DD(14) has a question?

[JessLouise]

My DD has asked me if she can write a question on here and can you help her so here it is.

Hi, recently I've been refusing to eat anything but dinner and sometimes snacks, but I'm making sure it's under for hundred calories. I also want to just give up on life and die. It's getting to be too much and I recently relapsed into self harm. Does anyone know what I can do besides get and appointment with my school nurse/counsellor and hope I get a referral to CAMHS? How likely am I to get a referral or would it be useless trying?
Thank you for your help!

i'm confused.

is this you posting jesslouise? or is this your daughter?

Bundaberg was my 14 yo DD, she has nowhere else to post it.

You can go to your gp. Alternatively you could use google and see of there are any support groups for teenagers nearby?

Keep talking to your mum- that's a really good start..

ok.. i thought so. I wasn't sure if you'd just left her to post, or whether you were aware of what she was writing.
partly because I what I want to say is that it shouldn't be up to her to be seeking this help by herself. YOu could perhaps both go to the GP, or she can go alone if she would prefer and they will certainly refer her to CAHMS and anyone else they feel appropriate

I'm really glad, like the other poster, that she is talking to you about this, It's so important to have a good open relationship

Dear JessLouise or her daughter, i have been through (what sounds like) something very similar to you and if you want to know more about my circumstances then feel free to ask :) I was about the same age as you when it all began and i'm now 17 with (so far) 3 university offers and have recently passed my driving test. I've been fine for nearly a year now so I thought I might just reassure you that it does get better, and it will. You are so lucky that you have your mum helping you through all of this and never stop sharing your feelings with her. My advice would be monitor internet use: thinspiration and self-harm blogs can be so so triggering and very damaging to any progress you may make. FIND YOUR TRIGGERS, I cant stress this enough as ultimately when you know these you can learn how to combat them. Get professional help and don't just rely on school for this, teachers at my school could see I was going through a lot but just never bothered to do anything. See a GP, they may be more likely to suggest anti-depressant drugs but if they help you, it's worth it. Although it's fine to share your feelings with family be careful with people your age, some may be supportive but you won know until you tell them and you can never know how they will react and they may just give you more to stress about. Do things that you enjoy as often as you can and when you feel like punishing yourself (this may sound strange) go and do schoolwork, it helped me get 100% on my history coursework lol. It made me feel like I was working to be a better person (my trigger was feelings of inadequacy). Take labels off of food so you cant calorie count, its a good habit to break. Sorry for such a long post, just thought my insight may help in some way and get well soon,
lots of love, Brenna XXX

Hi, I'm sorry you're going through this but there is help available. Please go and speak to your doctor, with your mum if that will help, and your doctor will probably refer you to CAMHS which is a service to help young people going through similar issues to yours. You will be able to talk about the things you are struggling with with a friendly and knowledgeable CAMHS practitioner who will help you find ways to manage how you feel and change things for the better.
I work in CAMHS myself and I'd like to reassure you that you can get through this, so don't despair, just take the first step and tell your GP everything that you have told us on here. Best wishes x

Message to your Mum - please support your lovely daughter in talking to the GP and asking for a referral to CAMHS.

Brenna, fantastic post and great advice. Great to hear that you have recovered from your difficulties and are looking forward to your future. I wish you every success; best wishes.

It would be nice if the OP could come back to the thread about how she is going to support her DD with this..