This blog is my place to vent and share resources with other parents of children of trauma. I try to be open and honest about my feelings in order to help others know they are not alone. Therapeutic parenting of adopted teenagers with RAD and other severe mental illnesses and issues (plus "neurotypical" teens) , is not easy, and there are time when I say what I feel... at the moment. We're all human!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Suicide Watch

On the evening of Christmas, Bear let someone at the jail know that he felt suicidal.  When he called us a couple of days ago he let us know about it and that he'd been taken off Suicide Watch that day.  I think he's still pretty depressed, but nothing can be done about it.  He did let me know that he'd also hoped this would help the jail decide to help him get back on his meds.  Didn't make a difference though.  Poor Bear.

Next court date is in a couple of weeks.  I wish this were just over, whatever the results.  So we'd know what was going to happen and when we can get Bear help.  The county he's in is so tiny that they apparently only do jury trials 2 times a year.  Next time offered is not until June.  So much for a right to a speedy trial.

4 comments:

r. said...

Maybe you could have him write a letter to these people: http://www.okdlc.org

Sunday Koffron Taylor said...

I feel really bad for bear... *shigh*

Lisa said...

"Poor bear"? Please keep in mind that everyone seems to "see the light" when they spend an extended amount of time locked up. The problem isn't getting Bear help - the problem is Bear benefiting from that help and following thru with that help once he's out. I am not trying to sound cruel - I have just heard this exact same scenario over and over again with some of my adopted mom-friends' kids. We think about how we would feel in their situation and think that's how they feel too. We think, "Oh, they must be so happy to hear from us" or "Oh, they must be so relieved they're finally out of jail - they certainly can see now that they need to move home and take advantage of all the things we are offering them". The reality is that they will say and do ANYTHING while they're locked up - and I'm not saying they don't believe it when they're saying it - just that once they aren't locked up things look very, very different and their good intentions tend to fly out the window. Please don't fall into the trap of thinking he's completely sincere and that this experience will change his life forever for the better. It will ultimately hurt you more than it hurts him because you still seem so emotionally invested in his success/failures.

Take care of you!

marythemom said...

r.- I contacted them, but haven't heard anything back.

Lisa - Don't worry. I do not honestly expect to get much more than a honeymoon period out of this, but I'm hoping during that honeymoon we can get him established in some place like Gary Job Corp, and that this experience would help him stick with it for awhile. I do feel sorry for him, but I'm realistic too. Thanks for your concern.

Mary