He Slammed, Stomped, and Sulked

You’ve heard of the half-empty glass syndrome: people who just can’t seem to be happy with anything, always griping and complaining, moaning and groaning, tormenting everyone around them with their negativity. That was the story with John.

John, from Hartford, Connecticut, was fifteen years old by the time his mother discovered homeopathy. He had been on Ritalin since the third grade, and she was anxious to find a more natural alternative for her son. Getting along with teachers was rough for John. It didn’t take much for him to become angry or to shut down his feelings entirely. John’s mother used the words “hostile, aggressive, disruptive, and frustrated” to describe him. What finally led her to call us was fear of his violence toward her. During a recent outburst, he had drawn back his fist to slug his mother. “I just hate life!” John complained. “I wish I could kill myself.” He claimed that he made these threats only to aggravate his mother, but she realized he had to be quite unhappy to say these things. John slammed doors, stomped, and threw whatever was in his reach. He was quite a sulker when he got upset.

Anger was not a new emotion for John. A very active baby, he had rocked constantly. He rarely expressed affection and did not like to be cuddled. Destructive tendencies became apparent by the age of two. He enjoyed crushing matchbox cars and bashing his toys. Accidents were commonplace. A fractured wrist and thumb were par for the course. John’s behavior deteriorated even more after his father moved out. Teachers complained that he hid under the tables in the classroom and was generally uncooperative. Later, scuffles with his peers was the major complaint. John had a chip on his shoulder that wouldn’t go away.

We found it significant that John’s mom had always been high-strung and nervous, using tranquilizers to calm herself down. After her separation from her husband, she learned that he had been involved in extra-marital affairs throughout the pregnancy and even when she was in the hospital giving birth to John.

John still rocked. In fact, his mother called him “the perpetual motion kid.” A guitarist, he drummed his fingers constantly to keep rhythm. He preferred to stay up all night and sleep all day, and he was a bear during the first part of the morning. An adventurous sort of fellow, John jumped on his bike, skateboarded down steep ramps, and kept the throttle full tilt when he jet skied. Yet, uncharacteristic of his tough-guy attitude, he was quite afraid of the dark.

Food desires were nothing out of the ordinary: Oreos and milk, tuna, ice cream, spaghetti, and pizza. His most extreme features included the constant chip on his shoulder, quarrelsomeness, and a lifelong tendency to rock. As is the case with so many of the children we treat, John’s basic character was established at a very tender age. He was difficult to satisfy, unaffectionate, and destructive from the beginning. These tendencies during infancy in addition to his exaggerated desire to rock led us to give him Chamomilla (chamomile). It has been the only medicine he has needed over the past twenty months, and he has needed three doses.

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