[Rich44]

Hey at my wits end right now. Our youngest has taken a huge overdose recently, luckily they were OK afterwards after treatment but still it’s not the first time but the worst.

GPs refuse to prescribe to under 18s they fob you off with a phone number then CAMHS etc.

Child was sent for 6 counselling sessions with a volunteer private organisation not NHS which was OK but clearly didn’t help as weeks later they’ve done this.

Today GP again said they can’t do anything despite these “rules” actually being guidelines and specifically say in the event of inability to access help GPs may prescribe fluoxetine.

Last time despite another overdose CAMHS took a YEAR before they were seen.

Clearly just talking isn’t going to help, most of us understand that anti depressants can really help. Can’t go private as gp already said they won’t accept a private diagnosis for repeat prescriptions.

WTF do I do? The way things are going they won’t make it to 18 I’ve said that and everyone just buck passes.

You know what the hospital crisis team said? Don’t do it again, no referral to CAMHS etc just that then buggered off.

We’ve locked everything up meds wise but they’ll just think of something else if they’re determined enough.

There’s literally no service and no one that gives 2 Sh!ts about any of this.

Topic

[MFillingham]

OMG I feel your pain but this is really not good enough.  I truly hope you can find the help that they deserve. Anyone would have thought a serious event like that would have triggered a better response.  The support for our children is woeful, I just hope there’s a way to get support before it’s too late.

Kooth.com is a useful online resource.  I honestly don’t know how good they’ll be in your situation but they might be able to help somehow.

I know the problems with trying to get help, we’ve been fighting for 3 years with about 6 months of counselling just for that resource to be defunded.  Fortunately we’re ‘just’ dealing with severe anxiety.

I hope you get the support that’s so clearly desperately needed.

I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.

Mark

[DumfriesDik]

I will put my hand up to say that I don’t really understand mental health, and I think I have been lucky it hasn’t visited my door. I do know it is a real thing and that people need help, timely help. It is so sad to hear that you are having to go through this, and I hope there is better help for you all, soon.

Skoda Enyaq Race Blue

[Rich44]

They’ve taken painkillers before so locked that up this time was insulin as diabetic 3rd time now….

There are guidelines that only specialist should prescribe anti depressants for children BUT there’s a caveat in those rules that says if doing nothing and waiting for a specialist  puts the child in danger they can prescribe Prozac which is licenced for use in kids over 8 years. Trouble is it’s a huge arse covering exercise by GPs so they don’t have to worry about being sued if it goes wrong.

We’ve been thru CAMHS which takes about a year to get anywhere even if something happens again. We’ve had our MP involved trying, NOTHING.

I’m honestly pretty close to getting stuff for me and give givingm. The stupid thing is they’re 17 years old not exactly a child but NO ONE will do a damn thing.

There’s loads of stuff out the like kooth but none of it does anything to stop this happening. What you have to realise in order to contemplate ending your life you are not thinking entirely rationally at that point so you’re not going to stop and ask for help or open an app or phone a helpline mental health trauma just doesn’t work that way. I’ve been there myself 30 years ago.

Yet the muppets in charge repeatedly roll out apps, helplines, private therapy groups when sometimes what’s needed is medication.

Imagine having a heart attack and being told we don’t prescribe for that anymore here’s a helpline call them for advice. It’s that stupid if your brain wiring is messed up then you may need chemical help to rebalance maybe in conjunction with another therapy too like CBT or EDRM (my own personal opinions on them aside) .

And whilst these worthless organisations are patting themselves on the back and soaking up nice juicy wages kids are suffering all over the country. There’s a huge epidemic of under 18s with serious mental health problems now, you know we have record high suicide rates for 15-19 year old in the UK?

[MFillingham]

What’s worse is that rather an addressing the situation all politicians want to do is paint our youth as a weak and whiney generation.  “All they need is to suck it up, go to work and they’ll feel better” as if.

When we look back at this they’ll be called the failed generation, rightly so too.  Education, mental health support, Covid, then they look at young adults who are complaining they work for nothing, given their pay barely covers shared bills, what’s that to look forward to?

I truly hope something gets done but fear that even with all the parents complaining to their MPs and forming groups to apply pressure it’s not having the required effect.

I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.

Mark

[Rich44]

I don’t think those in power actually care.  More worried about children accessing porn than worrying about the mental health crisis with record numbers of 15-19 year olds ending their lives.

My older child was rushed into hospital by me at high speeds at 5am as he was screaming in pain.  Got him in hospital eventually needed a piece of his bowel removed but once he was settled given painkillers etc he just lay there.  All the old men in their 80s around him, you know the hardcore WW2 generation that can get thru everything, can do attitude etc were whining like toddlers:

Why is there only one type of jam
The fries are too hard
It’s not fair my wife has to get 2 buses to get here to take me home
Using a mobile on speaker and shouting into it
Shouting 24 hours a day HELP MEEEEEEEE

Honestly these are the people held up who are supposedly stiff upper lip types and they were moaning babies none of them had had emergency surgery like my son had AND after going 11 days without eating and being fed 12 hours a day via a PICC (central line) once he was eating him they discharged him and a week later he started university.

I just don’t know what we’re going to do he’s diabetic so we can’t keep his diabetes meds locked up indefinitely and all that.  Trouble is the people making these decisions have never suffered a mental health crisis themselves and that’s why they fail utterly.

No one in crisis is thinking ill open an app and check that out or i’ll watch a video to talk me out of it.  The reason you’re contemplating doing that is because your brain is in a full on health crisis it is litterally not working properly at that moment and you aren’t capable of rational thought because if you were you wouldn’t be doing what you’re doing.  Telling kids in such situations to call childline etc just aint gonna help.

On top of that if said child has ASD stuff going on they don’t talk to strangers anyway

[MFillingham]

I hear you.  My daughter has ASD, ADHD and social anxiety that hits extremes.  But because the world doesn’t end every time she goes out it’s such hard work to convince anyone there’s a problem and, if you finally find someone, resources are so overstretched it’s impossible to get help in the same year.  She copes relatively well indoors, although we had the landlord come over to fit a new hob and that gave her a migraine, she can even go meet her 1 friend and go into town with her for a very short time.  However, even going for a meeting in school was so stressful for her she’d be useless 4 hours beforehand and until days after.

I'm Autistic, if I say something you find offensive, please let me know, I can guarantee it was unintentional.
I'll try to give my honest opinion but am always open to learning.

Mark

[kezo]

I really feel for you Rich and hope your son/daughter gets the help they need. I know only too well what it is like getting help for minors and challenges of the system with my own daughter and that too much reliance is placed on talking therepies that don’t work or are suitable for minors.

Will it get better, when they reach 18+, is something I’m now questioning after a recent visit to the GP asking for better sleeping medication than that provided by the Childrenns centre paeds Selynto (Melatonin). Of course he couldn’t do anything other thn recomendations, but it’s a question I posed to him, regarding when she was 18 that worried me, cus he replied, I don’t know if we will ever beable to treat her, as her case is complex!

Anyway, I hope your able to get the help your child needs mate:-)

[Author]

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