Advice RE: ADHD son with serious struggles

calla1
Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:07:14 +0000

Tortoise, of course OP needs to be working with qualified medical and mental health personnel. And the ADHD piece needs to be addressed by a professional. I’m not sure why you are thinking I disagree with that. And from OP’s original post, it sounds like they are.

She asked about experiences, and I shared the experience of my friend’s son. I encouraged her to focus more on the drug piece, as I did not hear any intervention around that part of it. Yes, the drug usage may be an attempt at self-medication in an ADD teen, but drug use takes on a life of its own and absolutely must be addressed. Addressing the ADD issues will NOT magically make the drug issues go away. And it is extremely difficult for a person to make emotional progress when they are actively using. So to avoid addressing that piece is, IMO, to unwittingly sabotage treatment.

This is my opinion only, based on what I have seen. OP asked for feedback. Each of us writes based on our experience. It is understood that this is a message board and not a substitute for professional treatment.

OP, you are the one who knows your son best. Raising teens is so very difficult. And we second-guess ourselves enough: I hope you don’t feel criticized by anything I’ve written. Best wishes to you. You are obviously a very caring and loving mom.