My son 24 is suffering from severe depression. He has been seeing a psychiatrist and a psychologist for about 12 months and he is on medication. I go with him to all of his visits. But occasionlly we have really bad times where he can't cope. The other night was one of those times, but this time he begged and begged me to help him end the suffering. Is there anyone out there who has been in the same situation.
I held him all night and the next day I got on to his pschiatrist who talk to him and now he is a bit calmer. But I am taking 1 hour at a time. Has anyone got any advice for me so that I can help my son.
2006-12-01 23:15:59 · 6 answers · asked by jojammum48 4 in Health ➔ Mental Health
I went through a very difficult couple of years when one of my sons was in his teens and suffered from severe depression. He has been well now for 10 years, but had to learn alot about self- care in order to grow through that time in his life. Medication and good talk therapy eventually pulled him through - but it was the worst struggle of my life.
Your son's illness sounds very serious - and I must stress to you that this IS an illness. When he asks you to help him with suicide his situation may be critical. Do you have access to an Emergency Mental Health facility in your area? When he expresses these kinds of ideas it is important that you have him evaluated since he may need to be hospitalized.
Please persevere with his treatment - as bad as it is right now he may well be treated successfully. You need support to help yourself through this time - Check out the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health website: http://www.ffcmh.org/
and see if there is a local chapter in your area - this is a parent organization of people who have dealt with children having mental illness. They are a wonderful source of support for parents. Take care -
2006-12-01 23:44:48 · answer #1 · answered by Judy T 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Here is a homepage which may help you: see below.
(Oops: it seems you live in Australia, I saw your question on the US site of Yahoo: look for a similar site in Australia. Sorry)
Some comments:
Take an active approach: do not let this situation dominate your life. Look for solutions, look for help and do not give up ! It is worth it !
Depression is a desease and can be cured !
There are several possible reasons, some are based on a chemical imbalance in the brain, some are based on psychological reasons.
The very first step is to find the reason: I suggest you check with your physicist and check for "chemial imbalance".
Second: talk with your psychologist/psychiatrist and ask them to explain in detail what they think your son has. Get all possible information about this e.g. form the internet, from public health services. If you do not understand: ask a second opinion !
Third: understand your own position. Your are his lifeline in critical situations and you have to be able to help.Depression does not have only an influence on the person but also on he person arround and they also need help ! I suggest you look for a support group of person in similar situations, it helps a lot to talk about it and they can share her experience with you, especially how to deal with situations you encountered. Keep yourself sane and healthy. Try to build a support group around you: friends, family, whoever.
In a critical situation: be present, listen and talk ! Have a prepared strategy ! For the patient it often enough helps that there is a nother person present (often just physically). Unconscoiousley they know that this is temporary, they just have to get through this. They feel like getting sucked into a black hole and they need something which holds them back. Sometimes it helps to get them mad about something, aggression is a "life force" and can keep them from the edge but the aggression should not be used against them. After an attack like this: talk it through with him, what he encountered, what kept him away from the act itself.
An never ! never ! give up ! This is a temporary situation and as bad as it seems at the moment: it will get better !
(I had a close relative dealing with the same issue, it was a chemical imblance, they needed to find the reason and 2 years to stabilize the person. I had similar situations as you. Today the person it back to "normal" and has a very normal life without any medication. And I have two sons).
2006-12-02 22:38:49 · answer #2 · answered by Robert K 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My father asked me (when I was 12) to help him die, because he was dying slowly of painful lung cancer. It's a horrible situation--you want to help them not suffer, but you don't want to harm your father, either.
I understand how you feel. I have a son with major depressive disorder and several other things. He wants to cut himself severely everytimes his meds are not working or he hasn't taken them.
To me, it sounds as though the meds are simply not working, and they should try different kinds and blends to get the right dosage that will work for him.
But if he is this close to suicide, he needs to be in a hospital, where they can find the rights meds and get him calm without a possibility of his harming himself or you in the process.
There are lots of good anti-depressants on the market, and some of them can be taken together to work even better. Wellbutrin and Celexa work well together, as do Cymbalta with Ativan for the inability to cope and anxiety.
I'm surprised that the psychiatrist didn't mention hospitalization for suicidal tendencies. Most would, I should think...
2006-12-02 07:35:17 · answer #3 · answered by luvmelodio 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Love, please, Pray to God, through Jesus to handle this for you...your son has no hope, nothing to live for and is blinded by satan right now...Satan loves to destroy those which we love the most...don't let him have your son and don't let him test your faith in Our Father...tell your son, that things are going to get better, and that you couldn't live with out him ...please turn this over tho the Lord, and give your son some hope...My darling, I am praying for you right now, I don't want you to lose your son...maybe he needs the Lord, and not a phsyciatrist sweetheart xxx
2006-12-02 07:53:34 · answer #4 · answered by MotherKittyKat 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
God bless you and help you through this...may your son lead a normal life very soon.Take care.
2006-12-02 10:33:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
this really sounds severe,ask about shock therapy, i`ve read it`s effective & making a comeback.god bless you -you take care of yourself now.
2006-12-02 07:24:09 · answer #6 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋