struggling with 12 year old boy

[lizard0812]

Have seen GP yesterday and feeling very relieved.   Took at lot to get son there but we both came out a little brighter.   GP was fantastic called psychologist and school whilst we were there and got all the information on board before making the decision that we really needed to start on some medication immediately.   I have been apposed to medication for a long time but now am realizing there are times it is needed and this is one of them.  Dr believes with the medication and continued therapy we should see some good results.   Fingers crossed we are now on the right track to getting our happy little boy back.   

[Ngaio-RO]

That's amazing @lizard0812 What an incredible outcome for you both.
Does your son feel good about this too?

I just wanted to suggest two things.
The first is for you to take a moment to check in with yourself about how you're REALLY feeling right now. Parents will so often recognise that they're stressed or worried or upset, maybe even overwhelmed, but there's a tendency to acknowledge it and then move it aside because there's not enough space to address two meltdowns. Which is true.
But now you're in a golden moment of quiet between a diagnosis and what comes after. So it's a perfect opportunity to take some time, just for you, to dig deep and listen to yourself. Then spend some time and energy meeting those needs. This helps us build resilience. If we teach ourselves that we will tend to our needs after we deal with a crisis we get better at 'pushing through'.
Feel free to ask the community if you need some tips on self care. It's not an innate skill so it needs to be learned.

The second suggestion is, if you're ok with it, to start a thread about the diagnosis and how you're feeling about it. How your son is feeling about it. And what your plans for treatment are. It's a great way to settle in to the understanding that this is a journey and to draw in others who are also on this journey. Feeling prepared can have a huge impact on anxiety levels and how well we cope. Having a thread about this might help you feel more prepared than say thinking about it on your own.

What do you think?

[Zoesplace]

Hi @lizard0812 glad that your visit to the GP was positive and you felt some relief.  Sounds like the GP was very thorough and compassionate. It is a such big decision to have your child go on medication, but sometimes there are occasions where medication can be really helpful.  My daughter has been on medication for many years, and combined with therapy has made such a positive difference to her life.  

[lizard0812]

Hi guys thank you so much for the replies. It's been a really rough few weeks but hopefully things are finally starting to get a little better. I just worry that if medication and therapy don't work what else is there. I know it's negative thinking but when you are so far down it's hard to be thinking positive. We are two weeks into medication and had to cancel psychology appointment today as it was causing too much stress. Have another appointment next week so fingers crossed we can make that appointment. It's so nice to have the support of others as sometimes you feel so alone and so helpless so thank you all.

[Zoesplace]

Hi @lizard0812 glad to hear that things are starting to get better after having a rough time.  Remember it can take a while for the medication and therapy to work.  I have been told it can take up to 6 weeks for the medication to fully work, and sometimes treatment needs to be adjusted to get the best results.  I know its hard, but try and stay positive... there is a really good chance the treatments will work -  just give it time. 

You have a lot of love for your son, so be encouraged and confident that things will get better.