Posted by Racer on October 12, 2006, at 9:58:01
In reply to Can Our Son Be Helped?, posted by flame on October 12, 2006, at 7:46:52
That's the good news, of course, and it's trite and pat. It's also true...
Your son has a psychiatrist, who's prescribed a very low dose of Risperdal. Why not raise it high enough to act on the OCD behaviors? Someone with more knowledge than I have will have to weigh in on whether this latest purse snatching is OCD-related or some other sort of impulse control disorder, but my guess is that a slightly higher dose of Risperdal is likely to be helpful. Or maybe raising the Prozac dose would help.
But more than either of those options, I strongly recommend getting him in to see a really good therapist. (And not only because we're on the psychotherapy board ;-) ) Working with a good therapist, he can learn new copings skills, and ways to control those impulses. Impulse control can be hard to learn as adults, but with motivation, a good therapist, and hard work, he can do it. DBT might be particularly helpful for him, if you can find someone in your area who practices it.
I'd also recommend family counseling -- at least for you and your husband, to help you learn to deal with the inevitable stresses something like this puts on you. If you can get into family therapy where your son comes along, too, as well as everyone seeing the T alone, that seems as though it would be optimal. (The idea being that each of you can express yourself alone in safety, and then, with the T's help, express yourself to your family with some safety.)
The last thing I have to say is that, if your son is over 18, it's important for you to start letting go. You cannot control what choices he makes, you cannot make him do anything -- but if he starts to resist your efforts (which most kids have practice doing with their mothers), you can impede him in the process of deciding whether he wants to change his behavior in order to stay out of jail. Offer him advice, sure -- but if he says something like, "Mom, what should I do," I'd advise an answer that sounds more like, "Well, Son, here are the realistic options in front of you. Think about the possible results of taking any of them, and decide which is in your best interest," rather than just telling him what you think he "should" do. Or ask him what he thinks his options are, or ask him what he thinks would happen if he makes Choice A rather than Choice B.
I'm sorry you're going through this. It sounds really hard.
poster:Racer
thread:694065
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20061012/msgs/694109.html