My 19-year-old son Zach attempted suicide for the second time yesterday. Why am I posting about this? Because I know many parents have experienced this and feel ashamed as though it’s a reflection of their failure as a parent and a person.
Something like this is horrible to try and go through alone and my support system has been AMAZING in the past 24 hours.
Those familiar with the situation know Zach lives with Asperger’s, ADHD, Dyslexia and severe depression. His thinking is very rigid which has made tradition therapy ineffective as he refuses to budge from his negative beliefs.
We’ve done all we can on an outpatient basis and even inpatient. It’s clear now something more long-term is needed and things are in motion to make it happen.
One thing I’ve learned through raising Zach and his brothers (all with Asperger’s and ADHD) is our kids seem to experience more anxiety than we did as children. The onslaught of information and the bombardment of 24 hour video entertainment overloads their nervous system and they have a hard time learning how to calm down. That’s a conversation in itself.
It’s sad to say that we saw this second attempt coming and tried to prevent it. I won’t go into the specifics but fortunately, his mother discovered him yesterday morning and called 911.
He’s unresponsive to all but pain and shouting his name in response to which he opens his eyes. They’re monitoring his breathing and giving him what he needs to clear out his system.
Zach is a wonderful, loving young man who is suffering deeply and we will continue to work until we find the tools to help him find his happy again.
We’re doing well here. Unfortunately, we’ve done this once before and as I said, we felt this coming. We don’t need anything at this point but should that change I’ll be sure to ask.
I share this primarily for you. Help your child without embarrassment or shame. We don’t don’t have crystal balls or magic wands as parents, but we do have each other. Reach out, let us in and we’ll get through this together.
