I think my 4-year-old child suffers from selective mutism. When he was a tiny baby people could not get close to him, hold him, or talk to him, or he would start screaming. If I took him places where there were a lot of people but I usually had to leave because he would cry a lot until I got him in the car and then he would stop immediately...   Dr. Pies' Answer

A friend of mine recently brought me an article from his cardiologist warning against the combination of lithium and grapefruits/grapefruit juice. I'm just wondering if anyone has ever heard of this and whether it can be further substantiated?    Dr. Pies' Answer

I am a neurosurgeon in Russia. The patient is a 7-year-old girl who has epilepsy and received treatment for partial seizures in her sleep up to 4 times during the night. She's been suffering from seizures and behavioral disorders for 3 years. Her seizures consist of unilateral clonic movements. An EEG revealed spike wave--slow wave sets. An MRI didn't reveal abnormality...   Dr. Pies' Answer

I am a 53-year-old woman that has a disorder I think is related to Trichotillomania. I have an obsession with picking my skin. The slightest bump or abnormality causes me to pick at things until they bleed. I recently saw a segment on 20/20 about Trichotillomania and the piece mentioned that other types of this disorder were picking...   Dr. Pies' Answer

Do you know of any studies concerning the use of Trileptal as a mood stabilizer, specifically concerning the effects on pregnancy, at doses of 75-150 mg every day? I am also curious about studies concerning the use of Klonopin for insomnia at doses of .25-1 mg at bedtime and any specific effects on pregnancy at this low dosage. Can you help me?    Dr. Pies' Answer