Baggy Bags
Active Member
My perfect (now 15yo) son started running away last year. We knew he'd been smoking weed and experimenting with other drugs, but it was still a huge surprise. He went to his "godfather", someone I used to think of like a brother, who gave him terrible advice and put even worse ideas in his head while he was experiencing a cannabis-induced psychotic episode from which he hasn't returned.
We got him back. He was violent. Unrecognizable. Ran away again. Repeat 4 or 5 more times. We had to get psychologists, police, lawyers and family services involved. We live in Central America and the system in our country is a nightmare. When runaways get picked up, they are taken to places where they are beaten, raped, trafficked, and even killed. So, we couldn't activate alerts or even make our searches very public.
He attempted suicide at the beginning of this year and was appointed a psychiatrist. He recently spent a week in a psychiatric hospital. I might be hated for saying this, but I have always been very anti western medicine, labels, chemicals... And here I am now, with my only child diagnosed with CD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and anxiety and medicated with an anti-psychotic.
We went from being the closest mom and son I've ever met, to being almost strangers living together. He directs all his anger and frustration at us, and has done very extreme things against us. My husband is not his biological father, but has raised him like his own since my boy was 2yo. Together, we are doing everything we can, but we are exhausted and overwhelmed.
Since having the diagnosis, at least I know that he's not entirely in control of the things he does and says. Not that it relieves me to know that my son has a mental health disorder, but in a way it makes it easier to deal with emotionally. We didn't know if it was the drugs, or if he was just genuinely decided that he wants nothing more to do with us.
We used to have a beautiful life as a homeschooling family. My son forced us to put him in "normal" school under the threat that he'd keep running away if we didn't. He was expelled two months later for stealing another kid's motorbike. He's lied, stolen, manipulated, hit, kicked, threatened to kill us, and even tried to report us for child abuse - telling family services things like we tie him up, inject him with tranquilizers, among other horrendous lies. It's never taken us long to prove that we are dedicated, loving parents who never even spanked him, but it hurts and it's been traumatizing.
We now work with two psychiatrists - one who works directly with him and one who is teaching me PMT - and a psychologist for family therapy. It's all very expensive, and life has become very different than what it was just a year ago. It's nearly impossible to make plans, start projects, or have a social life.
It's all very new. Any advice is welcome.
We got him back. He was violent. Unrecognizable. Ran away again. Repeat 4 or 5 more times. We had to get psychologists, police, lawyers and family services involved. We live in Central America and the system in our country is a nightmare. When runaways get picked up, they are taken to places where they are beaten, raped, trafficked, and even killed. So, we couldn't activate alerts or even make our searches very public.
He attempted suicide at the beginning of this year and was appointed a psychiatrist. He recently spent a week in a psychiatric hospital. I might be hated for saying this, but I have always been very anti western medicine, labels, chemicals... And here I am now, with my only child diagnosed with CD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and anxiety and medicated with an anti-psychotic.
We went from being the closest mom and son I've ever met, to being almost strangers living together. He directs all his anger and frustration at us, and has done very extreme things against us. My husband is not his biological father, but has raised him like his own since my boy was 2yo. Together, we are doing everything we can, but we are exhausted and overwhelmed.
Since having the diagnosis, at least I know that he's not entirely in control of the things he does and says. Not that it relieves me to know that my son has a mental health disorder, but in a way it makes it easier to deal with emotionally. We didn't know if it was the drugs, or if he was just genuinely decided that he wants nothing more to do with us.
We used to have a beautiful life as a homeschooling family. My son forced us to put him in "normal" school under the threat that he'd keep running away if we didn't. He was expelled two months later for stealing another kid's motorbike. He's lied, stolen, manipulated, hit, kicked, threatened to kill us, and even tried to report us for child abuse - telling family services things like we tie him up, inject him with tranquilizers, among other horrendous lies. It's never taken us long to prove that we are dedicated, loving parents who never even spanked him, but it hurts and it's been traumatizing.
We now work with two psychiatrists - one who works directly with him and one who is teaching me PMT - and a psychologist for family therapy. It's all very expensive, and life has become very different than what it was just a year ago. It's nearly impossible to make plans, start projects, or have a social life.
It's all very new. Any advice is welcome.