational areas like sleep, gut and immune health, trauma processing, and classroom accommodations before jumping straight to pills. Addressing these whole-child needs often creates meaningful progress without immediately turning to medication.

Key takeaway: Behavior is communication. By addressing the medical, nutritional, emotional, and environmental factors, you support true healing instead of just managing symptoms.

Parent tip: Try a multi-disciplinary team for the best results. This may include:

• A pediatrician for medical oversight
• Child psychiatrists for second opinions
• Therapists for emotional support and trauma processing
• School staff to provide classroom accommodations

When should I...

Parenting feels harder than ever, and I want you to know—you’re not imagining it.

As a mom and as someone who works with so many parents every day, I see how the mental load of modern parenting leaves us feeling exhausted, guilty, and overwhelmed. It’s not bad parenting—it’s our dysregulated brains trying to manage family life in an overstimulating world.

In this episode, I’m unpacking why parenting feels so hard right now and what’s really driving the stress so many of us carry. From screen time to isolation to the unrealistic standards placed on mothers and fathers today, I’ll show you how these hidden stressors impact both you and your child.

Most importantly, I’ll share simple, calming strategies to reset your nervous system so you can parent with more patience, joy, and confidence.

Why does parenting feel so hard right now?

I hear this question from so many parents, and the truth is, modern parenting carries a mental load that previous generations didn’t face. You’re not failing—it’s the world we’re raising kids in today.

Here’s why parenting feels so heavy:

• Double-edged sword of screens: Helpful for quiet moments, but dysregulating for both adults and kids.
• Isolation from community: Unlike a generation ago, many parents don’t have neighbors, friends, or family to lean on.
• Unrealistic standards: Contradictory advice, social media pressure, and guilt about not doing “enough.”
• Sandwich generation stress: Working parents juggling their own children, younger siblings, and even aging parents.

Parenting today can feel like a full-time job without a break. And when your nervous system is stuck in survival mode, it’s harder to stay patient, present, and consistent.

Why do I lose my patience with my child so quickly?

When raising children today, it’s no wonder your nervous system slips into survival mode. Even the most loving parent can snap—it doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means your brain is overwhelmed.

Here’s what happens inside your brain:

• Stress hormones flood your system with cortisol and adrenaline.
• Executive functioning shuts down, so calm responses feel impossible.
• Your child’s dysregulation mirrors back, and their meltdown triggers yours.

The truth? A dysregulated brain can’t parent a dysregulated child. Whether you’re navigating small children, a baby, or even young adults, the reason parenting feels so exhausting often comes back to your nervous system.

Giving yourself moments of quality time and noticing when you’re feeling overwhelmed is the first step to calm—for you and your child.

🗣️ “The key is pressing pause—step back, breathe, and reset before you respond. That’s how you break the cycle and bring more calm into family life.” – Dr. Roseann

What can I do when I feel completely overwhelmed as a parent?

Parenting is hard, and most parents hit moments where the stress feels immobilizing. You’re not failing—you just need to calm your own nervous system first.

Try these small resets when raising kids feels too heavy:

• Breathe intentionally: Use 4-7-8 breaths to steady your body.
• Shift your posture: Stand, stretch, or simply step away.
• Get into nature: Even a quick walk can soothe your stress.
• Use simple techniques: humming, tapping, or cold water on your neck.
• Pause before responding: Don’t go in hot.

One moment of calm can change the whole direction of family life.

Want to stay calm when your child pushes every button?

Become an...

When your child’s nervous system is stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, even minor frustrations can trigger explosive outbursts, shutdowns, or runaway behavior. It isn’t disobedience—it’s the autonomic nervous system in survival mode.

Let us unpack why kids get trapped in these stress responses and how calming the brain first restores safety, regulation, and connection.

Why does my child melt down after minor frustrations?

When your child yells, slams doors, or shuts down over something small, it’s not misbehavior—it’s a stress response. Their sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive, pumping out stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

Signs your child’s nervous system is stuck in fight, flight, or freeze:

• Frequent emotional meltdowns and explosive outbursts
• Overreaction to minor frustrations with big emotions
• Needs 20–30 minutes (or more) to return to calm
• Mood changes, poor focus, and low energy that linger afterward

Behavior is communication. What looks like defiance is really your child’s nervous system waving a red flag for help.

What does fight, flight, freeze, or fawn look like in kids?

Kids react to stress in different ways, but all of these behaviors come from the same alarm system in the nervous system.

• Fight: yelling, arguing, aggression, lashing out
• Flight response: running away, hiding, avoiding tasks
• Freeze response: zoning out, poor concentration, blank stares, silence
• Fawn: perfectionism, hypervigilance, people-pleasing (often missed)

These are autonomic survival responses—not bad choices.

🗣️ “When your child’s body feels threatened, the nervous system takes over.” – Dr. Roseann

Why is my child’s nervous system stuck in survival mode?

Today’s kids face a perfect storm of stressors that disrupt the autonomic nervous system and keep the body stuck in fight, flight, or freeze.

Common triggers include:

• Chronic stress at school or home
• Family tension or sibling conflict
• Sensory overload from screens, noise, or crowds
• Mental health conditions and neurodivergent wiring
• Poor sleep patterns or lack of optimal nutrition
• Physical hurdles like abdominal pain, onset headaches, or body aches

When stress hormones keep firing, the parasympathetic nervous system (the body’s relaxation response) can’t kick in. Over time, this shows up as:

• Heightened baseline anxiety and panic responses
• Concentration troubles, poor focus, and low energy
• Frequent illnesses, decreased immunity, and persistent fatigue
• Other chronic health challenges like disrupted sleep or mood swings

A child’s nervous system stuck in survival mode is more vulnerable to behavioral challenges and chronic health conditions. The missing link is daily regulation that restores safety and calm.

When your child is dysregulated, it’s easy to feel helpless.

The Regulation Rescue Kit gives you the scripts and strategies you need to stay grounded and in control.

Become a Dysregulation Insider VIP at www.drroseann.com/newsletter and get your free kit today.

How can I help my...