Advice?

[Isavezelda]

I have a younger cousin, he is 12. He is very close to me, and tells me everything that is going on in his life. He has a loving family, but at times they don't understand him. His family is hard with him when it comes to sport, and not improving. Recently he has been telling me about his mental health. He tells me he hears voices in his head, and that he enjoys violence. (Fighting at school, and playing rough in sports). He is a nice kid, but he says his problem have gotten worse, and his grades are dropping. He also tells me he has trouble sleeping at night, and when he goes to sleep he hears a beeping noise in his ear which doesn't let him sleep well. He sleepwalks, and has very vivid nightmares/ night terrors. He says he likes having people's attention, and I know that is a fact, because he will tell me many made up stories regarding his achievements, number of girlfriends he has/had, and even ghosts. I believe he might exaggerate many of the stories he tells me regarding his sleepwalking, night terrors, etc. in order to get attention, that he might not get at home (he has a large family, and his siblings are all much older than him). He does not want me to tell his parents about his problems, but I told him that if he does not want to talk to his parents he needs to see a school consular, or someone else in the family that might be able to help. I am at the point, where I want to tell his parents about everything he tells me, I feel like it is my duty, but it will break his heart. I just wanted some advice, on what disease/disorder/illness/etc could be affecting him?

[Sandman2]

   Lack of sleep can cause serious attention problems as well as making you feel "on edge".   Maybe you could talk to his parents only about the sleep issues?   There are many things that can be done to help that issue.

[specialmom]

Hi there  This is so hard.  He trusts you and you hate to ruin that.  If you DO tell his parents, I'd tell him that you are concerned with that.  And could they inquire in a way that doesn't mention your name or lead him to think you told them.  could they just inquire in a general way?