Stepson shows all the signs?!
Question: My stepson, 14, who has been in therapy for 8 years, has had issues with wetting the bed[up untill last year] & cruelty to animals[his favorite cat died under mysterious conditions last week] & he has an affinity for open flames. He also steals any womens underwear he can find. He threatens, past adult ears, to "kill" his younger cousins. He does nothing for himself in any of his therapies and I've been looking to have him placed in a residential mental health facility even though his doctors say that with counsiling & a lot of love he "shouldn't" be a danger to himself or others.
I belive otherwise. What do you think?
Answers: My stepson, 14, who has been in therapy for 8 years, has had issues with wetting the bed[up untill last year] & cruelty to animals[his favorite cat died under mysterious conditions last week] & he has an affinity for open flames. He also steals any womens underwear he can find. He threatens, past adult ears, to "kill" his younger cousins. He does nothing for himself in any of his therapies and I've been looking to have him placed in a residential mental health facility even though his doctors say that with counsiling & a lot of love he "shouldn't" be a danger to himself or others.
I belive otherwise. What do you think?
I think you're right. You should admit him to a mental health facility immediately. You don't need your doctor's permission to do so. Call a local facility, and tell them what you wrote here, and they'll probably call him in for a therapy session where they'll analize him and decide if he needs to be there. At least, that's what they did with me. If he needs it, he will be admitted almost immediately. I am 14 and have been in a mental health facility for depression, and though it sounds like your son has something more severe than depression, I'm sure the proceedure should be the same. Good luck. =]]
I think it's time to switch doctors! If it were my stepson, I'd take him to a psychiatrist. This is not normal behavior for a 14 year old. If he were younger, I may dismiss it as lashing out because of being in a step parent situation. But as far as I can see it, you're just seeing the red flags as any concerned parent would.
I agree with you. At the present time, this young man needs more help than he is getting at home. He is crying out for help.
He could have been turned this way from the loss of his original father. Find out how his father died?
Or maybe you're not showing him enough love. From what you said, he was only 6 when you became his stepfather. The common thing between stepparent and stepson is that they do not share the bond that parent and child, or parent and the other stepparent share. It could be the early loss of a father figure, and neglect by another one he regards as his new father.
You're actually planning to have him placed in a residential mental health facility...
If this has gone on for EIGHT years already it'll be hard to change.
Go find out why he's acting the way he does.
It sounds like he definitely needs to be placed in a facility where he cannot harm himself or others. It also sounds like he might have some underlying anger issues that have went unresolved. Likewise, I would find another doctor if I were you - one that exclusively deals with behavior disorders.
Take this seriously, I believe he does need more powerful help. Maybe today he won't be in danger of hurting himself and others, but we don't know what this could develop into in a few years. Take all the measures you can now to prevent the worse.
He may get better after some serious help, and you will never know how much it helped , but I think you would be ok with that. :)
Prevention it the key!
" It is better to build a fence at the top of a cliff than to build a hospital at the bottom of it. "