13 year old with "adult problems"

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Hi there,
Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. We want you to know that we are here as support to help you through this challenging time. It would look negatively on your mom’s behalf if you ran away to her before she got custody. Again not because of anything but because by law she cannot house you therefore to have you now would reflect badly on her. If you would like to talk more in detail and share more about how we can help specifically, please call or chat soon.
Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe, NRS

Can I legally run away to my moms while she fights for custody of me?

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Me Again

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out again. It seems you are planning to run away and are looking for advice and answers to questions about how to run away. We are unable to give advice or be directive because we are a non-directive, short term, solution-focused crisis line. We can help explore ways to stay safe and can provide resources that offer crisis support in your area as well as legal aid for any legal questions you may have. Our mission is to keep runaway, homeless, and at-risk youth safe and off of the streets. The decision to stay or leave is ultimately yours as you know what is best for you. We are here to locate resources if you are in need of a safe haven or other supportive services specific to help your situation. If things at home are unsafe, we can connect you with agencies that will ensure your safety as well.

As encouraged in our previous reply, if you would like to discuss your situation in greater depth and/or receive helpful resources, please reach out by phone or chat. We are limited with what we can offer through our online services such as email or bulletin/forum posts. The best that we can help is through phone or chat.

Be safe and best wishes,

NRS

Me Again

So, it's me again..... I'm fairly certain I'm going to run away, but I have a question because I want to be fully prepared if I do end up leaving my house.





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[ccsmod6]

RE: 13 year old with "adult problems"

Hello there,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). You seem to be going through a challenging time at home right now. It seems you feel misunderstood and silenced by others especially by your mom. And you feel that leaving home may be your only option, however, sometimes it is helpful to talk about things out loud and explore options that may help with things at home. Most commonly in families there is misunderstanding and lack of communication that may be the cause of tension and stress. You mentioned if you stay you may end up being hospitalized. There are ways that may help to prevent hospitalization and help you to manage your mental health. We can help explore some helpful, healthy ways to cope with the depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety that you mentioned you are experiencing. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org) is a helpful resource that you may turn to for support during moments that you experience high stress, depression, or suicidal thoughts.

Leaving home at 13 can be quite the challenge to find a stable, safe living condition as well as ensure you are able to care for yourself and meet your basic needs (food, clothing, shelter, etc). You mentioned some health conditions that could also be of concern if you left home. It is helpful to think about how to meet those mental health and medical care needs if you decide to leave and be on your own. Your safety and well-being is important, and we are here to help identify ways that can help ensure it whether you decide to stay at home or live elsewhere.

If you would like to talk more about your situation and explore some ways that can help, please consider calling our crisis line or chatting with us at 1-800-786-2929 (www.1800runaway.org).

You do not have to go through all of this alone. There is support for you.

Be safe and take care,

NRS

I'm a 13 year old lesbian, and I'm an atheist. I have "adult problems", or at least that's what my counselors say. I have depression and social anxiety. I was in a mental hospital for harming myself and having suicidal thoughts. I have a fear about going back to the mental hospital, but now people are always trying to put me back in it. What ever I say is always used against me, and I'm developing a fear to speak freely, mainly infront of my mom. My mom says she loves me, but she was calling gays sins a couple of months ago. I really want to run away, but I don't know if I will. I want to have enough money and stuff ready. I was reading something about renting a place and being someone's roommate. I supposedly won't have to prove who I am. I'm really nervous about running away though because I'm only 13 and life will probably be hard. I have really bad asthma and I take pills for my social anxiety and depression and the pills are suppose to pretty much knock me out if I don't have them. I have to ease off of them, if I want to survive that is. I'm ready with a false name and story, it's just living out in the real world will be rough. I'm scared to stay in the situation I'm in though because I'll probably be in a mental hospital multiple times. I'll do anything to not go back, but that's surprisingly hard. I really don't know what to do anymore.