Newbie

Hi,

My son (29) was told by local MH team he had autism and PTSD about a year ago after troubles throughout school and college.

Luckily I found a local therapist who successfully treated his PTSD with Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).

It is heartbreaking to read posts here that are so akin to my son's experiences.

I've already seen several posts on this forum mentioning involvement with Early Intervention Psychosos Teams and wonder if this is common for teenagers with autism? The most significant thing my son's EIP team did was tell us to call the police and get him sectioned when he had a breakdown. (We didn't.)

That was over 10 years ago and since then he has increasingly struggled with employment, only sees us briefly when he comes out of his small room to collect his dinner or make drinks and snacks, use the bathroom or go out for a cigarette.

I admire how he has stuck with jobs despite bullying and the extreme stress he felt when at work but he always ends up being pushed out due to a combination of stress, anxiety, willingness to please and do too much/unreasonable hours/bullying. HIs last job ended a year ago. I really feel for him as I too have never fitted in during education and at work.

I have always encouraged him and suggested things such as an art access course he recently started and quickly left as it overwhelmed him and did not give the support he needed. However, I am at the point that I worry that my plethora of ideas might make him feel inadequate/set him up for failure. I feel if I don't keep trying to encourage him it means I'm just burying my head in the sand and leaving him to think about what he wants to do, which ends up as sitting in his room watching films and smoking in the garden. I worry he will do that for the rest of his life and be very vulnerable when I'm no longer around. I also dread him getting ill from al the rollies he smokes.

I feel at a loss as to how I can help him improve his life. I am very fortunate to have a supportive husband since my son was 11-years-old but it was hard for him as he soon had a little brother and I had MH issues due to an abusive previous relationship.

On a lighter note, things are a lot better than they were when he was a teenager and stopped washing or speaking to anyone (except for me) for about 2 years.

I am looking forward to participating in the discussions on this forum and I hope that I can help as well as receive advice. :)

I feel better already that I am addressing a group of people who understand a situation I rarely discuss with others.