Antidepressants for 15 year old? Terrified

There is a time when you start antidepressants where energy levels increase and if there is suicidal thinking it is easier to act on it. This is why people need to be closely and carefully monitored. There is no evidence I am aware of that it makes people have suicidal ideas if they did not have them before. Discussing it with people in advance is a good way to manage this early part. Once the full benefits kick in (4 - 6 weeks for SSRIs) the likelihood of acting on suicidal thoughts decreases massively. Sounds like you need to have a frank discussion with her about what you would expect to see from her in the first few months and she needs to understand that medication is not magic, it takes time to kick in and it is never enough in itself. So she also needs to have a plan for those other things too. Hopefully the psychiatrist would discuss that with her - but length of appointments varies and they may not.

My 16 year old (autistic) son has had severe mental health issues for about 5 years. In that time he has twice attempted suicide and we have had many episodes of self harm.

He was medicated using Fluoxetine in the first instance. He had this for about 18 months but it didn't seem to help him that much. He had the meds in tandem with 'talking therapy' with CAMHS which made him feel worse as his case worker was useless.

He was then switched over to Sertraline which within 2 weeks made him suicidal again. It was immediately stopped and he is now on Citalopram prescribed off license as it's not normally given to under 18s. He is having talking therapy each week with a wonderful clinical psychologist from CAMHS which he is finding helpful.

I'd say the only way to know if your child is going to improve and/or tolerate SSRI's is to take them. As PP have said, different medications act differently on everyone and it could make them better or even worse until you find the one that suits. However, I wouldn't let that put you off. You will need to be vigilant to their moods and how they are feeling in the first month or so of taking them incase they make them feel worse.

NICE guidelines state that antidepressants should be used in conjunction with a talking therapy such as CBT.

I hope your DD gets the support she needs and that it works for her.

My daugher started Sertraline at 16, it has made a huge difference - I would call it life changing. Went from, not leaving her room, not talking to people, really really low .. to attending college, and working part time. (She is now looking for an apprenticeship).

My DD started on fluoxetine when she was 15 after two years of awful mental health. It has honestly turned her life around. She wouldn't have got any GCSEs without her medication.

She was self harming and suffering from awful anxiety and depression caused by PTSD.

Like you I was very reluctant for her to take anti depressants.

We saw a private child psychiatrist (after giving up waiting for CAHMs to see her ) who referred us to a therapist but after 6 months it was decided that she needed anti depressants alongside the therapy.

The difference in her is amazing. I feel like we've finally got our little girl back.

I’m so sorry your daughter, you and your family are going through this OP, it sounds really tough. Well done to you all for getting this far, some really big improvements here.

Can I ask what talking therapy DD tried? I do think there’s a big variation out there and also “clicking” with the individual therapist is important. Do you feel there weren’t enough sessions offered, that the therapist wasn’t right, wrong type of therapy? Something else.

It’s tricky as she is making great progress, but I know how hard these wins are. As a PP said, SSRIs can make a big difference for some, do nothing for others, and everything in between. There are some potentially horrible and persistent side-effects although not a lot of research as I understand it so hard to know what the likelihood actually is. Also some people are fine coming off them, others (again little research on numbers) really struggle with withdrawal. And everything in between.

I think some private therapy or seeing a psychiatrist privately is a good idea, and take it from there. Word of warning, not all GPS are great with this, and some psychiatric professionals might be quite quick to push medication, as that is their specialty as opposed to therapy. So a good idea to research options carefully if you are going private, and try to find out if a particular GP in your practice has more interest or experience here.

Good luck x

Also, OP, as someone who is both ND and a long term user of antidepressants, I think I'd try other routes before ADs if I could go back in time.

It's not a magic bullet - discuss it with your/DD's GP initially rather than a private psychiatrist who is going to benefit from ongoing consultations and prescriptions?

A friend had similar experience when her DD was about 14 (the ADs, not long term school refusal/eating disorders).
They helped, not sure how long DD took them for, in now mid 20s, now has a good degree and career.

I'd echo what Starsay says, but I'd also like to say well done, OP - you've done an amazing job to get your DD to where she is now. I know first hand what a struggle it is.

You might find some better support on the teen ED boards, the mental health boards and the neurodivergent teen boards (the latter even if she won't countenance an assessment).

Good luck. X

In England a child of that age would not be able to be prescribed anti depressants by a Gp and she'd need to see a specialist.

She shouldn't take them to try to fit into a school system. They may help her improve but it's hard to know until she tries them.

OP I don't think there's a clear answer to this. Antidepressants could help her massively, could do not much at all, or the side effects could make things worse. It's very hard to know what category anyone will fall into. I wouldn't say it's something to be terrified about though. I'm not sure about prescribing guidelines for a 15 year old. Normally a patient is seen and monitored regularly as they titrate up to a therapeutic dose. It is worth speaking to the GP about your concerns. This all should be done under the guidance of a GP so they can keep a close eye on her and what dose she should be on at her age.

I would be mentioning briefly potential severe side effects so that she is aware of them but also let her know it is unlikely to happen so she knows to alert you asap if she does experience anything.

I don't know fully what the guidelines are regarding antidepressants and young people, but it might really help her. It's hard to know unless she tries.

I don't think SSRIs are good for young people sorry OP.

What are your other options?

So sorry OP must be really hard. My DD15 struggles with her AuDHD.

Does she acknowledge the private school might work well for her?

Is there a baby step process you can work with her on in terms of the journey there and back?