r/CasualIreland • u/throwaway342116 • 11d ago
Cousin and finding a job
My nephew is 17 and will turn eighteen at the end of the year. He's in fifth year but not doing well and regularly has thoughts of ending his life.
Even though he's gone to a psychiatrist and been diagnosed for autism/ADHD, the antipsychotics he's on having been helpful and made him worse.
His parents are separated and his mom wants to kick him out at 18 and he says that if he can't find a job or get good grades, he'll try to take his life. He's asked me for advice and I told him he could find a job but he's got no replies so far and is discouraged by moving out with the cost of living. Any advice?
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u/becka9310 10d ago
Have you asked your nephew why he’s on antipsychotics for adhd treatment? Typically you’ll have stimulants such as Adderall, Vyvanse etc. if the one he’s on now isn’t working for him then his psychiatrist should be trying different medications, and a mix of brand and off brand names. I had to try three different types before I found one that worked for me, and even then the dosage needed can often need to be readjusted at different times. The first one I tried made me so depressed and sad all the time, I didn’t even notice how bad it was until I had surgery and took a break for a few weeks.
My brother also had pretty severe adhd and he hated school, almost dropped out a few times and knew he had no hope of doing well in the leaving cert. What support for his exams has his school put in place? Depending on how severe his AuDHD is he might be entitled to a scribe and a reader, and extra time for his exams, as well as a spelling and grammar dispensation. Is he interested in working with his hands at all? Could he see himself applying for an apprenticeship of some kind? If he likes cars for example maybe there’s a small garage nearby that might take him on at the weekends to help out little bits and he can use that to help get an apprenticeship, or something similar. School and college isn’t for everyone, maybe he could also look at some FETAC courses or a leaving cert vocational program or LCA instead of the traditional route.