endoftheline
New Member
This is my first post on this forum, although you can see from the join date i contemplated posting something when i joined almost a year ago. (Please forgive me if I get all the abbreviations wrong. I am a newbie here). A year ago our son's situation seemed hopeless, hence my handle, and I was too depressed to even post anything about his situation which was, to make a long story short, a suicidal teenage boy who'd been through a long-term drug rehab, relapsed, been arrested, turned his back on therapy, not even close to graduating high school -- more a "drop-in" than a dropout -- and totally out of control with no regard for our home or the rest of our family.
Last summer we decided to kick him out, which we did for three weeks before he begged to come back and behave. By fall, however, he was back to his bad behaviors, ditching school, getting high, not taking his anti-depressants, low-level drug dealing, coming and going as he pelased in our home, bringing in girls and making love in our bed (we found a used condom under the bed) and no regard to his physical well-being -- never bathing or changing his clothes. It was like living with a crazy person.
Finally, as we were debating how and when to kcik him out again, he got arrested on a felony charge. His lawyer told him that he had to go to rehab or he couldn't guarantee anything when his case came up. Under that pressure he went. And what a blessing it turned out to be.
Finally he got the diagnosis that made sense. Our son was bipolar and whne that was explained to us and to him suddenly all of his past behavior made perfect sense. The thing he did when in mania, the suicde attempts, the self-medication with drugs. The inability to finish school. The going for weeks without sleep. All that we thought was druggie behavior was explained by mental illness. (He was 19 when diagnosed).
He moved to a therapeutic community (hideously expensive) began a different mediation, and the difference is like night and day. We have our son back. The nice, smart, talented, considerate kid we'd raised. So I write this to let other parents know that when you think there is no hope, there may be something you hadn't considered to give you some. We know we're not at the end of the story yet. He still has legal troubles hanging over his head. But we have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. It takes years sometimes. And I know some parents will never see the light for their kids. But it is possible. I just wanted to share that 'cause I know I'm not the only one whose GFF looks like Satan's spawn.
Don't give up. Never give up.
Last summer we decided to kick him out, which we did for three weeks before he begged to come back and behave. By fall, however, he was back to his bad behaviors, ditching school, getting high, not taking his anti-depressants, low-level drug dealing, coming and going as he pelased in our home, bringing in girls and making love in our bed (we found a used condom under the bed) and no regard to his physical well-being -- never bathing or changing his clothes. It was like living with a crazy person.
Finally, as we were debating how and when to kcik him out again, he got arrested on a felony charge. His lawyer told him that he had to go to rehab or he couldn't guarantee anything when his case came up. Under that pressure he went. And what a blessing it turned out to be.
Finally he got the diagnosis that made sense. Our son was bipolar and whne that was explained to us and to him suddenly all of his past behavior made perfect sense. The thing he did when in mania, the suicde attempts, the self-medication with drugs. The inability to finish school. The going for weeks without sleep. All that we thought was druggie behavior was explained by mental illness. (He was 19 when diagnosed).
He moved to a therapeutic community (hideously expensive) began a different mediation, and the difference is like night and day. We have our son back. The nice, smart, talented, considerate kid we'd raised. So I write this to let other parents know that when you think there is no hope, there may be something you hadn't considered to give you some. We know we're not at the end of the story yet. He still has legal troubles hanging over his head. But we have seen the light at the end of the tunnel. It takes years sometimes. And I know some parents will never see the light for their kids. But it is possible. I just wanted to share that 'cause I know I'm not the only one whose GFF looks like Satan's spawn.
Don't give up. Never give up.
