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26 Year Old, At Home, On 12 Step Program For Narcotics. Slammed Head Into Wall In An Argument. What To Do ?

Posted on Fri, 13 Jul 2012

Question: My son just turned 26. He is still living at home and is in a 12 step program for narcotics. We got into a huge argument last night which lead me to believe he may have relapsed. During the argument he destroyed a fan and other things in his room and went into the bathroom where he slammed his head into the wall. He has done that before into a cement wall and it frightens me to death. How do I stop this behavior and get him some help. This is not normal. What can I do? I personally feel he need psychological help. I am bipolar and on medication. I have been doing very well for several years. His behavior frightens me both for myself and for his general health. I've looked online to see what I can find on the subjects but it seems only children exhibit this type of behavior.

Answered by Dr. Jasvinder Singh (1 hour later)

Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.

I can understand your concern for your son. What your son is having is substance induced mood disorder which can be due to withdrawal of the narcotics. Substance-induced mood disorders can have features of a manic, hypomanic, mixed, or depressive episode. This may show as symptom of increased irritability and anger.

My suggestion is to consult a psychiatrist and get your son evaluated. He may need to get started on selective serotonin reuptake inhibiotors (SSRI). He may also require antipsychotic drugs, mood stabilizing drugs and cognitive behavior therapy. Cognitive behavior therapy stresses on concentrating on reality check and explains pointlessness of fantasies and irrational thoughts to the sufferers. This is done by psychiatric sessions with a psychiatrist. Sometimes support groups may also help in the healing process.

If the substance-induced mood disorder (SIMD) symptoms are severe or cause significant risk of harm to the patient or others, inpatient psychiatric care needs to be considered.

Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.

Please accept my answer in case you have no follow up query.

Wishing you good health.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Jasvinder Singh (17 minutes later)

You have confirmed what my beliefs were, that it was a symptom of withdrawal. I only hope that I can get him to agree to see a psychiatrist. Any suggestions? Thank you for your quick response.

Answered by Dr. Jasvinder Singh (10 hours later)

Hello,

Thanks for writing back.

You need to talk to your son and persuade him to consult a psychiatrist. You can even talk to a psychologist and arrange for in home sessions with a psychologist so that he/ she can explain about the need of consulting a psychiatrist and starting with the treatment.

Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.

Please accept my answer in case you have no follow up query.

Wishing you good health.

Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar