I am posting for a friend of mine who is it his wits end. He has cried on the phone to me tonight. He has a 14 year old son who is really struggling at the moment. I think that he sounds depressed but I wondered if anyone had any advice.
He is at a high pressure grammar school and is really struggling. He often won’t go to school and, when he does, he spends an hour crying in the car beforehand. He says school is pointless. Pastoral care at the school doesn’t seem to be great. His grades are slipping and he’s not doing work.
Both of his parents work long hours (out of the house 7-7) and they have a part time nanny. Nanny seems a bit useless to me and doesn’t like confrontation with the children so they basically do as they please. The 14 year old spends all of his free time gaming which can be hours and hours a day (And night). He has absolutely no other interests and has basically not left the house since March. He won’t even go for a walk with the family. He is constantly mean to his two younger siblings often making them cry. They are a very wealthy family and don’t really want for anything.
They have booked an appointment for him to speak to someone but I’m expecting him to refuse to go when the times comes.
Can anyone suggest any support groups, advice pages, useful apps etc. that I could pass on? Thank you