“It’s a type of domestic abuse that no one dares talk about,” UK mum, Debbie, said on a breakfast television program, admitting she is terrified of her son, Joseph, who has been diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and who she says has become the “dictator of the household”.
The 10-year-old is violent, she explained, and his threatening behaviour means life for Debbie, 36, and her other children – Sarah-Jane, 16, Vinnie, 13, and four-year-old Harvey – is filled with anguish.
“Everybody in the family is affected,” she told This Morning..
Watch: Debbie tells This Morning about life with her son Joseph, who has ADHD.
“The main outlet for Joseph’s aggression is myself and his younger brother Harvey.”
“It’s a very taboo subject because it’s your child. And to suffer at the hands of a child is frightening.”
Josph has threatened Debbie with knives, wielded a hammer towards her and told her he wants her dead during arguments.
He “absolutely demolished” mainstream school, with Debbie saying he “threatened teachers, as well as threatening me”.