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#1
May 16, 2012, 07:27 PM
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my son has chronic depression and anxiety.started 2 yrs. ago with a panic attack,went down hill from there.problems with drinking and pot.far as i know has not drank for a couple months but still smokes pot every day.has been to different therapist.His depression is real bad and says he feels like drinking again.would like to know if any body knows of a GOOD mental health program,dual diag. etc. mass. general,Mclean,John Hopkins? help.any advise would help.
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#2
May 17, 2012, 12:38 PM
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well knowledge is the strongest form of medication, but change needs to come from with-in.
first of all booze AND weed is a depressent. weed also has highs and psychotic effects but that doesnt mean there isnt depressant with it. unless its medical (which has a much lower amount of thc) it won't be good for him. with weed not being regulated you do NOT know what comes on your pot. including other forms of drugs. laced with coke for example. i took me two years of sitting in my moms basement every day until she just gave me a good dose or two of tough love. threatened that if i didnt start doing SOMETHING. she would kick me out of the house every day when she went to work with out my keys. and i would have to find something and somewhere to go. at that point i was so appauled at her i just moved out, but literally in the end that started my path to recovery and being functional again. look for community support groups as an option for him and if he doesnt feel like going, dont give him much of a choice, even if it means dropping him off thereand just leaving, it will make him have to do something involving the world ya know? tell him you will be back in an hour or how ever long you think fit. even just getting outside, go for walks with him will give him the power of the sun and good weather, which from my personal experience helps EVERYONE with mental illness ALOT. hopefully he can start seeing pro's and con's to his diagnosis and learn to embrace the pro's. (for example, i use to be quite and shy with anxiety, but my anxiety morphed into being scared of NOT talking which has turned me into a much better communicator which can help a ton in many ways) even just encourageing him to journal. some sort of schedule can really help some people. its finding that hard line of not wanting to push to hard, then getting frustrated that its not working, and then you end up having to give tough love. i hope this helps. feel free to PM me if you have any questions Goodluck.
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#3
May 20, 2012, 06:08 PM
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Has he tried AA? That maybe a good place to start. But he has to be willing to try and quit, if he is not all the therapy and money in the world will not help. I wish you well.
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#4
May 20, 2012, 06:19 PM
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http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/
Look here for a therapist in your area who can help your son. From my own experience, I would suggest a psychodynamic psychotherapist. Good luck! |
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#5
May 20, 2012, 10:30 PM
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Quote:
Where are you? Like what country/state/region? That's a good way for people on here to help you since people come from all over on here and it would be a good way to find help. Secondly, I really think you should convince your son to stop drinking and smoking pot or at LEAST cut down if he can't. It's not helping his problems whatsoever and is possibly excaberating them, and he needs to acknowledge that. This is probably very difficult for you since it's really hard to take people out of their comfort zones. It's only once he's out of his comfort zone he can be helped by a mental health programme. Thirdly does he have any situational problems which is making him self-medicate with weed and alcohol? Unfortunately it's not as easy to 'force' help since he's an adult, although he's very young!
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 "It's only after you've lost everything, that you're free to do anything" |
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#6
May 21, 2012, 08:00 AM
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I'm not sure dual diagnosis would be appropriate because his drinking and pot use may be stemming directly from his anxiety. I have severe anxiety and I know marijuana relaxes me. Several states are making note of this and approving marijuana for medicinal use. My own psychiatrist says she would strongly consider prescribing marijuana for me if it were legal in my state.
More importantly, if he is labeled an addiict, they won't give him benzodiazepines ( drugs in the Valium family) there are improved versions like: Klonopin, Xanax, and Ativan. It is my experience that these work best for anxiety. Those who are labeled addicts however are given dangerous neuroleptics instead like: Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquel, and Abilify. They can have life long side effects like symptoms that mimic Parkinson's disease and the rare but deadly Neuroleptic malignant syndrome. In my long experience with anxiety and depression, benzodiazepines are best. |
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#7
May 21, 2012, 08:09 AM
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My thoughts lie with you and how you are coping.Maybe for you an al-anon program might help you also deal with your son's issues. He is not a child anymore and needs to take responsibility no matter how hard it is.
As a mom, I know its hard. I have two children that have alcohol issues and one of those also does drugs. She is also bi-polar. I had to set up good boundries in dealing with both my children. The help and support I received came from Al-anon. I still use its literature etc to help me. I attended meetings for a long time and only survived thru the program. Its so important that you take care of yourself thru this.
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Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live. Oscar Wilde Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich The road to hell is paved with good intentions. "And psychology has once again proved itself the doofus of the sciences" Sheldon Cooper 
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#8
May 21, 2012, 09:23 AM
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Dear Missbelle, I'm confused? he has to take responsibility for himself? It's true, but no one would say that to someone coping with depression. That sounds like the advice given to the parents of addicts. Is he an addict or mentally ill? I've been thru exactly what he's going thru. He is a mentally ill young man who has resorted to self-medication who needs his family now more than ever. This is not the time to issue him ultimatums or threaten to throw him out if he doesn't stop doing whatever. The drinking is the more serious problem by far. You need to find a very good psychiatrist and have him treated for his depression and anxiety, not send him to AA / go to Al-Anon. These are two very different courses of treatment. He shouldn't. Be punished for having a mental illness. The pot just needs to be replaced with a better anti-anxiety medication like Xanax. The drinking is far more harmful.
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