Reply to Please tell me how your borderline 16 year old became a healthier 17, 18, 19 year old

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Reply to "Please tell me how your borderline 16 year old became a healthier 17, 18, 19 year old"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]PS-she also finished college, and is married to a very responsible man with great family values. :-)[/quote]

This sounds like one of my good high school friends- she had severe anxiety and had many issues in high school. She did better in college and ended up having a great career, happy marriage, kids and is very content with life.
You may not hear many success stories here because of the audience- most of the readers of the teen forum have teens today, many people look at this topic because they are dealing with issues.  The one's who aren't having issues with their kids any longer probably don't visit this site often as they've moved on.   I think maturity helps a tremendous amount.  Teen years have become crazy tough because social media distorts so much of what life should be like.  [/quote]

NP. I was EXACTLY like your daughter in middle and early high school. Every single thing you wrote, I did (different psych ward, though). I cycled on and off various psych meds, saw a bunch of doctors and therapists, and gave my parents hell from the time I was 13 until I was 16. I really don't think my mom thought I would make it. Sometimes I wasn't sure, either, and I didn't really care. I don't want to say I "snapped out of it" because I definitely still have depression, which is thankfully well-controlled with meds, and I suspect I had a pretty serious case of ADD all along, too. I still see a psychiatrist to check in and manage medication, and I've done counseling over the years especially when dealing with tough things in life like parental illness or work-related stress. However, things really hit a turning point for me once I was close to 17. I wish I could say there was some magic thing that happened, but there wasn't. I just started feeling...better. It was a gradual process. I guess I just got out of my own head. I became more social, started caring about other people, including the guy I'd been dating, who I eventually married after college. I went to college, got married, have a great family with kids, lots of friends, and a "for fun" job I enjoy. I'm in my early 40s. Most days, I feel great. I have told my story to plenty of parents of teens who are incredulous and usually don't believe me at first.

There are two things you wrote that I would mention: It's vitally important that your daughter is vigilant about the Pill, and if there is any doubt in your mind about this, get her on long-acting birth control. Seriously. That was not an option in my day, and my mom was absolutely insistent that I take the Pill every day (I was 14 when I started having sex). I didn't want a baby either so this was one of the few issues that wasn't a fight, but I knew a lot of girls who had the story end differently. Also, you sound like you are communicating with your daughter every day, as best you can, and that is huge. My parents never, ever stopped trying to engage me or tell me they believed in me, and I really think that's a big part of why I came out alright. I wish you and your family the very best![/quote]

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