Surely make you lose your mind....  I have to admit that throughout my 12 years of parenting my eldest with all three conditions, I have resorted to pharmaceuticals for myself.  It is said that stress, depression, divorce rates, etc. are all markedly more common for parents of special-needs children than for parents in the general population.  And it isn't hard for us to see why.  Currently I am in the same room as my son perseverating on the location of his cell phone and starting to speak sharply to all concerned as he searches... and searches.  Organization is not his strong suit, so I probably best keep this short so I can help look. For those not familiar with this wonderful trait of perseveration, it is when my son has what my dad calls a "one-track mind".  His mental train only goes on one track, and right now it is the location of his cell phone.  Eventually the situation gets resolved or forgotten about, and then his mind goes down another track, getting himself upset.  The resolve it takes some days seems monumental, as I try my best not to get into a shouting match with him (as calm, soft repeating doesn't seem to work).  In this situation, one good thing I do is prayer, and another is deep breathing.  That is, when I have the presence of mind to try this before I get all worked up too!  :)