About a year ago I discovered that my DS now aged 17 was suffering from anxiety and depression. He also suffers from insomnia. In that time he's been up and down. He is now particularly down and it seems likely that he will drop out of 6th Form (he's in his second year of studying A levels) despite school being very accommodating and open to various changes to make things easier for him.
He and I spoke this morning and he agrees that leaving school won't solve his problems but he won't engage with anything that might help because he believes nothing will make a difference.
He has visited the GP several times resulting in:
- prescription for beta blockers for anxiety which he takes daily
- advice to take vitamin D as he is deficient but he hasn't done that because he doesn't think it will work, seems to think it's akin to homeopathy and 'not proper medicine'
- session with a private psychologist (which he hated) who recommended CBT, he didn't want to do that
- referral to CAMHS, we attended the initial assessment, he agreed to attend a course but only to get out of the meeting, I knew he wouldn't go and he hasn't. CAMHS have just discharged him because he's not engaged.
- referral to Sleep Solutions, we attended an initial assessment that he accepted wasn't as bad as he thought it would be but he was discharged with advice given as that's what he wanted. He's not applied the advice given.
I know he is effectively an adult and I can't force him to engage but it's so hard as a parent to be unable to help your child. I worry that if he leaves school he will just descend further into depression. Is there anything I can do?