To be terrified - please help me.

[WhoisRebecca]

Dd, 15, has started taking sertraline after being prescribed it by a private psychiatrist. She took an overdose last year and school refused towards the end of last year.

She is now behaving erratically- running into classrooms at school shouting that she’s going to kill herself, but then laughing - her teachers think she seems very hyper and ‘excited.’ She’s running off when teachers challenge her or swearing at them. She was never like that before this year.

At the weekend she went for a walk and texted a charity helpline, saying she had no bed and was going to jump on the train tracks. We had taken her bed apart because a new double bed was coming on Monday. There was a spare bed upstairs for her. Dd knew this. The police arrived and I was able to show them dd’s location - she had tracking on her phone. They quickly assessed that she had a safe home and did, in fact, have a suitable bed. This was a reaction to being told off because she had bullied a student at school.

She was put in isolation at school for a nasty incident towards another student. She can sometimes be loving and calm. At other times she is very very high and erratic. School had to send her home today. She struggles to attend lessons. I don’t know where to go from here and feel utterly desperate.

Sorry haven't read the whole thread, just OP's posts but some of what you describe sounds identical to a child we supported in my school with borderline personality disorder. Came on around Y11 and we were trying to help her through her A levels while she had treatment. Sorry if you've ruled out already but thought it was worth mentioning

I think she’s autistic, rather than it being bpd. She has no filter and she has sensory issues too.

apologies I havnt read all 12 pages as I am about to dash to work, but it can be a side effect of the medicine and is the most likely cause. I have learned the hard way that you do need to get second opinions, not all medical professionals are great, and some dont listen or just are out of touch. Change the medication ( working with an appropriate medical professional). Also become informed about the medicine your daughter is taking, read up on its effects, side effects etc. you need to be armed with information.

She’s been better on a reduced dose of the medication, but it’s not the cause.
I posted about her odd sense of humour on Facebook a couple of years where she announced to the woman cleaning our oven that she was a paedophile. She has absolutely no filter and doesn’t understand that some things are socially inappropriate. She doesn’t do it to upset people, she just doesn’t know.

We have the appointments for the private ASD assessment soon, so hopefully we will get some clarity.

I think it’s unusual for someone with her level of difficulty to get to Year 11 of a mainstream school with no diagnosis. She’s successfully masked for a long time (though her issues were more apparent at home - I just didn’t realise what it was - you don’t always, it’s just your child).

She's also had a significant trauma which is bound to have an affect on behaviour whether there are underlying issues or not.

Possible autism + trauma + psychotropic drugs is a lot for a developing brain to be dealing with.

It's quite possible that without the trauma she would've continued to fly under the radar. Plenty of women do. I was diagnosed at 40 and a friend of mine at nearly 50.

I knew an old shrink who had Bipolar 1, and he told me of this certain percentage of people (quite high, from memory) who are triggered into hypomania by taking SSRIs, like Zoloft/sertraline, etc. Perhaps she is one of them.

@WhoisRebecca

She’s saying she’s going to kill herself soon

Well, that's serious, and also a known black box warning side effect of sertraline, particularly in children.

I assume they mean mania that presents as anxiety as someone else mentioned further up the thread.

I think it’s unusual for someone with her level of difficulty to get to Year 11 of a mainstream school with no diagnosis.

I would say it happens far more often than you think it does, especially with girls.

to you. Please work with the support offered as your other children will be affected by all of this.

Also - please, please do not assume that no money = no weed or other drugs.

OP this sounds like bipolar which my niece has. You should push for a full and proper assessment. DN was put on medication which isn't working for her either.
I wouldn't be letting your DD go to school or walks on her own. I'd keep her at home for now under supervision.

Yes I have a friend who was diagnosed late in life with ADHD and bipolar.took sertraline initially for the wrong diagnosis of depression which sent them ridiculously manic in their hyper stage, to the extent that they had no recollection of their actions.

She seems better on the lower dose of sertraline. She is going ice skating today with her boyfriend. A lot of these behaviours were already there before the sertraline, she just didn’t react well to the higher dose. We have a psychiatrist appointment tomorrow and she’s going to have psychotherapy as well, we have a list of therapists and just need to pick one. Then she has the autism and ADHD assessment.

I’m not convinced it’s bipolar. Her psychiatrist has recommended CBT with a therapist who can work with someone with social communication difficulties. She also has sensory issues. She has headphones in all the time to play music and block out background noise. She becomes visibly agitated without them. She collects things and hoards. Has few friends and her friend and bf are similar to her. I think from what the cognitive psychologist said though, a lot of behaviours can look v similar but it’s the cause driving the behaviours that we need to establish.

Her biggest issues have always been at school, but she managed to go in and do her mocks. There was some miscommunication somewhere though, because she was almost made to go into the hall rather than a separate room and she burst into tears. I was quite annoyed about that, but we’ve sorted that now.

Off topic - I just wanted to say if that picture you showed is the art work she created with stickers it is amazing and how wonderful she can escape into that. I have no knowledge/experience of what she is going through but I did wonder if some art therapy might help her cope until more medical help can be given? Wishing her the very best.

@Roystonv school have suggested art therapy actually. They are meant to be running a class at school but it hasn’t started yet.

@WhoisRebecca

She seems better on the lower dose of sertraline. She is going ice skating today with her boyfriend. A lot of these behaviours were already there before the sertraline, she just didn’t react well to the higher dose. We have a psychiatrist appointment tomorrow and she’s going to have psychotherapy as well, we have a list of therapists and just need to pick one. Then she has the autism and ADHD assessment.

I’m not convinced it’s bipolar. Her psychiatrist has recommended CBT with a therapist who can work with someone with social communication difficulties. She also has sensory issues. She has headphones in all the time to play music and block out background noise. She becomes visibly agitated without them. She collects things and hoards. Has few friends and her friend and bf are similar to her. I think from what the cognitive psychologist said though, a lot of behaviours can look v similar but it’s the cause driving the behaviours that we need to establish.

Many people with hoarding tendencies and sensory issues are bi polar. However, these issues are also linked to many other MH conditions as well.

We will see. Bipolar and ASD can look very similar but Dd has had certain traits since being younger. The psychologist I saw certainly thought it was worth pursuing an ASD diagnosis.

Please read Dr David Healy on Sertraline and other SSRIs. davidhealy.org/zoloft-study-mystery-in-leeds/

This happened with me. Any chance she could be bipolar?

I got prescribed antidepressants before I got diagnosed and it drove me manic, what I really needed was a mood stabiliser. They told me later how dangerous it was to give bipolar antidepressants without the aid of something else as they can send you too high and it was a common unfortunate thing to happen apparently. Make sure you get it ruled out x

You need to get your DD to your GP Dr. straight away and get her medication changed. WHAT was that private psychiatrist thinking, prescribing it to a child ? The train track threat suggests she may be suicidal Just as the warning indicates below.

www.drugs.com/sfx/sertraline-side-effects.html

quote

Sertraline hydrochloride is not approved for use in pediatric patients except for patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Warning

Oral route (Solution; Tablet)

Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults with major depressive disorder (MDD)

I’ve just read your update, sorry! A lot of disorders can cross over and present very similar

Glad you have got some support. So sorry you are going through this but do take as much help as you are offered.

I don’t think she’s suicidal. She has emotional dysregulation and will melt down if we don’t de escalate quickly.

She’s very calm and happy at the moment, particularly as the demands of school have been removed this week. She has often talked about death/suicide pre sertraline- usually as a response to demands that she can’t cope with.

Obviously I do take any talk of that kind seriously and I’m not suggesting otherwise, but all the professionals we’ve worked with share my view. She does have a safety plan and on the reduced dose of sertraline she seems fine. I don’t think it’s reasonable to decide someone is bipolar based on an internet thread, though I appreciate it is possible. I just don’t want to jump to conclusions.