i think that most of the things said in these answers are stupid...you cant just leave them alone, its not normal for a person to leech off their parents totally once they have left school, and i doubt very much that the mother of a child who is old enough to have left school will know how to re-format a hard drive! and this person isn't suffering from depression, they just need a good kick up the butt! who can be depressed when all they do is play computer games? he is living the life of luxury, not in a state of depression! talk to him about it, and if he refuses everything he needs to learn a lesson or two quickly. throw him out with whatever is a week/months worth of pocket money for him, a spare set of clothes and a cutout of the job section in the newspaper, then tell him he is not to come back until he has a job! that would sure get me going! and dont worry, your son won't leave home, he'll come back day after day asking you to let him back at home, but just keep telling him not until he gets a job. then he'll get one and come back. trust me, thats what he needs. it might be hard for you to do, but its in his best interests.