Suicidal teen in Nottingham - CAMHS won't help.

[Squirrelsnut]

My friend is absolutely desperate. Does anyone know of reasonably priced child psychiatric services in Nottingham? She's a widow and very hard up. Her DD has gouged a hole in her arm and is adamant she wants to die.

Could your friend contact her doctor surgery?? Or contact social services and ask for mental health team x

Take her A&E if there are no other options.

Go to her A&E. Ask for the crisis team. There will be a crisis team available or they can direct to the nearest A&E with one available.

Do as @Malvala says. If you keep taking to A & E then they have to do something. I would think that hopefully CAMHS would have to take her on.

She's already under CAMHS but they've said she won't be reassessed until May, despite wounding herself. My friend keeps getting passed around from service to service. The child is also starving herself, when they go to A&E they just weigh her and take her vitals.

Has she googled "teen mental health charities Nottingham". My eldest daughter got counselling through a local charity when she was similar, Cahms, the gp and the community mental health team were useless. I'm sorry your friend and child are in this situation and hope things improve.

And yes if she's at imminent risk, take her to A and E. Had to do this twice with my daughter to keep her safe

Tell her to look at this website, it might help, also has a helpline for parents

www.youngminds.org.uk

Please contact the charity Papyrus

https://www.papyrus-uk.org/

Try Base51. I've tried to include a link but it won't post - you can easily look them up online though.
They are in Central Nottingham, work with children and young people and are highly regarded - but they have counsellors rather than psychotherapists. If they can't help directly they may be able to signpost you.

Has your friend had any support from the charity Widowed and Young?
Sadly many others in similar boat.
Not sure if there is much in the way of bereavement groups for young people?
I know of a book on Amazon written by teenagers who had all experienced losing a parent young, but l can't remember the title.
Sometimes l think we expect the children/ teenagers to just get on with it only for things to spiral out of control further down the line, once the enormity of what's happened has sunk in.
You sound a lovely caring friend and l hope your friend and daughter get much help and support.

Be careful, in case CAMHS are deliberately procrastinating/fobbing you off until she's 18 and has to be transferred to the Adult Mental Health service (i.e. 'not their problem anymore'). That's what happened to a relative of mine and they were back to the bottom of a new list. Keep pushing and making as much fuss as you can.

She can contact NHS Direct option 2 and speak to the mental health team.
She can call Young Minds or Rethink who both have mental health helplines.
She can see if there's a crisis cafe in her area.
She can look on Hub of Hope to see what help is available locally.

Take her immediately to AnE and don’t be fobbed off by CAMHS. Refuse to take her home or take responsibility for someone who is in crisis. Say you haven’t had the training. Keep taking her to AnE every time she harms herself. A record is made of these events and should make CAMHS act. Meanwhile look on BACP website for an experienced adolescent counsellor. Some will negotiate fees due to family circumstances. My friend’s daughter was experiencing something simillar and was helped fantastically by a private counsellor face to face.

Once the initial crisis is passed, can highly recommend this organisation.

casy.org.uk

Also in Nottinghamshire

https://www.childrensbereavementcentre.co.uk/Pages/Category/impact

The children’s bereavement Center are great but if she does get sessions with them CAHMS will say her problems are as a result of grief so she doesn’t need their help as she’s getting support from CBC. This is from bitter experience in Nottinghamshire.

Thank you everyone x

Go to A&E. Be very clear on her risk to self. Has she engaged in any other self harm? Your friend needs to be really clear on the risk if she is not escalated for an assessment at A&E. She’s not there for the weight loss- she’s there because she’s saying shes suicidal

Another vote for A&E, as shit as I’m sure that prospect feels. Until she’s at the top of someone’s list, you won’t get any progress with CAMHS. I’m sorry.