Posting here for traffic. DS (12) is having what we think is a mental health crisis with extreme anxiety. He has always been anxious, this has ticked up since starting secondary and gone into overdrive the last two weeks. He’s clearly physically in fight or flight all the time - sleeping lots of the day utterly exhausted, then waking with a huge startle and jumping at shadows all day. We’ve had support from the school getting him in part days, but he’s not been able to attend at all the last two days as he’s going downhill so quickly. He’s developed motor tics and today has been manic, unable to stay still, and not able to be calmed at all. He’s been to the GP yesterday and we’re on an urgent referral to CAHMS, but we can’t calm him at all today and he’s getting more and more distressed. We’ve called Young Minds, who pointed us to self-help resources, and 111, who’ve sent us back to the GP. At what level of distress and unsettled behaviour do we take him for emergency help? He’s complaining of a stiff neck as well as headache and sick tummy, but the latter two are constant while he’s anxious and the neck likely related to the tics, tension and constant motion. But could this be physical? Can anyone give him medicine to help calm him? It’s terrible seeing him suffer and we don’t know what to do.