Medication for 14 yo???

[Itstheprinciple]

My DD has OCD, pure-O I believe, as far as I know she has no compulsions but has very dark intrusive thoughts relating to suicide and sexual abuse. She has also had trichotillomania in the past but that seems to have settled.

She had CBT a couple of years ago but didn't really engage with the therapist and actually found the process very negative, although it did seem to help.

Her anxieties and intrusive thoughts have massively increases recently, I believe due to lockdown and home learning. Even when we weren't in lockdown she was learning from home every third week due to staffing issues at school. She now has a place at school for this current lockdown which I'm so pleased about.

I have spoken to the pastoral lead at her school this week who has done a referral to the school counsellors. He is also referring to school nurse for her to refer to CAMHS as trying to get GP appointment at the moment is difficult.

My question is about medication. I believe it would really help her, both to calm her immediate thoughts and anxieties but also to engage more positively when she starts talking therapy but how do I go about asking about this? What is the process? Will the GP be able to help?

I have actually seen that I've had great advice on another poster's thread about someone who ended up going private to get her DD seen and some medication. But if anyone has any other advice I'd be grateful.

You must get a GP appointment. Referrals to CAMHS or rather getting referrals to CAMHS accepted is far far harder than getting a GP appt! Even if your referral is accepted, waiting lists can be 18 months.

GP can refer to CAMHS anyway and complete the questionnaire to ascertain risk of harm.

Most of the students I have worked with who have been on medication have had depression/anxiety/BPD but it has certainly helped them.

Young Minds have good parent resources on mental health and a lot of my older students like to use Kooth.

If you can afford to go private I would however.

In an emergency go to A&E where a duty psychiatrist is available. Obviously not one's top choice in a pandemic...

In an emergency go to A&E where a duty psychiatrist is available. Obviously not one's top choice in a pandemic...

There isn't necessarily a duty psychiatrist in a general hospital. And even if there is one on-site, it won't be a CAMHS one necessarily. There may be some CAMHS Liaison provision, but I just thought I should mention the depth of it will vary massively. In our area, after 8pm you'll be stuck waiting until the next morning.

@Itstheprinciple PP is correct that the best thing is a GP referral. Waiting lists are notoriously bad, but in the meantime the GP may be able to start some first line treatment under the advice of a CAHMS psychiatrist.
You sound like a really invested and clued up Mum. That is worth more than you may realise

Thank you, that's really useful. It's just really hard to get a convenient GP appointment when I am in school (work) and DD is at school and you have to phone on the morning and see what they have available. They are telephone appointments and I'm not sure how much DD will engage with that, although I suspect other services are probably the same so she will have to get used to it. I will try on my day off when I am able to sit in the queue and if I get an appointment during the day, I will bring DD out of school. Although CAMHS appointments are like hen's teeth, at least you know about them and can tell work/school in advance.