Reply To: My son is having headaches…

[PopeBeanie]

My older daughter had visual symptoms of migraine (without headaches) at 9 years old, but we didn’t realize it was migraine until years later when serious headaches kicked in. Before anything gets diagnosed, try to be aware of potential triggers like something in the diet, and (like you say) TMJ. My daughter had (probably genetic) TMJ and finally got treated in her early 20s by an orthodontist so that her jaw would sit more comfortably, which helped. With internet research maturing, I’ve effectively diagnosed a few things now that I couldn’t have several years ago, so learn what you can and have higher level discussions with med and psych workers.

Don’t give up on the system! It has its own problems, but most of the people in it still care, and you should at least have someone to talk with who can keep your circumstances and history documented. I know you know that, but do your best to beat the depression, which is itself debilitating. Find the best friends possible you can do things with, and don’t blame yourself even when you make mistakes. Maybe think about other people in your situation, and wonder what they might do, or what you might think of doing to help them. (I made a lot of progress by turning my depression around that way… seeing if I could gain insight just by imagining I’m in other people’s shoes who deserve better than what they have.)