Hi all. I am the Mum of a chronically depressed, neurodivergent adult child in their 20s. They've had anxiety, depression and an eating disorder since they were quite young and have recently been diagnosed with ASD Level 2. They have socially isolated themselves for the last 8 years, rarely leaving the house, spending all their time gaming online and barely functioning. So imagine my joy when one of their online friends actually came to visit and spend time with them! I thought "At last, they might be able to be social, leave the house, start forming a life of their own!". But then shortly after the visit, the friendship ended and my adult child fell into despair - constant crying, sleeplessness, not eating, not functioning. This has been going on for 6+ months now and even with weekly psychologist sessions, things are not getting better. They talk about being a failure, wanting to die, never being able to live a normal life - they actually told me they never planned for a future because they always assumed they would kill themselves. As a parent, I am so totally devastated and feel utterly helpless & depressed. I have spent my life getting them support whenever it's needed and trying to hold everything together for them. i'm now in my late 50s, looking towards retirement and unable to see a future for myself because I'm just continuously caring for them. I don't know what to do. I thought maybe the NDIS might have resources to help them, but with the recent cutback announcements, I don't think help for autistic adults will be available. I just want them to wake up to themself and get a life! But they have so many mental/physical issues that it won't happen. I'm just at a loss, and I have nowhere to turn.
I just needed to get all that off my chest. Thanks for reading.
