Please help - Scared for my daughter

[Bepis]

My daughter is 18 years old but she has special needs so is a lot younger in her mind. She has suffered with anxiety for the past 5 years or so, to the point where it stopped her attending school and she had to be under CAMHS. Her anxiety was mainly around people she didn't know and new situations.

The past couple of weeks have become so difficult and I just don't know what to do or where to turn.

I noticed her hearing things and she would say to me that her stepbrother swore, or I swore etc when that never happened. That went on for a while but now she is panicking if her sister is on the phone. Her sister will talk to her boyfriend in the evening in her room (they have separate rooms) but my eldest daughter is just flat out panicking about it and refuses to go upstairs. When I finally get her into her bedroom, she will not get in bed but just sits on her bed until 7/8 in the morning.

I tried laying with her this morning so she would get some sleep and she managed an hour or 2.

She's also started putting her fingers in her ears whenever someone talks. Not in a rude way but it's become a reaction. This is within the last couple of days.

She says she can hear her sister talking on the phone at 5/6/7 in the morning despite her sister being fast asleep.

She is also zoned out (I can't think of a better way to describe it). Like when I talk, it's like she doesn't understand me. She's also started whispering instead of using her real voice and is even starting to become non-verbal.

I'm so scared, I don't know what's wrong with her and I don't understand.

I took her to the doctors today and they prescribed Sertraline. She had her first tablet tonight. This seems like more than just anxiety though.

Has anyone else experienced this? Im scared and in tears.

Op. Your going from crisis to crisis and retrieving no help.shes not ok now just slightly less in crisis.please please don't see each sleep or moment of calm as her being ok.look at your posts.list every behaviour.SHE IS NOT OK.and needs urgent medical help.now.
Phone 999. Tell them your daughter is in crisis and needs seeing.its absolute bullshit that being mute means hospital can't added her.Tjis will ACTUALLY ADD to the reason they need to!
Why can you not get her there yourself?
List everything.from the voices to mute to every so for behaviour. Tell them you WILL NOT stop calling until action is taken. That this is a patient and now a whole family on the verge of imploding and it will be their responsibility.
Tell them your daughter is actively choosing to sit in her own piss and ask the call handler if she thinks that ok?and just wait.sit.silent. let her think on that...then tell them get you some bloody help now please with a case to taking her in.
Many mental illness.many other illness cause mutism.its not the truth that she can't be assessed that's the most ridiculous excuse iv e ever heard.
Please please get her help.
The longer this goes on the more catastrophic it will become.

Just wanted to give a quick update.

She managed to sleep for 6 hours last night but unfortunately was woken up by some person crashing his car into another car on our street. Was an almighty bang which then set her off panicking.

She's asking for help to go to the toilet now. Still having accidents but she's actually going to the toilet now.

The uncontrollable laughing has stopped, that only lasted 2 days and makes me think it was due to medication side effects. She's now in more of a depression but she's more coherent and responding a little bit better than before.

She's still picking at her food. She had 2 weetabix this morning and ate it all but she wasn't bothered about any dinner. Making sure she drinks more than anything.

I don't feel comfortable phoning 999 as it's not a life threatening emergency and I have already been down the route of the paramedics. I genuinely think a long wait in A&E would not be good for her right now. I am going to try and access help via GP and that Early Intervention for Psychosis team. Thank you to those who mentioned that, I'd never even heard of it.

She also looked out of the window today which was an improvement. There was a police car and she was curious. She's interacting more with DH and wanting to do colouring with him.

She was asleep when the post was delivered today and she woke up in a panic. The sound was very similar to when we had our door kicked though so it was almost like a PTSD response.

Hopefully the more sleep she gets, the more she will improve.

Forgot to say that she's no longer saying she can hear her sister. She doesn't even mention that now which I am pleased about.

@Bepis my heart goes out to you all and I hope you do find the help you need although it sounds like you’ve been banging your head against a brick wall.

Phenergan is highly addictive. I was addicted to this. I became addicted because I genuinely needed it for allergies & a separate medical condition. I needed to take more and more until I was actually taking lethal doses. It will put her to sleep though. But there is another sleep aid antihistamine called doxylamine which is very effective and doesn’t knock you out so you can’t be woken up.

Same. I could not be woken on phenergan. But you’re constantly tired after taking them.

@kateandme I actually agree with you about this now. Not taking easy advice by calling credited genuine, simple and free helplines, (not emergency ones) is a red flag now. OP would have the answers to many of her questions if she had. This is starting to sound like something else.

@Bepis i do think you need to look in to LD services in your area. With a moderate LD she should be offered specialist LD input (either health or social care) because its a significant additional vulnerability. Health and social care LD services will talk to each other. I would think you're better finding out what your area offers and contacting them than going down routes of possible conditions like psychosis when you know she definitely has an LD and that team can then look into additional MH need.

What do you mean? I genuinely haven't had time to breathe, let alone call helplines.

@Bepis I'm sorry if I sounded unfair, but time spent on this forum since 31st December should by now, surely have helped you move to a more secure and productive place by now. Mumsnet can only give subjective advice and support. Your issues require serious attention from trained, experienced professionals.

I agree but I can't force them to give it if they refuse to. I've tried multiple avenues. I will wait for the GP on Monday but she is slowly improving. She is asleep now.

I'm sorry things are so difficult right now. I recognise a lot of myself in my younger years in your daughter. Getting help was extremely difficult but I've been well for a few years now.

Do you have an IAPT in your area? It's an initiative in accessing psychological therapies. In most cases you can self refer. It's likely that IAPT would say her needs are too complex but she should be referred to a more specialist team but at least you would have it in writing.

Alternatively the GP could refer to the CMHT. Where I am there are three pathways. One is assessment within 48 hours, one within a week or one within three weeks if less urgent. Its just to identify where best to place you and whether you need to see a psychiatrist.

If there is an Early Intervention Service for Psychosis in your area, I would call them for advice. That's not to say she has Psychosis, we aren't professionals but I think there are some warning signs there.

Unfortunately a lot of these kind of referrals would have to be made by your daughter which at the present time would seem very unlikely. Please reach out to your GP for your own health if needed.

She managed to get 12 hours sleep last night. Today she is talking again with her full voice, eating better and not as panicky and edgy. She's not just staring into space anymore and is interacting with family now. She is showing emotion and got excited when I said about ordering McDonalds later. I'm hoping this is the start of pulling out of it but time will tell.

Op I'm glad she seems on an up curve.but and I'm sorry to have to saya but. This isn't something that just stops and goes away.mental illness needs treatment. It might ebb and flow.but especially when your dd or patient gets to the low of your dd over these past few days this needs serious attention.
It's lovely to hear she's more aware and what a relief.but like any illness it needs treatment. And mental illness actually more so because it therapy and delving into where,why this is happening.the cause of her pain or symptoms isn't a broken leg or body it's the mind and that takes some work to heal.
And I no you said you can't get what they won't give.unfortunately with MH you literally need yo banf door down every single dam day until they DO help.

I haven't got the energy to do that I'm afraid. I can't fight the system and look after my daughter, I'm too tired.

I will contact the GP tomorrow but I'm pretty sure they will just say to wait it out for the medication to settle down.

Also had an argument with DH tonight which is weird cos we never argue. I've had enough.

I'm sorry your feeling this.
The trouble is the medication will actually can make it worse if it's a possible psychotic linked case. And a vwry specific set of medication for those condition are literally spot on lifesaver and are the only think that keep sufferers well.

I contacted the Early Intervention for Psychosis team today. They are going to call me back and come out to do an assessment.

That's great - I'm not sure how it works in adult services but in our cahms they have 3 teams - early intervention in psychosis, autism and emotional health and psychiatrists, care coordinators and home treatment teams attached so they after assessing could put her with appropriate team and give meds they think best.

Great you contacted them @Bepis .
I know how exhausting it all is (mentally and physically) while you are in the midst of looking after your daughter too.
thinking about you.

This is great news.i no it will feel scary now.and with mental illness usually the sufferer will want to push back,and or feel the need to.therr is so many reasons for mental illness bit often it's a symptom of something else going on.and once you start getting to this unmet "whatrver" in her it WILL begin to get better.or if it is a case of bpd, psychosis etc it really can literally be life changed with the right medication that fixes that brain chemistry that's gone off kilter.
Keep go8ng with it.i no you must all be really tired.theres a light at the end of all this I promise.it takes bloody hard work and support but you can get through.

We were away for a few days with friends this weekend and one of our friends had a call regarding his son in a very similar situation. His condition had been worsening over many years

They took him to hospital
He is now getting professional help in a special home
Maybe another word with your gp about the level of help your daughter is getting
The drugs dull the senses but don’t deal with underlying issues

The psychosis assessment team does link in to hospital admission if deemed needed and supported living if deemed needed but will aim for home based support if that is viable. I would have a think long term about what would be best as she clearly has been struggling for a while though there are advantages and disadvantages to each. Ultimately professionals decide but they will ask your opinion.

Good news about the assessment. Hope they can do it soon, and that it brings clarity - and in that way help she really needs, and perhaps a little comfort for you. And a break for her from what must be utterly draining and perhaps terrifying thoughts.

Sorry you have to go through this.

@kateandme Are you qualified to make that statement?

I believe OPs daughter has been prescribed promethazine and that is unlikely to make psychosis worse.

which statement?