My son's (9) mental health crisis...UPDATE - HE's HOME!!

[cockadoodlemom]

I have already said a prayer and will continue to pray for Jacob and your family. I have a son the same age as yours and I can not imagine what you are going through. I am just so Thankful that God gave him parents like you and that he knows God. Keep the Faith and Let Go and Let God do the rest! Love and Prayers!

 

[pricem11]

As a research scientist in health, let me give you the advice to just be supportive and collaborative with your son and his health care professionals.

Please don't waste energy or time worrying about terms like 'schizophrenia' (which is a disorder that, while possible, rarely presents in a 9 year old), or alarming yourself by listening to other people's unrelated experiences, etc. until your son has been adequately evaluated.

It's true that, in rare cases, drugs, even those that have been on the market for a long time, can produce the kinds of symptoms he's exhibited. Part of this hospitalization is being devoted to figuring out whether this has been caused by drugs or some other nascent or underlying issue.

I guess what I'm saying is that HCPs sometimes aren't very good at expressing exactly what they're doing or intending to do, and since you're son was just hospitalized, they probably really don't yet know exactly what the deal is until they've worked with him a little bit. Meanwhile, the best thing you can do is try not to worry too much (obviously easier said than done). Worrying is exhausting, and you'll need to save all your energy for your little guy.

 

[purplebaby]

hi i know your story... i teach in a residential school for emotionally disturbed teens. my daughter also has been in partial hospitalization, for self injury.
from all this experience i can tell you the 2 most important things. one is you and your husband. the other is your son. you and hubby jumped right on getting him the help he needed, a very very critical factor. it is a very difficult step that some parents dont make. they stay in denial and ignore the difficulty until an outside authority steps in. that is always a mistake.
your son is also to be highly commended for coming to you with this. alot of these children self medicate with drugs or alcohol. which always makes it worse in the long run. that is also a very difficult thing to do, to let your mom know you are having these problems. some kids cant do it. then it will only get worse in the long run.

your son has the help he needs and good parents, have faith in that it makes all the difference.

please feel free to contact me off the forum if i can be of any help.
[email protected]
marybeth

 

[skeeter9]

I have to agree with what Pricem11 said. We went through something similar with our daughter several years ago, and all of the advice, etc we got from our well-meaning friends and relatives really just scared us to death and made us worry, when we didn't really know for sure what the problem was yet! Have faith that the doctors and therapists, etc will do their best to work through this with you and that once you have a plan of action based on their findings you will feel much better. Of course, so will your son, which is the whole point!!! Oh, and it doesn't help your state of mind or your son to do a bunch of research and try to diagnose him yourself, either - you can really scare yourself by doing that!!!!

You are in my thoughts and prayers,

Lori

 

[Blisschick]

I'm sorry to hear about your son and your family's situation. I know how hard it is on all that's involved.

I suffer from chronic anxiety/depression syndrome, and I agree that some drugs can cause some very undesirable side effects. I was on one that caused me to have very vivid dreams and very disturbed sleep, so I can only imagine what a 9 year old could be experiencing if the same thing is happening to him. I hope they find out soon what has triggered this new symptom and can help him.

 

[Sparks]

Oh dear. I am so sorry to hear of your troubles but I work on an Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit and know they can be very helpful. No doubt you will have some trying days but put trust in the wonderful nurses and Drs. there. I have seen so many turn-arounds. Keep communication open and don`t be afraid to ask questions and arm yourself with all the knowledge you can gather. If one Dr. does not feel right for you ask for another. Also let them do their programs and therapys. I`ll be thinking of you and send good thoughts and meditations your way. Sparks

 

[mom'sfolly]

My mom has lived most of her life with an untreated mental disorder. Last year she was admitted to a mental health care facility for 6-8 weeks. Those people are amazing. She spent six months in assisted living, moved back home, got an apartment, and a new full time job. She's 75, almost 5'11" and was down to ninety-five pounds. Caring professionals, and a supportive family can make all the difference in the world.

You, your family and Jacob are in our prayers.

 

[arlee453]

Thank you all so much for the encouraging words! It does help to know that others have been through similar situations and to know you are all pulling for Jacob.

He is actually enjoying his time on the unit for the most part - he thinks it is like summer camp, you'd think! We had our first family session today and were able to see him for a bit. The Drs also said it would be OK for his brothers and sister to visit him tomorrow, which is against the 'rules' generally because they are younger than 12.

He is so worried about them - I think he needs to see them to be reassured that he is RIGHT and this 'thing' can't really hurt his family even though it threatened to harm his family if he told about it.

Anyway, we are hanging in there - trying to take one day at at time. They did an EEG and MRI today to rule out seizure actiivity and other physical clues/problems.

I'm trying to reframe this like a kid who has asthma -although he may have a serious problem, with the right medication and behavior changes, the asthma can stay under control and the kid can have a fairly normal and full life....

Thank you again - I'm really feeling the hugs from the chicken people today and they are greatly appreciated!

 

[MayberrySaint]

This thread and the replies remind me why this has to be one of the best internet forums around.
My thoughts are with your son and your family...

 

[Lunachick]

Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but since you reached out, I may as well say that this past summer I had a problem with my daughter, who has problems with (not diagnosed) Asperger's syndrome, which is a mild version of autism, but she also has OCD and behaviorial issues.

She is an adult. She is very smart. (why is it always that way?) But there were times it was very scary. But from what it sounds like with your child, it sounds very promising, because it sounds like you are in tune with your child, and he is with you. That is very important.

This past July I spent 12 hours in emergency at our local hospital, because our daughter (age 26) had a boyfriend break up with her, cold hardedly, and she was upset, but not that bad, after all she can handle herself pretty well. But the boyfriend broke up with her online, and I suppose he was worried about her reaction and called our town police dept. to say he was worried about her reaction. Well, they came to our door looking for a suicide attempt.

They wouldn't leave until she went with them to the hospital. I followed. They (the hospital) realized she was fine. Of course she has no health ins, bill later was 3,000.00. Aargh. She pulled through. I was there for her. That's what counts.

This is something I think happens more frequently then most people want to know. Thank you for speaking out for your son, it helps in a strange way that other people don't feel so alone when this kind of heartache happens.

Good Luck to you and your family.