To think she's in denial

[User600500]

My friends dd took an overdose six months ago. We were discussing her today and she now says her dd isn't unwell anymore and is stable enough to return to uni in January. Surely it's highly unlikely that someone would get better so quickly?

6 months is a long time, antidepressants take 4-6 weeks to take effect, if they got her dose right straight away then she could have been well for a while.

How much support has she had?

Depends what kind of helps she's had.

I've never taken an overdose but 6 months ago I was completely debilitated by PTSD.

Lots of therapy later and I;m back at Uni. Part of what motivated me to get better was having something to aim for.

I find your post really judgey but I may be projecting.

No I'm just concerned that her dd is under pressure too soon. I guess I'm worried this could trigger her to relapse. I'm her godmother so I'm very close to her and her mother.

None of us can comment on her situation without the facts.

6 months isn't arbitrarily 'too soon'.

She's had CBT and is on medcation

You need to start trying...6 months is a good time...prolonging things sometimes has the effect of disabling them further. .

Back on the horse as they say....

It’s so nice of you to be concerned. Are you worried her mum just wants her to be ok so happy to think she’s ready to go back? What support has she had in the meantime and are you guys clear the reasons behind why the overdose happened?

Yes her mum is very pushy with regards to academic stuff.

I can understand your concern but I do think it's important to keep in mind that not everyone who overdoses has a significant mental health problem. Part of my job used to be assessing people who presented to A&E having overdosed. The vast majority of people I assessed were not suffering from a mental illness- they were just going through a difficult time, made an impulsive decision and in most cases regretted it almost immediately and sought their own rescue by telling someone or calling 999. So the fact that your friends DD overdosed, whilst of course it needs to be taken seriously, does not necessarily mean that she is going to have long term difficulties with her mental health and can't work, study etc.

Even if your friends DD was suffering from depression at the time of her OD, that doesn't mean she can't (or shouldn't) resume her 'normal' activities. In fact, normality, routine and a sense of purpose and structure to ones day are all very important for recovery from depression. She doesn't have to be completely symptom free to go back to uni- she can access mental health support there if she feels low in mood or stressed. Universities have a duty of care to students with mental health issues and have staff trained to deal with these types of problems. At every university in the country there will be students suffering from depression (not to mention other chronic, serious mental health conditions such as Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia) but with the right support and some reasonable adjustments their illness does not necessarily have to be a barrier to their learning or enjoyment of university.

Totally depends, everyone is different. I have had to seek help multiple times when suicidal due to a chronic pain condition. Once the pain was dealt with, I would mostly be back to my usual self within a matter of weeks. I also find that when my mental health takes a bit of a hit, sometimes it helps to be kept busy. Everyone and every situation is so different.

Thanks for all replies