JulieMarshall
New Member
Three weeks ago, my 16-year-old son, Leo, lost his best friend in a very, very unexpected suicide. They grew up together, and were extremely close.
It hit him extremely hard. And ever since then, it seems to me like he's been in a deep depression, but this past week it's gotten much, much worse.
Leo's regressed further and further and he's like a robot now. His eyes have no light in them, and he's eaten so little that he's lost a frightening amount of weight. His sleeping, too, has been affected, and it's like he's going to collapse from sheer exhaustion. And when I try to even talk to him, he just ignores me all together and acts like he didn't hear me.
He's been going to school, but he hasn't done any homework at all, as far as I can tell, and according to the online gradebook our school has he's pretty much failed every single quiz and test he's taken since his friend's suicide. Leo's very intelligent and his studies are important to him; he wants to go to Yale, and he knows he has to get good grades. And his coach called me and told me Leo quit the varsity soccer team as well--soccer was his life. More indicators of just how bad this situation is.
And this morning, my 10-year-old daughter Nora accidentally bumped into him and he completely flipped out. Like, he screamed at her for a full minute and threw the box of cereal he was holding at her face before stomping up to his room (I'm just glad it wasn't something more dangerous). It was scary, because he's never done that before. Ever. And that's the most emotion he's showed in the last three weeks.
I think that the grief and guilt and stress he's carrying around have completely buried him and I'm worried for both his safety and ours.
He's very much the kind of kid that bottles things up inside, and I'm afraid that he's going to just explode or implode in one way or another.
Leo killing himself has crossed my mind, and now I'm just about afraid to leave him alone for more than a few minutes for fear that he'll do something to himself. Just my paranoia, but still.
I know he needs help. I've never seen him like this before, and every day it gets worse. And my gut is telling me that something is seriously, seriously wrong. I'm terrified.
So I scheduled an appointment with an adolescent psychologist for yesterday.
The thing is, though, that he refused to go. Point blank.
Should I force him to attend a session? How would I even go about doing that? I'm a single mom, and he's much taller than me.
But would that make things even worse? Would it completely destroy our relationship?
Please help me. I'm so worried for my son.
It hit him extremely hard. And ever since then, it seems to me like he's been in a deep depression, but this past week it's gotten much, much worse.
Leo's regressed further and further and he's like a robot now. His eyes have no light in them, and he's eaten so little that he's lost a frightening amount of weight. His sleeping, too, has been affected, and it's like he's going to collapse from sheer exhaustion. And when I try to even talk to him, he just ignores me all together and acts like he didn't hear me.
He's been going to school, but he hasn't done any homework at all, as far as I can tell, and according to the online gradebook our school has he's pretty much failed every single quiz and test he's taken since his friend's suicide. Leo's very intelligent and his studies are important to him; he wants to go to Yale, and he knows he has to get good grades. And his coach called me and told me Leo quit the varsity soccer team as well--soccer was his life. More indicators of just how bad this situation is.
And this morning, my 10-year-old daughter Nora accidentally bumped into him and he completely flipped out. Like, he screamed at her for a full minute and threw the box of cereal he was holding at her face before stomping up to his room (I'm just glad it wasn't something more dangerous). It was scary, because he's never done that before. Ever. And that's the most emotion he's showed in the last three weeks.
I think that the grief and guilt and stress he's carrying around have completely buried him and I'm worried for both his safety and ours.
He's very much the kind of kid that bottles things up inside, and I'm afraid that he's going to just explode or implode in one way or another.
Leo killing himself has crossed my mind, and now I'm just about afraid to leave him alone for more than a few minutes for fear that he'll do something to himself. Just my paranoia, but still.
I know he needs help. I've never seen him like this before, and every day it gets worse. And my gut is telling me that something is seriously, seriously wrong. I'm terrified.
So I scheduled an appointment with an adolescent psychologist for yesterday.
The thing is, though, that he refused to go. Point blank.
Should I force him to attend a session? How would I even go about doing that? I'm a single mom, and he's much taller than me.
But would that make things even worse? Would it completely destroy our relationship?
Please help me. I'm so worried for my son.