DD overdose. The system is broken? Any advice?

[BeethovenNinth]

I have posted about DD before. Broken by lockdown, anorexia age 12, school drop out, burn out, self harm extreme. We are five years in.

we have repeatedly been told she doesn’t qualify for help and have tried various therapists ourselves.

she is out of school and self learning. Very lonely. Seems ok recently ot so I thought.

due to intense sadness last night she took an overdose of aspirin. I suspect a cry for help and she phoned childline who got her to phone 111. (She didn’t think to wake any of us). I suspect A and E will just kick us out soon.

we are a loving family but this is a huge setback.

we are Edinburgh based, desperate desperate for the right help.

private psychiatrist? Do we suggest sertraline? Anyone in Scotland have any good suggestions?

thanks from a broken mother

OP - afaik, she was on citalopram and came off it ok. She has previously been on sertraline, and even though she used the psychiatrist’s suggested weaning off schedule, she had a dreadful time. She kept suffering what she called brain zaps. She fell down the stairs once and hurt her back. It was months, before she got back to normal! She said, she’d never take it again!

Hi all. I’m still updating as it might help others…

more settled here. DD has one new counsellor she likes. We are still considering meds but not there yet.

we are now in agreeing she is autistic. She doesn’t want to be. We aren’t getting a diagnosis but it explains so so much. I don’t know why it didn’t appear until age 12. My feeling is she was happy in a small and safe world and lockdown then caused a tonne of trauma for a neurodiverse person entering high school.

I have come as close as I ever have to not coping but feel much calmer. I have asked her not to overdose again and speak to me - I think she doesn’t really get the impact on the family.

If she is autistic, it is possible she can't consider the needs of other people.

I have two autistic daughters and one of them is like this - the other is not. My husband recently had a stroke and the difference is astonishing - one has dropped everything to be with him but the other is carrying on pretty much as usual and is more worried about the impact on activities that might be cancelled rather than on her dad's health. She can be sweet and caring towards him, but it's intermittent and very much about her, not him.

Yes @Arran2024id say my daughter has a similar vibe. So easy to forget she is autistic sometimes and then you hit a patch where you get properly reminded!