How can I persuade my parents to stop forcing me to take a certain type of pill everyday?

[It is 57 below zero]

For the past several months, my parents make me take a pill every day, and they make me take even more of it when I cry or look sad. They also make me take it sometimes just when I do something as minor as lay in bed awake at 2:00 am, which does not affect them at all.

They won't allow me to negotiate or they won't give me any chances.

It was a pill that I never asked for, and I never asked for it to be prescribed to me.

The other day, though, I was self harming in front of them so my dad made me take the pill. He did not give me another chance, and there was no way to compromise. He would not let me leave the room and he had to monitor me while taking the pill.

I feel like I am screwed because I am being forced to take this one pill every day without a way to persuade my parents not to.

Because of what happened the other day, I am mad at my dad and I want him to screw himself.

[SpecterH]

I understand that you feel like your parents are forcing you to take this pill, and this is frustrating for you. To me, however, it seems like your parents really do care about you and love you. It seems like they want to keep you safe.

I know it's frustrating, especially when you feel like you don't need the pill. However, try to put yourself in your parents' shoes: they watched you self-harm. Do you know how hurtful that is for them to see? What would you do if you were watching your child self-harm? Self-harming is such a serious issue, and it could lead to horrible things. I think your parents are just really worried about you, and don't want anything bad to happen to you - that's why they wanted to watch you take the pill.

I'd sit down and talk to your parents about all of this - in a calm manner. If you try to talk to them while you're frustrated, I guarantee that nothing good will come out of the conversation. If you want to show them that you're mature and responsible, have a calm conversation with them and explain how you feel about their behaviour. I can almost guarantee that they'll tell you that they're worried about you, and are using the pill to help you get better.

With regards to the self-harming behaviour, it's very important that you know how serious and dangerous that behaviour is. I would encourage you to reach out and talk to someone that you trust and feel comfortable talking to: parents, siblings, teachers, friends, counsellor, etc. I know it might not seem like a big deal now, but it can become a big deal - fast. The people in your life don't want anything bad to happen to you because they care about you and love you very much. This includes your parents.

I know it's frustrating, but communicating with your parents is necessary in this situation, and I don't think anything else can be done before talking to them about it.

Good luck.

[Usernames Suck]

Have your parents begun giving you this medicine after taking you to see a doctor? If not, then I recommend that you talk to them. Be reasonable and calm. Acknowledge that you do need help, or at least you did at the time, but point out that a qualified professional will be better equipped to prescribe the right medication for you. Giving you medicine that was not prescribed by a doctor, especially for mental health reasons, can be harmful for you and carry health risks of its own.

If you did see a doctor and your parents are forcing you to take something prescribed by that doctor, and you no longer feel like you need it, then I think you could talk to them calmly and suggest checking up with your doctor about whether you still need to take it. Sometimes people are struggling for a while and then get better enough that they no longer need medicine or the dosage needs to be adjusted (which may be the case if it's keeping you awake until late). I absolutely recommend trying to make helpful suggestions too, like seeing a talk therapist or counsellor (a lot of young people benefit from this, since it helps you cope with things and gives you a good outlet to deal with issues) or getting a second opinion.

Either way, remember that it's only normal that your parents freaked out. They're likely to be concerned about your safety and also worried about doing their job as parents. Showing them that they can trust you and that you do want to get better, and then explaining to them better ways in which to help, can make a lot of difference.