hi I am a new user of this forum

@seahorse Welcome to the Forums. I hope you will find it a supportive and encouraging space for you to share your story. It can't be easy what you are going through right now caring for your son, so it is great you have joined the community here... Remember you are not alone, we are with you all the way.

Hi @seahorse

Welcome the Forums.

Sounds like you're both you and your son are managing quite a bit. Can I ask if the behaviours you've described are out of character for your son?

Perhaps I can point out a few discussions on here that might be useful for you.

@Louise also has a teenage son who has bipolar. From what I've read of her posts, her son has improved with treatment - perhaps she can give some advice? You can also read and contribute to her discussion thread, which you can find here.

@Rebecca similarly has a son with bipolar. You can read more about her story here.

I also realise that you might not have had a chance to have a look at the Community Guidelines, so I just want to let flag that we're not able to discuss the specifics of medication on here. It's because people can have very different reactions to medication so we encourage people to chat to their health professionals about specifics about meds. Speaking about medication very generally is ok though.

Hope to see more of you on the Forums!

Not to worry at all @seahorse! Hope you don't feel deterred by it. It happens. The Community Guidelines are not the easiest to find so it's understandable if you haven't come across them.

Hope we can still help out.

Sorry to hear about your son.

My son was a slightly similar profile but we never went the depot meds path.

I was terrified of the withdrawn aspect of MI .. if you read my posts you will understand why. So I have always tried to keep various forms of contact going with all my kids .. something tactile .. to reach through somatic isolation and bring them out of their heads etc ..whether it be water .. swimming .. little touches .. with my son I had most success with play fights with serviettes and empty milk cartons .. something that couold not harm anyone .. gently .. find something to break through that makes sense with you and your son .. its totally reasonable for him to feel overwhelmed and lost.

Good luck

researching via books, forums, youtube and finding others with similar experiences i think is a fantastic idea

My son school refused from term 4 year 7. During year 10 a principal agreed to see him for an hour per month. That was about it really most of the time we had to figure stuff out ourselves. It may be a long haul, but set protective limits for yourself. There is a home school movement that may help with ideas to pass the time .. educate etc .. It has been 8 years since then and we have sort of life .. not standard, but unique, viable and ours.

Dont forget that you are a better expert on your son, that all the most well mewaning doctors and books in the world.

Remember it is doable.