Hi My 14 year old son was just brought home by the police. This is 2nd time in less than a month that he's been in trouble with the police. I could smell alcohol on him. He's been hanging around older teenagers 16-18 who have their own problems but are making poor life choices. My son is making those choices with them. He has said it was his mental illness (he has depression) that made him do what he did tonight. He said something triggered it. I said it was all the drinking but you can't reason with a teenager who has been drinking & thinks they know everything. He apologised for what he did but he keeps making the same mistakes. He thinks he can go on centrelink & move out of home. I don't know when he'll realise he needs to make some serious changes. His attitude towards life at the moment to me seems like it's all about having a good time & that he doesn't care about himself or his future. He's on medication for depression. I got him into Headspace but he's only seen the psychologist once, he missed/ didn't want to attend his last 2 appointments. I hope he goes this week. He really needs it. I don't know how to help him because how can you help someone who doesn't want to change. I can't force him to make wiser choices, I can't stop him from hanging out with the wrong people, I can't even get him to go to school. ... View more

Hi I'm a single mum of a 14 year old boy who has depression, anxiety and anger management issues. He's thought about self harming & told me he's sat there with a tool. He's done drugs, alcohol & smokes. At the moment he's only smoking & he's been on antidepressants for a month but he doesn't feel they are helpIng. He has serious abandonment issues regarding his biological father who he has never met. His "dad" has never supported us in any way & i recently made contact with him in the hopes he would reach out to our son but it hasn't eventuated. My son was suspended from school 4x last year, mainly for fighting, defending friends. He got into trouble in class most of the time, being rude & disruptive. He had also been in trouble with the police. This year he wanted to make a change as he didn't like the person he was becoming. We went to the Drs, which was huge, he hadn't wanted to attend any heath appointments. He was told last week at school he could change subjects & then the school told me he couldn't & had to prove his behaviour had changed. As they have noticed he's made changes but sometimes slips back to old behaviour. I knew he would take this news very hard & he's just about given up. There was a school incident yesterday. He's very negative about his future. He was talking about what the point in life, what's the point in making an effort at school, said his life basically sucks and isn't worth living. I sat up with him for hours trying to get him to change his mind set. He's very angry & I'm worried something will happen at school today. He's talking about using violence if someone gets in his face. I've said repeatedly violence isn't the solution & he'll end up expelled. He's so angry. I'm worried about school & if he does get expelled he says he doesn't want to go to another school. I'm sick with anxiety & worry over him. I've had a long history of depression myself. When he came to me, I confided in him that I knew how he felt. He now thinks he'll have to battle depression for as long as I have. My latest bout started off with post natal depression. I've been off medication for about 6 months. He has only started talking to a guidance officer but won't talk to anyone else. I'm extremely concerned he's about to tip over the edge & explode. I've told him I don't know how to help him if he keeps thinking fighting is a solution. He says he feels numb. I explained that's depression. He doesn't sleep or eat well. I'm just so scared and worried. ... View more