My dd is 13 and I suspect has been suffering from depression for a few years now. She was terribly bullied at school from year 3 onwards and after all my efforts to get things resolved for her, I ended up moving her out of schools twice (primary and secondary). She began a new school in November 2019. She said she loved the school, yet she began experiencing panic attacks in the class room and at home. She told me she would have flashbacks from her old school, e.g. when in the busy canteen she would remember what would happen in her old school and begin to panic. We spoke with the school about it and they allowed her to be first in line to get her food to avoid the lunchtime commotion. I must add that this school have been outstanding with their support.
I have done absolutely everything I can think of to help her over the years but there always seems to be "something". In order to try and help we attempted things such as yoga and meditation classes; equine therapy; swimming with dolphins; private counselling; CBT books; positive thinking books; mood enhancing vitamins and herbal tea; sports and exercise. This is a very shortened list.
Despite everything we've provided her with, she doesn't seem to want to embrace anything. She's quite dismissive of the opportunities especially if they are my suggestions so sometimes I ask my close friends to make the suggestion on my behalf! All she wants to do is stay in bed or slouch around in her PJ's. Her sleeping is erratic and she is picky with her food. Every few weeks she has a crying period of about 4-5 days and constantly wants hugs and to be near me. I don't know if this is relevant but she also has a short but regular menstrual cycle with an extremely heavy flow. She has had tests and there is no endometriosis or such like, however the GP prescribed tranexamic acid medication but they do not help. On my GP's advice, I'm now considering putting her on the combined pill.
Last month dd handed me a suicide note which she'd apparently written some months before. Then on Monday morning she woke up feeling extremely low and told me that she wanted to die more than ever. By some divine intervention, the very next day I received a call from CAMHS to confirm they had received our GP referral. I explained to them what had happened the day before and we were given an immediate crisis appointment. The psychiatrist at CAMHS suspects that dd is suffering from depression and possibly PTSD and offered antidepressants along with intensive therapy.
I'm not excited at the prospect of antidepressants but I feel like we've exhausted every other option. I'm at the end of my tether and feel slightly guilty that part of me wants her to take them for my sanity and not just hers. So not only am I having to consider antidepressants for her but also the pill. I just feel that there are a lot of chemicals happening all at once.
Does anyone have any advice for a stress out mother who surprisingly hasn't turned grey yet??
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How many long suffering parents have relented regarding antidepressants?
23 replies
MariposaPink · 19/06/2020 08:41
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