greendragon

You are so right, Jane! I guess I have been operating from a place of fear, which is the opposite of faith. Thank you for the reminder.

It's his name on the lease, but I am the cosigner. So unfortunately we would be on the hook for it if he moves out. We may be able to find someone take over the lease in August if he can't afford it after that. That will give him a few months to see if he can do it on his own. He has had a mental health evaluation. I thought he had aspergers syndrome, but the results showed social phobia, Avoidant personality disorder, and depression not otherwise specified. Apparently that was not enough for Social Security to declare him unable to work though. He has tried medication in the past, but he says he does not like the way it makes him feel, so he refuses to take it. Since he is an adult, no one can force him.

Thank you, Anne, I like that, the gift of discernment. Yes, he does take care of himself, for the most part. I have to get after him to cut his hair every 4 or 5 months though. He goes to college and gets decent grades (I think--he won't show me). I have helped him find out about counseling offered at the college, and he says he is going, but I have no way to verify if he is or not. I don't know how to help him deal with the emotions of others. What does that mean? How? Your question, Loudmouth, is a good one. He is using student loans to pay for school, but we pay his living expenses, or did until recently. Several months ago I told him that we could no longer support him financially, and gave him the option to move back home and take the train to school, or get a job, even if it was at DI, or get financial aid to pay for his housing. We also helped him to apply for food stamps. We are still awaiting their decision. I helped him apply for Social Security disability, but he was denied. We are in the process of appealing that decision. He got some money recently but won't tell me where he got it from. I suspect he is doing some sort of psychic readings and getting paid for it online. I encouraged him to do that a couple of months ago, but now I am second-guessing myself. He has to support himself somehow, but he can't seem to hold down any kind of a regular job, though. He has only ever held two jobs, and both of them let him go after the first three weeks. He just renewed his lease at his apartment for the next year, so we are locked into that now. Somehow we will have to make sure that he has rent money. My husband lost his job eight months ago, so we told him we can no longer support him financially. Should I talk to his bishop about all of this?

Vort, you say that he needs help, but my question is HOW do we help him get that help? As I said, he is very secretive and we don't see him often (he lives about 30 miles away), and he does not respond to my attempts to contact him. Should I just leave him alone and let him live his life? Should I call his bishop and tell him what I know? He is active, and holds a calling in his singles ward, but does not date. He can't stand for anyone to touch him, as he says contact makes the feelings of the person much stronger. I'm his mother, but he is an adult. As long as he is not a danger to himself or others, my hands are tied.

Hi, all, I need answers to something that is really confusing to me. My 22 yr old RM son recently revealed to us, his parents, that ever since he was 14 he has experienced what I woud call empathic abilities. He struggled on his mission, and is still struggling now in college. He avoids other people and is really uncomfortable in social situations and avoids them as much as possible. He now believes he is psychic. He says, "it is a near constant and permanent state as I feel others emotions and thoughts everywhere I go." So is he psychic? What does the church teach about this? I don't know whether to have him committed or encourage him to get a job as a psychic (he can't seem to hold down a "regular" job). Last year he was diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder and Social Phobia. Is he mentally ill, and should we help him get treatment? Because he's an adult, we can't really force him, and he is very secretive. How can I best help him? He lives in student housing near his college, so we don't see him very often and he usually ignores my emails, texts, and phone calls. What should I do?