05-06-2018 08:23 PM
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04-29-2020 02:37 PM
10-12-2020 06:50 PM
10-12-2020 09:17 PM
10-12-2020 10:01 PM
Hi,
So it’s 3 years down the track from my original post. It’s been hard. No meds, no therapy. Flatly refuses. Still ocd and anxious. BUT it has subsided somewhat.
He still has times when things overwhelm him and I bear the brunt of his frustrations, but the episodes aren’t as frequent. Unfortunately they tend to flare during the night and I’m the only thing that can pull him back to normality when it’s really bad, so both his and my sleep are affected.
He has a small group of friends, some of who are equally as different as he is, and they muddle along. He’s at uni and achieving fantastic grades, but refuses to get a part time job because he “needs” time to study, and for gaming, and seeing his friends. So earning money isn’t high on his list of priorities. Frankly I can’t think what sort of job would suit him but that’s another issue.
His diet is still disgusting. He hates home cooked food but will happily eat anything else. It’s his way of controlling that aspect of his life. Coping with his anxiety is all about controlling everything he can so that there are fewer things that he needs to worry about.
So I don’t have any answers for you sorry. If he can control things, he’s ok. His anxiety flares up occasionally but not as often. The hypochondria has subsided. His main worry these days is how he will cope without me. The dependency issue is huge.
Wishing you all the best. Take the small wins - they’re usually hard fought.
Cheers.
10-20-2020 03:55 PM
Hi @Tardis ,
Thanks so much for updating us on how you, and your son, are getting on. It is so valuable for other parents walking a similar path with their teens to hear from someone further along in their journey... it must be so hard as a parent to see your son refusing to engage in therapy, it sounds like you tried a lot of different avenues with him too and I imagine that would be pretty exhausting. But it's really good to hear that his ocd type behaviours and anxiety have subsided a bit.
I think that what you say here is incredibly wise: "Take the small wins - they’re usually hard fought."
Sometimes the day to day can be so exhausting and overwhelming that we don't have time to step back and acknowledge the wins , even if they're small ones.
Thanks so much for checking in!
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