Zoloft for 12 year old?

[hopesky]

my 12 year old son went through psycholigical testing and came back with a diagnosis of depression and low self-esteem.  Since the depression is NOT event related, but appears to be a brain chemical issue we are going with the doctors  reccomendation to begin zoloft today.   At first I was not agreeable to this but the more I see him struggle with overwhelming feelings I want him to have some relief so badly.

My wife is uBPD (therapist who mentioned BPD as a possibility is now "unprofessional" and she wont go back)

My son seems to have very similar patterns as my wife, and I suspect he is on the same track to be an adult BPD- he doesn't ever get depressed in the traditional sad way- he gets angry and abusive- very very angry and abusive

I am very curious on others experience with medication for children with BPD, or depression with BPD symptons?  is zoloft effective?  the doctor also thought about using mood stabilizing drugs to help control his anger... .anyone have experience with these drugs?

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders

[raytamtay3]

All I know is two years ago when they put my DD12 (at the time) on it, we had a crises situation. She got extremely violent and out of sorts. Had to take her off. She was also getting stomach pains from it.

[vivekananda]

Hi hopesky   

You must be feeling sad about the possibility of a young son with BPD. And to have your wife BPD also is a hard thing to watch. Have your learnt much of the skills we use here to help us with our relationships with our loved ones?

You ask specifically about drug use and your son is so young, that must be a difficult quandary.

I am sending you a link to the National guidelines for the Clinical Management of BPD from Australia. The report is based on the latest meta data analysis and so is reliable. It has a discussion on the various drugs used in BPD situations and there 'proven' effectiveness. It also has a good section on diagnosis of BPD in young people. Yes, it is Australian and the recommendations address the Australian situation, but the research is international so the findings should be universal. You can download the report for free.

Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Borderline Personality Disorder (Aust, 2012)

Also, I would highly recommend to you two books. Both are not directly about BPD, but I think they would prove immensely helpful to you with the issues you would face with your son... .and your wife could read them and gain some insight for herself!

"You don't have to make everything all better" by G & J Lundsberg

"Boundaries - when to say yes, how to say no to take control of your life" by H. Cloud and J. Townsend

Let us know how it goes, ok? You are in a powerful position to help your son because it's in the teenage years that positive behaviours benefit most from reinforcement.

take care of yourself too. Are you getting any face to face support for yourself?

Vivek    

ps I took Zoloft myself for a year or two a decade ago, it was wonderful for me, but I am an adult... .is the doctor suggesting any psychological therapy for your son?