How do I talk to my son to convince him to seek help for his anxiety/depression?

[mvega1224]

My son is 31 years old and for the past two years suddenly fell into depression due to his anxiety and panic attacks. As a result he has stopped going out for those past two years. He has 7 yr old son and he has neglected him in the sense that he doesn't want to do any outdoor activities with him. My son has no desire to do anything and he wasn't like that in the past. I talk to him sooo much calmly but he keeps denying anything is wrong with him and says he is "fine nothing wrong with me" Is this normal? I just want him to seek help. Last time I got a psychologist to do a home visit to him and Bryan was just not cooperating with the doctor. The doctor did say Bryan is depressed as he shows no interest in anything.

[Remi]

Hello,

 

A really interesting and common question here for us. Often when people are depressed it is a really hard thing to admit - imagine your brain being in a fog so it is hard to see anything clearly or decipher feelings - often just getting through the day feels like a huge challenge.

 

This may be why he is resistant to talking therapies at the moment, they can feel daunting and unneccessary. I would recommend trying to get him to talk to someone else first - maybe a friend about how he is feeling to open the conversation up as it must be hard hearing it come from a parent and sometimes we have to come to that conclusion on our own. Remind him that looking after your mental health is just as important as our physical health and that there is absolutely no stigma involved in admitting that things are a bit tough at the moment.

 

Maybe organise a family picnic with your grandson and son so he spends some time outdoors. I would suggest letting him come to his own decision about speaking to a counsellor as he will engage with the service so much more if he knows it is his decision and he has some agency and control over his life.

 

Everyone is different and there is no 'one size fits all' remedy to solving depression but continue to make him aware that people love him and that he has support available when he choses to access it.

 

I hope this helps, feel free to keep me updated with his progress.

 

-Remi