Late Teen Son with ADD & Bipolar doesnt acknowledge need for meds
My son who is 19 was recently diagnosised with ADD and BI-Polar, we have tried many different counselors and he just tries to "beat them at their own game" like on figuring out why the doc is asking questions, and then not really working with the doctor.
Right now, my son lives at home and I have to make sure he takes his meds (Lexapro and Strattera) they are low doses. I have explained to him that these meds help the neutrons in his brain connect and that they don't alter his original self. At first he was okay taking the meds, however, recently he's been more defiant. I just have to make sure that he takes them which is taking them out and handing them to him then he'll complain and moan and groan, but takes them.
How can I get him to understand that these are necessary meds, and that counseling really can help him develop coping skills. I've tried using my own self, how I take vitamins as a preventative measure, simplier are these meds. HELP!!
Re: Late Teen Son with ADD & Bipolar doesnt acknowledge need for meds
Hi.
I can't say that I've had personal experience with ADD but felt urged to write anyway. I don't know that there is any easy way to make a 19 year old acknowledge certain needs and there may be many different reasons. ADD has a certain stigma attached to it and no child or parent wants to be connected to that. It's good that you have explained the medical side of it, but make sure you do your research.
A friend of mine has a boy who was diagnosed and he spent many years on different types of drugs, his name was likened to Billy the Kid (ie: he was quite a notorious figure) and his mother was also given the cold shoulder by less understanding mothers. But deep down she knew that he had been mis-diagnosed, not as a form of denial but by trusting her intuition. She took him to a naturopath, sent him to a behavioural school and also to counselling. He is a highly intelligent boy.
But recently she took him to an alternative doctor who did many tests on him and found that he had been grossly misdiagnosed and that there was an imbalance within him..then subsequently put on different types of herbs, treatments etc. She has halved his medication within 2 weeks, changed his eating habits and he is 100percent better. He still has a long way to go, but now that he understands what was REALLY wrong with him, he is happier than I;ve ever seen him.
There are too many orthodox medical people diagnosing kids with ADD because it's easier to prescribe a cure than to search for the cause - easier to write a little script and move on to the next patient. Please always trust your own intuition and get a second and third opinion...and don't be afraid to research alternative therapies.
Good luck with everything:)
