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znp
Senior Contributor

15YO son suddenly anxious

Hi all

I have a 20YO son with BPD, anxiety and depression. The BPD diagnosis is relatively new. This post is not about him however.

In the last three days, our 15YO son has suddenly started getting anxious and crying.

It seemed to start when he watched a single scene of a zombie flick before it was turned off on Tuesday. That night, he slept with me.

The following day he was teary in the evening with my wife and me. He couldn't say why.

Yesterday he was again teary occassionally but then also anxious and not feeling safe in our home. No one else was there, just my wife and him. They went out. He was teary when I got back from work but calmed quickly.

With our previous experiences with our older son, we are very sensitive to mental health concerns. We have arranged to see a GP tomorrow. This may be a transient issue so I wanted to know if anyone had any experiences to offer.

Of course, we can't 100% say that he has not had any other triggers, or some trauma we don't know about, but it currently appears not. He's fit, active, has small group of good friends, loves creating, etc. It was totally surprising. Of course he has been around while our older boy experienced many problems over the last five years and at times that has been stressful for everyone.

Thanks!

 

6 REPLIES 6

Re: 15YO son suddenly anxious

Hi @znp ..... and welcome to the forums.  I hope you find it helpful to chat to others who understand caring for someone around mi issues.  It has certainly helped me to not feel so isolated in our circumstances.

I wouldn’t like to hazard any guesses regarding what may be happening for your 15yo, so as to not overly concern you.  I would want to presume it is transient until such a time as something substantiating surfaced ...... but it may also be an uncorking of pent up anxiety from what he has experienced with his brother’s circumstances.

Out of left field my younger son fell down in the wake of my husband’s eating disorder issues - as yet undiagnosed cos they are hidden, extreme and out of the usual brackets - and under investigation there is talk of a familial personality disorder.  It looks like we are in for a multiple diagnosis with mr. f&h when we eventually get there, but it has broken my heart to see my kids hurt in the process.

I think you are doing the most sensible thing possible by getting your younger son checked out.  He may just need a voice for a while with the support of a counsellor.  

Please keep us in the loop.

There are other parents here caring for BPD “kidults” too.  You will find them quite easily using the Search bar.

If your up for some social interaction or distraction at any time, check out the Social Spaces discussion topics.

💐 F&H

Former-Member
Not applicable

Re: 15YO son suddenly anxious

Hi @znp

Welcome to the Sane forums and that sounds like a concerning response from your 15yro son. I wonder if the zombie movie was just the final straw in him trying to cope with stresses in his life? Sometimes horror movies can trigger deep fears and nightmares.

It's probably a good approach to give him extra support and encourage him to talk about his anxiety. If things don't improve in a week or so, a visit to the GP would be a good idea.

The end of the year seems to intensify things and people are tired before Christmas.

I'm sure others will respond to your post over the weekend. In the meantime, take a look around some of the other threads. 

Have a good weekend,

Frog

Re: 15YO son suddenly anxious

Thanks Frog 🙂

We saw his GP and he was very helpful. He knows us well - including my own personal story and my older boys story.

He suggested, based on what Jack told him, that it's probably transient and will fade in a short time. That was comforting for my son and I have already seen him improve by us doing some things together - like going to the basketball, heading out for a trail run, etc.

So - I am quietly hopeful, but keeping watch.

If things reoccur in a short time then we will see his GP again.

Re: 15YO son suddenly anxious

Thanks F&H.

We saw his GP and he was very helpful. He knows us well - including my own personal story and my older boys story.

He suggested, based on what Jack told him, that it's probably transient and will fade in a short time. That was comforting for my son and I have already seen him improve by us doing some things together - like going to the basketball, heading out for a trail run, etc.

So - I am quietly hopeful, but keeping watch.

If things reoccur in a short time then we will see his GP again.

I'm going to check out the BPD and the social interaction pages as you suggest.

I really hope that your son and husband improve. It sounds like a really tough situation and I am sad to hear about it. Take care!

Re: 15YO son suddenly anxious

Thanks @znp ....

I hope you feel comfortable here ..... it’s been a God-send for me, being heard and understood, even if the mi issues we are dealing with differ.

Re: 15YO son suddenly anxious

Yes, talking with others with experiences is always the best way to help yourself. Take care.

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