To give my ds St. John's Wort

[Uptownfuckuup]

Just that really
He is 9 suffering from what I think is depression.

You'd be better looking at the following:

Exercise - at least 30mins-hour a day, outside in green spaces ideally, to a point his heart rate is raised.

Diet - balanced, lots of fresh veg and fibre, not too much processed crap or sugar.

Water - plenty of it, all day

Get those things right and he will feel a bit better whilst you are waiting for further input from professionals.

I would second contacting Young Minds.

Definitely don't give St Johns Wort your DS without speaking to a Dr. I agree with an earlier poster - it is very strong stuff and in my case it made anxiety worse.

I hope you get the referral really quickly

Herbal doesn't mean without side effects. Side effects of St John's Wort include cataracts, apparently.

Meant to add - if he has been diagnosed with anxiety relaxing exercises can help while you wait for appointments - particularly if you do them with him.
If you look on YouTube there are loads for 'progressive muscle relaxation exercises.' Choose a piece of music that he likes and then basically tense and relax each muscle group at a time.
Another thing off the top of my head:

• set aside 'worry time'. So if an anxious thought comes into his head he says to himself 'I'm not going to worry about that now but I'll think about it at 6.30 with mum.' And then spend 10 minutes each day talking about concerns and looking at alternatives.

E.g.: I'm useless at everything. Alternative realistic thought: 'I can't do everything but neither can anyone else. I AM good at being kind, reading, singing etc etc It helps contain worrying into set times and also to reframe worries.

Please don't. As PP said, calming tea at bedtime like camomile can help with sleep. Is something happening at school that is causing the child mental health issues?

Herbal doesn't mean harmless.

Many potent modern medicines are derived from herbs.

There's a reason children are only prescribed antidepressants as a last resort. It may do more harm than good.

Fingers crossed for a quick referral for the next appointment. Don't be afraid to chase. One year is a long time and I think it's worth pushing to be seen much sooner.

Although it's a herbal treatment it does come under MHRA control as it has pharmacologically active ingredients, so I really wouldn't give it to a child without proper medical advice.

Don't give without seeing the gp. Personally I'd take them to the GP and try to identify what's causing your son's illness and trying to rectify instead. Maybe CBT?

It messed up my sleep pattern and made me short-fused and irritable. Potent stuff, and not recommended for children. Try lifestyle changes, building his self-esteem and resilience, and talking to him to see if there are things he's unhappy about at school or home. Take him to the GP if you're worried.