Depression in Kids..

[honeymommy4]

Need some input here. We homeschool but I wondered if there are any ex-homeschool parents out there that had to put their kids in school for psych reasons.

 

I have a DS dx with OCD/Anxiety, tends to be more on the depressive low -energy side. Appears ver lazy, super intelligent, tough to parent. :)

 

the Psych doesn't think we need meds at this point. he has been suicidal in the past but now we think some of it is actually being made up (!) just for attention, etc. (sad but true - he is admitting to some of this)

 

Just wondering I have heard in the past of some parents that put their kids in school then saw a 100% turnaround without meds. I am hopeful for anything but wonder what it is like when these kids come home from school at the end of a (somewhat) stressful (albeit fun) day.

 

thanks all! :grouphug:

[Caroline]

Creekland, who posts mostly on the high school and college boards did out her son in school for similar reasons. You might want to private message her. I believe her son was much older than yours when she put him back in PS.

[dbmamaz]

Idk, it sounds suspicious to me. I dont trust professionals who accuse kids of faking this stuff. My son was suicidal at age 9 and he was IN school. We worked and worked with special ed, ieps, etc and it only got worse and worse. He is SO much happier at home, but is also still on three meds.

 

Is your son ASKING to go to school? and how long will your doctor push you to leave him in school if he gets worse?

 

Personally I find you have to parent emotional kids like this differently . .. and its quite possible that, for this kind of kid, the amount of one-on-one attention he can get in a larger family may not feel like enough. Even just with three kids, my daughter is still always upset that I was not able to give her the amount of attention she wanted.

 

Obviously you have to try something. And if your son says he wants to go to school, i would definitely try it. But be very careful for signs of things getting worse. and consider a second opinion, esp if something feels wrong - some doctors just think homeschooling is bad for kids and school is good for them

[honeymommy4]

Thanks you guys.

His doc is saying we need to choose what is best. I like that he is being open minded. jake is not wanting to go to school, frankly doesn't want to do anything, but I'd rather school him at home & have the fight about schoolwork during the day rather than after dinner. :)

 

We are going to consider meds. He's already had the appt. with the ped. so if things get bad we can call it in. i don't know what other signs to look for. he has highs & lows. DOES not want to work with a therapist BTW. but we are sending him.

 

i will message the creekside person. thank you!

[umsami]

I can't speak as a homeschooling Mom as having faced this, but I can talk about being a very depressed, sometime suicidal teen. Being in school added to my problems and depression, it did not help. The best thing in the world for my depression would have been to homeschool, but back then, it simply wasn't well known.

 

If he has highs and lows, is it possible he could have bipolar? Just something to consider. It's not always extreme mania and catatonic depression too.

 

I would consider meds. I would also look at CBT, exercise, sunlight, and diet as part of the therapy.

[MomatHWTK]

I would maybe look for another doctor. Do be cautious with the pediatrician prescribing, some of the meds can work differently depending on the diagnosis and have negative side effects. I would do something though. If the current physician's answers aren't working for you or your DS, keep looking. :grouphug:

[jenbrdsly]

:grouphug:

[Faithr]

My 13 yo was just diagnosed with ADD and a mood disorder, they don't want to label it either depression w/anxiety or bi-polar. He has just started seeing a psychologist and we've also been seeing a psychiatrist has to determine medication. We meet with the latter next Tuesday to find out what he suggests. My son has been wanting to go to school. He blames his unhappiness on homeschooling. I don't want to send him to public school. For one thing I think he'd just crumble. We tried to get him into a small classical Christian school but they didn't accept him, I think because of his learning disabilities. I have been homeschooling for a long time. Frankly, I think that my son might need the structure of going to a school. He has no internal sense of structure. I can't seem to provide what he needs. He lives entirely in his own mood and whatever current interest has seized him. He is deeply unhappy, bored and lonely. I have been trying to come up with activities, etc, etc to suit him but nothing works. I think he needs the energy of being around a lot of other kids. I am gong to call an educational consultant today to see if maybe someone who knows the schools in our area can come up with an alternative school that is a good fit for him. I was very anti-medication but I am warming up to at least trying something. I feel so badly for him because he is a slave to his moods. He's my 4th teen so I think I can discern between teen moodiness and a real problem with coping in life. Anyway, we'll see what happens. But yeah, we are thinking of putting him in school for pysch reasons.