What causes red blotches all over the body accompanied with temper tantrums?
Patient: Our 7 yr old grand daughter and her daddy, our son, flew up from Virginia Beach for the weekend to visit and we went to Disney on Ice.....of course bought her lots of Frozen items and settled in for the show, ice level. after exiting from the arena, she began to show moodiness on the way to the parking lot....shortly after being in the car she began crying violently, tearing at her clothing, yelling get me out of this city, out of Pennsylvania, I hate myself, nobody loves me, developed red blotches all over her body while crying and carrying on....did not want anyone to touch her to soothe her....lasted probably 45 minutes. She seemed exhausted as were we, wanted to give her a nice bath upon arriving home, but she wouldn t have it. It was a heart wrenching situation and as grandparents, we feel so badly for her. Her mom has said that she has meltdowns , but we never realized it was like this. She had one after going last Tuesday after going halloweening in her neighborhood. Doctor: Hello.  Welcome to 'Ask A Doctor'.  I have read your query and here is my advice.  You must have been frightened when you witnessed your granddaughter's behavior.  You did the right thing coming for help.  I want to give you insight about her problem.  Temper tantrums can occur between one year and five years of age.Children who aren't able to express their feelings with words are more likely to continue having tantrums.  These types of children include those with speech and language delays and those with autism spectrum disorders.  Tantrums that are severe, frequent, or persist after the age of five years can be a sign of depression, low self-esteem, ADHD.  Children who hurt themselves, destroy property, or utter phases which express low self-esteem like, "I hate myself, no one loves me,"may have significant emotional problems.  Tantrums occurring frequently in school can be a sign of learning disabilities or speech and hearing problems.  From what you have shared with me I feel she is not having the usual kind of temper tantrum.  Your granddaughter should be evaluated by a child psychiatrist who can provide talk therapy and prescribe medication should the latter be necessary.  Hope I have answered your query.  If you have any further questions,I will be happy to help.  Arnold Zedd, MD, FAAP