After years of being the little star who essentially brings herself up while half the family ploughs through anxiety and depression, poor old DD has predictably found it all a bit much.
She brought it up as a school problem at first - feeling anxious and socially awkward, being teased ('but nothing I can get them for, just... stuff'), feeling panicked about homework and GCSE choices - but I don't think it's just school, or even mainly school. For years she's been the stalwart, cake-making, (fairly) uncomplaining one who has changed plans and been understanding to her autistic brother and more recently a depressed and anxious father.
On talking to her, she says that she's always felt she couldn't ever admit to feeling 'down', as someone else in the family would always have bigger problems anyway, and she would just drag them down further (I know exactly what she means). Now she's said it, it's obvious that many of her 'headaches' and 'stomach aches' and so on are anxiety related.
Now she's started to talk, the floodgates have opened and the 'usual' cheery but slightly chaotic DD - the act she's been putting on, at least - just seems to have vanished. Instead she's in tears every day, and seems exhausted.
Apart from kicking myself heartily, and listening rather more, what can I do to help? Would a GP be able to point us in the right direction? And can anyone pass me a tissue?
Please or to access all these features
Please
or
to access all these features
Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.
Teenagers
Anxious teenage DD: is GP likely to be any help?
30 replies
Lancelottie · 18/04/2016 12:39
OP posts:
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
Please create an account
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.