My son's battle with social aniexty and depression
All week my 13 year old son decided not to go to school. We tried everything we could to get him there but he would just not burge. He is terrified of being judged by his school mates and not making friends at school.
We, his parents understand his panic and aniexty but are very concerned about him failing his grade eight year and having to repeat it again. This would be a shame because he is very intelligent and when well ,gets great grades.
We decided to try putting him on medicine. This was a very hard decision for us to make because we rather not put someone so young on medicine. But after 6 months of trying different techniques of managing this situation we are very fustrated and are willing to try anything.
He was able to do a half day of school on Friday so we were relieved about that!
I will keep you posted about this situation!! 
Replies
Ida, my thoughts and prayers are with you. i have lots of difficulty also in 8th grade. i wouldn\'t go to school many times. i just couldn\'t handle it. in high school, things got better. i hope and pray, for you all, that your son\'s situation gets much better, so that he can enjoy his school year. :)
if you need to talk, i\'m here. :) hugs
Hi Ida,
Just wanted to lend my support in what, I know, must be a trying time for you and your family! I AM glad to hear that your son made it through a half day on Friday! I\'m always here for you if you want to talk! Please take good care of yourself and yours, love! BIG peace to one and all!
Meg
Shyness is both inherited and learned. He will learn to get over his as he sees you progress in life. You\'re his teacher. We are products of our parents, whether we want it or not. Hugs, Oli
I was just the sgyest person in school and i\'ve only just started to get over it now, in my 40\'s. I found it so hard to mix at school and only ever had one friend and when she was off school i felt so lost without her. I know how your son feels. I feel for him.
Hey Ida, meds at such a young age can be VERY dangerous. It could make him suicidal, watch for mood changes. There are alternatives to public school, some of them are even publicly funded...One example is virtual schooling , done from your home computer. You\'ll have to check to see if your state funds it though...Go online & serch for \"virtual home schools\"...you\'llhave to specify elementary otherwise you get grade 10 & up...well hope this helps
When my son was diagnosed with ADHD, my doctor pressured me to put him on medication. I resisted. He explained to me that to not do so, I would be denying him an education. After two months of deliberating, I decided I would try it for 8 weeks and then see what happened.
I contacted the school to let them know. They also had to give him an afternoon dose of medication. Six weeks after I started the medication, his teacher sent home a large envelope. In it, was a note from his Grade 2 teacher. She had provided me with two examples of Jordan\'s work; one done one week prior to medication, one six weeks later. The first was a series of 6 pictures. Under each picture was childish printing identifying each picture, each one spelled wrong. The second page was my son putting together compound sentences with a conjunction and the printing was neat and very legible. So you see, in my case, this was the RIGHT decision.
I did not however use medication outside of school situations. I never medicated him on weekends or any other time outside of school. I loved his \"free spirit\".
I think you should do research on the internet and then, monitor him closely. You may be denying your son an education if you don\'t.
Good Luck. Keep me posted! HUGS
Oh, I really understand what your son is going through. I had some of the same problems when I went to school-back then they didn\'t medicate kids or get them therapy, they just told me I would grow out of it. Consequently I became very withdrawn and shy. I was voted quietest in my class in highschool. I shall being praying for him.
Sorry to hear about your son, I\'m extremely shy too. I had trouble in school, the others kids would pick on me. It can be very difficult, I pray for your son and you to get the help that you need. I was watching Montel Williams today and a young girl was having trouble with kids picking on her and Montel suggested getting the girl into something martial arts to boost the confident. If it is possible try getting your son into something that he would enjoy and gain confident.
I was very shy in school, we had a teacher which would throw chalks and board rubbers at us and we were only little girls he really frightened us all, I hope everything works out X
My love, I\'m so sorry to hear about your son\'s situation. I wish there was something I could do or suggest. I suppose some sort of home-schooling environment is out of the question? It doesn\'t have to be your home if you and your husband are unavailable. It could be another home with other children who are being home schooled. But, that way there are less people, and less anxiety. Just a suggestion. And I don\'t know if you\'ve already tried it. Please let me know. Love you always and forever. Blessings my friend. Theresa