Help my 14 yr old is hearing voices...im so worried

[belleshell]

My DS came today for a few days he is 14 but lives with his dad. It was his choice to stay with his dad, when we split he had started high school and didn't want to leave his friends.... I had to respect his decision because exH threatened to take me to court and to fight for custody, I didn't want that.

So taday he came, the minute he walked through the door I notices cuts on his arm, I didn't say anything to start but waited till he was in and settled.

He has told me in the past he hears noises (or voices.like someone mumbling!), and I just thought it might be an overactive conscience. but today he said the noice mumbles and tells him he is bad, and told him to cut his arms, he says it doesn't say anything about anyone else.

I have recently found out he is smoking, and he has tried cannabis, I did nt make a big issue but told him I wasn't happy, I thought it might just be a phase, he told me so it wasn't on his mind (that's what he does!!)

Now I feel sick...........wtf do I do!!

ive posted this in mental health too!!

Your DS needs to see a doctor asap. A parent should accompany him, and talk to the GP as well as giving him some time to speak to the Dr. alone. Have you spoken to his dad about this?

The first thing to do is stay calm.

Hearing voices is more common than you might imagine so jump to the conclusion that he is showing symptoms of psychosis. My dd (now 16) sometimes hears voices, it is a symptom of distress according to her psychiatrist. She cuts too, we've been asked not to try and stop her as it's her way of relieving strong emotions that she can't handle.

Call your doctor on Monday and arrange a referral to CAMHS for help for both of you.

Do you get on well enough with your ex to discuss it with him because consistency in how you deal with it is going to be key.

You need to take him to a GP either one you trust or one his Dad trusts. It could be OCD - a relative of mine suffers from this and when he's having a hard time he hears voices that tell him what to do.

Don't jump to the conclusion!

YY to seeing your GP and ask for a referral to CAMHS. If he is already back at school then I would also talk to pastoral support there too.

He needs help. If he is having any suicidal thoughts or the voices are telling him to s/h then I believe that A&E have an on-call CPN too.

Hi

When I was working in autism diagnosis I had a young lad once who was hearing voices and the psychiatrist I spoke to said that it is very rare for hearing voices at this age to be a sign of serious lifelong mental illness. It is often the case that at this age young people in distress distance themselves from their own thoughts by ascribing character to them. It still needs an urgent referral but don't panic yet.

Minmooch I have had OCD and the voices are not heard in this sense: it is a diagnostic criterion of OCD that you know that thoughts and obsessions arise from your own mind and are not coming from outside yourself.. so they are not really voices telling you what to do but intrusive thoughts you are having you wish you weren't having but are too intense for you to ignore. At a young age it can be complicated but people with OCD do nit hear voices.

Working9while5 - yes many apologies. Now that you have written that, that is how my cousin described it. I remembered it wrong. Sorry to have caused any confusion.

Sorry not wanting to be pedantic!

A young man I know had a psychotic episode a few years ago, brought on by smoking strong weed. He was fine , it didn't last long, and it was the warning he needed to stop smoking. I think your son is probably doing drugs more often than he has told you. Cannabis is a big trigger for this sort of behaviour, he really needs to stop all weed asap. Get him seen by your GP as a first port of call. Hopefully the "voices" will resolve when he isn't smoking but the self harm will need longer support.

Cannabis is known to trigger this in some people.

I think the key is talking to his dad and agreeing a plan together. If he lives with his dad, it may not help to go and see your GP, but may make more sense to see his local GP and local CAMS. It is important to assure continuity of care given how hard it is to get proper access to mental health services in the first place. It is also important that you and his dad can agree an approach on how to help him together.

I hope he gets help soon. I think there was a book published about this not long ago, believe it is called 'Cutting' it was discussed on Radio 4. Not sure if it would be any help?

The book is by Steven Levenkron and it is on Amazon.co.uk

Agree get to gp straight away and he needs to stop cannabis use immediately.

belleshell how is he today?

Today he has slept till two and now he is bored, I've tried talking and suggesting things but all he wants to do is go home and go out on his bike! (His bike helps him blow off steam I think) but rather than give in like I would in the past, I'm sticking to my guns, tomorrow I have booked just me and him into a hotel for some time alone. My dd is like my shadow, I can't talk to anyone as she is by my side constantly...I'm hoping ex sorts gp appointment out for this week, I'm also going to spend 2 nights in a hotel in the village ds lives with his dad.

We have had snippets of chats, he says he hates his dad, but refuses to come live with me because he doesn't know anyone,,,, I've asked him to try just for a term but all I get in NO, should I force the issue? Will this make him even more unsettled?? He hasn't cut himself at all whilst he as been here, and he defo hasn't had. Any cannabis! I have tried to ring the community police officer for the area he lives, but he is un available, I will report that there is drug dealing going on at the school and surrounding area... Ds says a lot of his friends are doing it...

I am at the end of my tether today..... I feel so lost and helpless....