Teen with ODD

[LRH14]

I am at the end of my rope dealing with my 15 yo son with ODD. We are at the point where he takes all peace out of our family and home. His little brother is being affected as are myself and his dad. He goes to therapy and we go to family therapy, but nothing seems to help. I’m afraid of the future for our family and for him.
Any help is appreciated!

[Andrea-RO]

That does sound like an incredibly difficult situation @LRH14, would you be able to share a little bit more about your specific situation? 

[BarleyHangingOn]

HI, i too have a son 16 with ODD> very bright but everyting you ask to do says no. Punches holes in our walls, fights with twin brother with ADHD. on verge of failing year 11 bc wont do the work even though is smart. we too have tried everything like you. I dont know what else to do im sorry i cant offer any solutions, just i know what you are going through. Hang in there.

[Janine-RO]

Hi @BarleyHangingOn , that sounds like an incredibly challenging situation with your son- have you had any support from mental health professionals? You may already be aware of this, but the government recently announced an increase in medicare rebated sessions with a psychologist under a mental health plan from a GP from 10 sessions a year to 20. If you think it would be helpful, it could be a good time to get more support for him. Has his school been able to help to support him at all? 

I can't imagine how exhausting it would be as a parent to be dealing with such challenging behaviour - do you have any support for yourself?  If you think it would be helpful to talk things over with someone else, we do have a free one to one parents support service, that you can access here, it is a confidential service and free for all parents and carers of teens from 12-18 in Australia. 

Thinking of you. Thanks for joining in the conversation here- it can help so much for parents to know that they're not alone. 

[Allanah]

Hi, I am sorry you are going through this. Like you we have a younger brother that has to see this behavior. I think for me this is the hardest part as there is no getting through to my 18 year old, he hates me and there is nothing I can do right in his eyes. I wish you the best of luck and wish I could give you some advice but nothing is working for me at this stage.