CAMHS

[Sholiz74]

Hello. Can anyone let me know what to expect at a first CAMHS appointment. My son is 12 and has ASD and ADHD. Very high anxiety levels, school refusal and body image issues? What do I need to be prepared for? Do i need to take anything? Thanks in advance.

[Catbot]

Write down what your worries are so you don't forget anything. CAMHS is a mental health service so think about how his anxiety impacts on his ability to function on a daily basis. Does he have issues with sleeping, eating, is he going out enough? Does he talk about feeling low or worried? The more info you can give them the more likely they can help. I'm sure they will be very nice. Is he already diagnosed?

[Sholiz74]

Thank you. We have a diagnosis but it came via a private practice even though funded by NHS. Since then we have had no help, no follow ups, no nothing. CAMHS have previously turned him down on several occasions stating his anxiety is part of his disability but eventually gave us an appointment (think they wanted me off the phone...stated yes he could have an assessment but it would not be the answer to ours prayers). He does not sleep well, eat well and we believe he is agoraphobic. Just want to get him some help.

[OneInEight]

An initial appointment at CAMHS will be a detailed background history (between 1 and 2 hours).

If your ds may find this upsetting take someone with you so he can sit outside for part of the interview. We actually did the first one by ourselves with their permission as ds2 was too anxious to attend although they did have to see him the next time.

At the end of this meeting they will either recommend for discharge, offer some type of therapy (such as CBT) if they think your ds will be able to access this or some type of anti-anxiety medication. The latter is not a miracle cure as it can have major side effects ( as we found for ds2) but may be worth a try to help your ds be able to access talking therapies etc.

For ds1 what has been better than anything CAMHS has provided is a small and nurturing educational setting which helps reduce his anxiety to manageable proportions such that he can cope with the rest of the world.

[Sholiz74]

Thanks OneinEight. The educational setting sounds ideal as the move from primary to secondary has been a massive struggle however we have nothing like that here. He is in mainstream school but cannot cope and i feel ill equiped for home schooling.

[commonsense12345]

Expect Camhs to brainwash your child, put them on strong damaging antidepressants and alienate them from their parents, treating them with suspicion and destroying the family. Avoid Camhs at all costs.

[Waitingforsleep]

I agree about camhs but I do t understand why are they so bad? Why have a lot of us had such awful experiences? It's hard to explain as I don't get why myself

[commonsense12345]

I think it's a power thing. Camhs make money out of patients and don't like to be challenged. They are secretive and divisive. They destroyed my family and caused irreparable harm. They put my young son on antidepressants without my knowledge and turned him into a psychotic shell - my worst fears realised - a total devastating nightmare. They are evil - stay clear of them. See your GP instead (they hate Camhs). Support your child as best you can with united family support and loads of love and care of those that won't seem them suffer. Camhs equals emotional control and abuse.

[Sholiz74]

Thank you for your posts. The problem I have are the gp and his pediatrician (asthma related) will not get involved. They wont help and said if camhs wont see him there is nothing we can do....so it seems to be that we are between a rock and a hard place. At least i a forearmed.