Unsure if Anxiety - 11 Y/O Son Having Bad/Sad Episodes

Sorry if this isn't following forum rules ...

My 11 y/o son has been experiencing what appear to be stress and anxiety symptoms for the past 2 years.

When he was around 6, I noticed him squeezing his hands into fists while watching TV. Seemed just fine other than that.

Then it became a funny breathing thing for a short bit.

Then he bit his finger nails for a month or so.

Then he twirled his hair..

When he was about 8 or 9 ... he started complaining about his back being "cold" ... that it would start at his butt and work it's way up.

We had him tested for low iron. Wasn't the problem.

As time went on, he started saying it was a tingling sensation.

We moved from Tampa FL to Mobile AL 2 years ago, and it continued to get worse. Finally got him into a neurologist because he pediatrician thought it was a tic.

His neurologist (who we are no longer seeing) agreed it was a "tic" but he didn't have tourettes.

We have since seen another neurologist at the Univ. of Alabama, who specializes in involuntary body movements, parkinsons, tics, etc, and he observed him do all his "stuff" and said "I seen no signs of tics".

Essentially, he will be fine when he's engaged in something that is entertaining there are no issues. If he gets bored with it, or mention of homework, or anytime he's not fully engaged in something, he started to whine, cry, and sometimes does a physical motion that may look like a tic, bringing his hands to his fast, shaking his face in his hands.. "he doesn't want this anymore".

It's hard to put into words what he does when he has this "issue" hit him.

I know I am bias, but, he truly is a wonderful kid. Funny, smart and creative. I do EVERYTHING with him, probably too much. He doesn't get angry, he doesn't act out, through hard work at a magnet school, he is getting A's and B's.. despite the medication he is on making him severely constipated and already missed 10 days of school.

I promise you, he doesn't do it for attention. He gets all the attention in the world being the old child at home. It will happen when we're doing things he loves - going out back to play ball, at the baseball games (bad bad night at his birthday party at the Double A baseball game with 10 of his best buds), movies, etc. Things he asks me to do with him, such as tonight, "Dad, wanna play catch?" "Sure" ... we were outside for less than 2 minutes and the crying began.

He seems to get this sensation of hopelessness.. though, he really can't explain it.

The 2 years he has seen the neurologist, we have tried different meds for the "tic" .. currently he's on risperidone - .5mg x 3 a day, prozac, trazadone at night, and now on Strattera for the last month because I was freaking out and thought maybe it was ADD/ADHD and asked his neurologist to put him on it before the testing.. because he was having issues at school.

Anyway - NONE of the medicine has EVER seemed to work. And I HATE having him medicated, especially this heavy. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to affect him in any form - MAYBE it has made things worse.

He saw an LPC for a few months. Her solution was to stop doing homework. I tried to explain to her, it happens in the summer time too. That, and homework does have to get done.

He has been seeing a psychologist for the last 5 weeks weekly. Nothing so far there.

Anyway .. to sum it up.. fine most times .. but other times, not .. completely hopelessness and sadness, "I hate my life. I don't want this. I want to be happy again. I want just one good day. I hate feeling this way." We just went through an episode of that, lasted 10 minutes. Now, he's perfectly fine watching TV. It isn't for attention. It isn't to get out of things. Stressors definitely bring it on much easier than no stressors, but, it still happens in no stress or what should be happy situations. He doesn't want this. I know he doesn't. I know my child. This has been going on 2+ years... and getting worse. Not for attention.. not at all. Not separation .. someone always there. Slightly spoiled, but not rotten.

We've tried relaxation techniques, breathing, trying to do something to keep him occupied, but it still comes back.

Just trying to find a path to go down... can anyone point me somewhere - anywhere .. anything to try?