To not give my teen DD medication

Trauma informed models of mental health vs medical model of mental health or genetic model of mental health.

Different models. It is common.

I have worked with many young people for whom medication had vastly improved their quality of life.

I will give you an exemple. My ASD son had such heavy OCD that he couldn't leave the house because he had to touch everything a certain number of times and then all over again. If you talked to him he screamed because he had to start all over. The root to OCD is anxiety. The root to anxiety is not well established because it varies so much. For my son who is autistic it was changes even slall that provoked his anxiety and triggered his OCD. He was not receptive to therapy because his level of anxiety was too high.

Sertraline was a game changer: he still had his OCD but he could resist it better: he could manage to go outside because the anxiety didn't have such a strong hold on him. He could live again : go to school, playground etc.

For OCD Sertraline is prescribed combined with therapy. Just like with depression. If you're too deep down therapy is useless: so you need to 1. Treat the debilitating symptoms in order to 2. Get to the root of the problem (if there is one. My child is autistic and every change cause him anxiety. So here the goal is just to keep the anxiety at bay with medication so he can live a semi-normal life.

@whippy1981 I will ask this as kindly as possible. What the everloving fuck are you banging on about?

If she was diabetic there would be testing done. If she broke her leg that would be tested to check for a break. There is no tests available to check for mental health problems as no such tests exist. Also there are nothing to test for only stigma. I would not medicate without there being a need. If you would give insulin without testing for diabetes then that is on you.

If your daughter was diabetic, would you refuse medication for that? Or if she broke her leg, would you refuse a cast and let her heal "naturally"?
Having medication to help her heal and recover is essential for her health, both physical and mental health. Don't deny her that.

All meds for mental health. How much they have helped of doped them up for a duration where over time their responses have diminished as watchful waiting has proven to do?

Meds that the people who prescribe them wouldn't take? Now what would be the reason for that?

Nope I do not see anything about failure in the patient as I am not one to say they need fixing as I see their responses to trauma as being purposeful and needed. I do not see them as abnormal like you do. I see them as normal.

I think that is YOUR interpretation there and your insecurities coming through. Your own stigma about mental health which is evident.

Would you take anti-histamines for no reason if there was no biological reason for it just because it is what someone said to do with no justification or necessity? I am pro medication when it is needed but when there is no biological need then it is harmful.

What does it do? Curious to know!

What? Your posts are almost incomprehensible. But I think you're saying there's no proof that medication treats symptoms? Are you talking ALL medication or just the medication OP's daughter might take? If the former... wow. If the latter.... well, that's just not true. Loads of people on this thread alone have said how much medication has helped them.

I think your basic mistake seems to see medication meaning the patient has "failed" in some way. That admitting they have a problem for which they need help is a problem and made up. Which is bollocks. I think it's fairly well established that medications like ADHD meds or anti depressants do not cure the problem, but if they can offer some relief, that feels like a win to me.

Just like I'm pro painkillers - especially in childbirth. I'm also pro anti-inflammatories to reduce swelling, pro anti histamines to relieve the symptoms of hayfever and other allergy reactions and 100% pro medication to cure or manage cancer. Doesn't mean I'm not ALSO a fan of deep breathing and mindfulness in childbirth, cold packs and rest for inflammation, natural remedies and naturally ant-histamine food for allergies and preventative options for cancer where possible.

I don’t think OP has mentioned depression or anxiety has she? Her daughter has OCD. She’s had therapy via CAMHS (assume CBT/ERP) but she’s still struggling so the consultant now wants to try medication. Reducing expectations or number of exams isn’t going to do much for OCD. Removing a stressor might temporarily improve symptoms but ultimately she will need treatment. While it can be well-managed, people with full blown OCD generally have it for life.

You find it baffling that there are different models - the medical model, the genetic model, the trauma informed model etc? Given that the field is built purely on stigma and there is yet to be any science behind it then not quite sure why so many still believe the chemical imbalance thing that was debunked many decades ago.

What does the medication cure or treat? There is nothing biological to treat. There is nothing wrong with the person it is a normal reaction.

We have no proof that they are treatable by medication in fact we have no tests to even prove their existence is biological only subjective tick lists that we can all tick off ourselves.

We do have proof that psychiatrists wouldn't opt for medication in most instances but would prescribe to others. Now why would that be?

I find the anti medication brigade baffling. We are lucky enough to live in a time where we have medication that can cure, or at the very least control, many physical and mental conditions. Taken carefully, with all due consideration - and I'd say in this case the fact that every effort appears to have been made to find non-medical methods of treating her - medication can be transformational.

OP - feeling sad for your DD is reasonable. Just like parents of children with other long term conditions probably feel sad. I have a mild disability and I look back now and suspect my parents spent a lot of time worrying and feeling sad about it or wishing they didn' thave ot take me to yet another physiotherapy appointment, or run interference for me at a sport or hobby activity. But they just got on with it and did it becuase that was what was best for me.

Do what's best for your dd. Monitor for both positive and negative effects and make future decisons based on that.

ADHD meds arent the same as antidepressants. ADHD meds are addressing the lack of dopamine. But SSRIs address anxiety in the short term but they are not advised for the treatment of mild or moderate depression only severe depression. Talking therapies in conjunction with a short term dose are not the same as insulin for a diabetic.
The chemical imbalance "theory" for treatment moderate depression anxiety - as opposed to ADHD symptoms, long term - is still being debated. And there are still interventions other than medication that can help greatly. Like reducing the number of exams or reducing the implied expectation to do brillisntly in exams or work or anything really.
Unless all of these have been tried it is nothing like the insulin model for diabetes.

I have asd and ocd
medication (and therapy) has literally changed my life I can't express how much of a difference it has made to my ability to cope with intrusive thoughts and implement the strategies I learnt in therapy, along with massively reducing the frequency and intensity of intrusive thoughts.
ocd is complete torture and literally wrecks lives, medication can and does work for many people with ocd.

Oh wow.
If she was diabetic would you not let her take insulin? Or would you hope she can always balance her sugars right?

Seriously. It is not much different.

Let her try the meds if she wants to.

Meds can be super helpful . Everything else is nice and can be helpful but it is often meds that get kids like this thru grammar school

ND kids are more likely to die than other teens. From being idiots and getting killed doing something silly. Or by suicide.
More likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.
More likely to have an unwanted pregnant.
More likely to F up their exams. Or their coursework. Or both.

So. If she wants to try them. Support her and work with her medical team.

ASD doesn't, but the severe anxiety caused by the confusion of living in a world not designed for you can be lessened by medication, usually sertraline or fluoxetine.

OP, it's not easy to get a prescription for a teen. If her team believe she'll benefit and she's willing to try, it's worth a try. Whilst she may appear to be coping, she's in for a tricky few years - exams, college or sixth form, more exams - and with ASD and OCD, she's increased risk for an eating disorder too.

"Doing brilliantly" can indeed be masking; not giving medication is not a greenlight the ignore issues and press on. We know that fruit and veg and exercise are healthy for most but if your child has anorexia these remedies would be a disastrous intervention/solution (although vitamin D would help regardless)
If seeing people gives your child panic attacks then obviously forcing them to go to events, crowded situations isn't going to help, but a walk to the park with one familiar person might. And then a few more might be tolerable eventually and then an event in due course.

I was where you are, no diagnosis but issues that should have been investigated. He was doing ‘fine’ not very symptomatic.
He is now a 29 year old with severe burn out
We made a big mistake and I am wracked with guilt at the moment.

https://cepuk.org/

This is worth a read

Ds2 had intrusive thoughts, anxiety and a diagnosis of dyspraxia. Lots of sensory issues. Talking therapy and vitamin D (he was always worst in Feb for low vitamin D levels not surprisingly) helped him a lot. Also walking. He never needed to be medicated to improve.
Exercise good diet and vitamin D was the best medication. At his worst he was eating and drinking enormous amounts of sugar and junk food lying in bed all day and suffering terribly from intrusive thoughts. Still didn't need medication to get through it. Having a purpose socialising working walking and vitamin D transformed his life and looking at his goals in a different way (helping him to overcome perfectionism/fear of failing..that was the work of a therapist)

Ignorance from listening to the creators of the labels? Explain how so?

By all means continue to call your kids abnormal. I do not think that is acceptable so refuse to do so. Sorry if you label your kids as such. I do not do that.

I am giving my opinion on not using meds when they are not needed. As you are giving opinions on using meds when you believe they are. The OP asked should she give meds - the opinions are a yes or a no. I am within my rights to say no and give my justification as are you within your rights to say yes and justify your beliefs. Why should you dismiss one model of mental health as dogmatism and minimise it by suggesting it has come from Youtube when it is clear that both what your Drs tell you has come from the same place that I found my information.

Both of us have a right to answer the OP. If you do not believe in other models of mental health - which you have admitted you believe in at least 2 different ones - the medical and the genetic model then why dismiss something you have not read into?

Yes the thread is about the OPs daughter so let me give her advice as she asked. It is allowed to give differing opinions isn't it as there is no science behind any of it anyway!

I'll go back to giving my opinion and base it on information from the horse's mouth - those who created the labels of being abnormal you so keenly give others.

YABVVVU.

As I said before your ignorance is palpable. Not going to engage with you anymore. You can witter away spouting your nonsense to yourself.