Hi,
My 16 year old son has Asperger's syndrome and severe anxiety. He was an inpatient in a CAMHS unit for seven months last year and again, due to low mood and suicidal ideation, for three weeks in June this year.
My problem is that he panics/melts down in almost any social situation. So we cannot travel on public transport, he won't go into shops, he runs upstairs if anyone unfamiliar comes to the house where we are lodging or if family groups are too large. He also says he hears voices, sees visions of a black cat or a scary face, and has intrusive thoughts which he writes down. The content of his writing is graphic, violent and sexual in nature. His psychiatrist says this could be OCD.
Currently my son is under a Child Protection Plan and we are essentially homeless. Colleges say they cannot meet his needs and the local authority is looking at a personalised package of learning for him. I hope that once our accommodation is sorted out and we can develop our own routine my son's mental health will improve. However, I am scared for him at the moment. I want to help him by supporting him to take those little steps towards re-engaging, but I know it is a gigantic task.
In addition, I feel a bit out of my depth. I can understand the anxiety (to some extent) and I can see how this is compounded by autism. I can understand that OCD can manifest itself in horrible intrusive thoughts. But the voices and the visions are something else. Can anxiety and related condition result in hearing voices and hallucinating or could my son have some form of psychosis?
I realise only personal opinion can be expressed here, but any advice or guidance would be appreciated.