Posted by bookgurl99 on January 25, 2003, at 16:24:46
In reply to Fear of Meds had screwed up my Son's life. (Long), posted by Essence on January 20, 2003, at 7:41:34
Essence,
I'm sorry that your family is going through such a hard time right now.
I think you made what many parents would consider to be a good decision at the time. I think many of us who've faced the antidepressant treadmill would have agreed not to mess with your son's brain chemistry.
The thing is, you are not solely responsible for your kid's genetics and subsequent behavior. This is a situation that would not have even _had_ a medical diagnosis a generation ago, so I wouldn't feel guilty about your resistance.
I have hope for your son. My twin(non-identical) sister and I have both been dx'd with ADD. Neither of us have been on medications for it. Nonetheless, I was almost always a perfectly obedient child (genuinely true). My twin, on the other hand, really acted out after jr. high hit. This period of time lasted about 6 years. During that time, she stole my parent's car several times -- even once ending up in jail in Utah as she tried to run away to California. She made friends with the worst people possible, flunked some classes in H.S., and eventually flunked out of college and became pregnant at age 19.
When my twin had a child, her reckless behavior stopped. She slowly started to pull herself together. Now, 8 years later, she has a husband, two kids, and is working towards completing her Master's degree in computer science.
I really think the root of all this behavior was the low self-esteem that accompanies ADHD. Maybe with treatment she could have been successful earlier in life.
So, on one hand, your son's acting out is difficult, but on the other hand it may be useful because the symptom means he can learn about himself and get help now.
Hope things improve,
books :D
poster:bookgurl99
thread:35557
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030120/msgs/35787.html