So now it is clear that many teens will suffer damage to mental health from lockdown what is the government going to do?

[1SayT0mat0]

Because where I live CAMHs are doing sfa and have been woeful throughout.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53022369

Yes, won’t hold my breath.

@Pugsrus

I’m not sure I agree , The ones near me seem very happy hanging about McDonald’s,sat in the park ,they jump the fence with the ties and notice on. There’s always a few having cans of beer in the nature reserve near me . They all seem very happy laughing and joking in their large groups

Stupid post alert.

Sorry ,I think my post came across as harsh ,I didn’t mean to be Harsh obviously the teens I’m seeing are only a tiny amount and not reflective of all teens ,sorry again

batters no one is suggesting you are neglecting your dc, only that taking some off now may be a good investment. As a keyworker you must be tired and ready for a break. If your teens are really suffering this is a good option no?

I am glad you have a meeting scheduled. I am sorry things are so hard for you and dc. The pandemic has a lot to answer for, and it isn't over yet.

The government will do nothing to help teenagers or younger children. They don't make money for them so they don't count.

I have been really worried about my teens as well, for those that were already struggling with their MH then this will be really challenging. I would like to see much more support rolled out, but we can't wait for that to happen.

I do think we have a responsibility to do whatever we can to mitigate the situation. The state can not provide everything to everyone, esp now. It will be about priority sadly. Every teen is important, everyone deserves support if they need it. I wish it was the case.

My teen is so depressed he now has no friends.

What will I do?

I don’t know. I’m at my wits end.

I have downloaded and linked every mental health app known to man.

Dragged them out for a walk sometimes as late as 7 or 8 after work

Tried restricting screens then said knock yourself out depending on what I read

Texted support

Suggested cooking

Offered to buy books or fund hobbies

Tried to make them do puzzles and games with me

Spent hours talking to them......

Badgered CAMHs, researching private ( but none F2F and I don’t know how to pick the correct support)

........

Am I missing something? There are drugs but seriously is that the best we can offer them.

@Batters3aPark

Re: long term effects of ADs. I can understand your concern but only you know, and the crisis team will know if they are necessary.

Of course what teenagers really need is connection, real connection. Synthetic drugs may work in the meantime just to get through this god awful patch.

I need work for my own mental health and so I can support my dc. Also when the shit hits the fan I want to be in a good place to keep my job.

What are the long term impact of drugs?

I totally agree. Did he have no friends prior to lockdown? If so, you need to find the root cause and work on that. Low self esteem etc, all that help can come through talking therapies which as we know are hard to come by these days. Have you got the money for private?

Do they damage the brain, lead to future addictions, make them reliant or have an impact on ability to do their academic work?

Not really got the money but prepared to beg grandparents if needs be.

Pugsrus you are not seeing a huge number of the teenagers at home. There are loads sat alone in their rooms, cutting themselves off from support and feeling isolated

How do you choose the correct support or get a diagnosis privately. Looked at one massive private company and it was £800 for an assessment and over £200 for sessions. Def can’t afford that but found a cheaper company charging £80. They’ve sent me cvs but I don’t know how to pick as they all specialise in diff areas and have diff qualifications.

I’m not sure what the government is supposed to do. Everyone is suffering in this pandemic. How do they even begin to prioritise?
The elderly
Front line workers
Teens
Single parents
Pregnant women
Grandparents
Carers
Young children
We’re only three months in to this unprecedented time but people are already complaining that the government isn’t doing enough for their particular group.

I feel for you batters if you are struggling with your MH as well as supporting teens and trying to hold down your job.
Your teens probably need to find some mates. What happened to their friendships from before? Were they struggling before CoVid? I think most teens can cope if they have a support network of their own. Isolation can and will cause bad MH at this age.
What sports do they like? Hobbies from before lockdown?
Family? What do you have that you can utilise? Cousins of the same age? Your friends' children?

If you are looking for a good private therapist, ALWAYS get a recommendation from your GP. There are some dodgy ones out there that could cause more harm than good. Same can be said for cosmetic procedures and anything that isn't regulated properly.

Food banks are crying out for help, can you organise for them to do a day or two or even an afternoon? Sometimes it helps as a teen to see beyond your own boundaries/pain and see that others are also finding things hard. Or charities that care for animals.

Pets are always good, it gives them something to care for.

@Batters3aPark

Do anti depressants have a long term impact? Not sure how I feel about drugging my dc because support is shit but getting desperate.

I imagine a crisis team would prescribe something known to be safer. I know there are suicide risk with certain ADs for young people but these are well known and will be avoided. As for long term damage, I don’t know. There are question marks over this. However self destructive behaviour can also shorten life span and damage a person in may ways. For me the risk of taking them if advised to do so outweighs the risk of not.

Sorry so many people are struggling.

I could not get support from CAMHS for my autistic teen who has significant mental health difficulties before the pandemic. There will be absolutely no chance now.

Was struggling before, no support network. The gov are going to have to do something because it will cost more in the long run if they don’t.

Their crapness has contributed to it. No direction re schools, CAMHs underfunded, pretty crap and disorganised( in my area), no direction going forward and a real lack of interest re teenagers.

Where do you find out about voluntary? Are they taking teens? Not sure how we’d get him there with work.

He used to have a job with old people but that obviously got pulled.

There are two sides to this coin. I appreciate there are many young people who are really struggling mentally, and having been in that place as a young person i understand how hard that can be.

However, to my surprise, I spoke with a children’s social care worker the other day who said that, conversely, many children’s mental health was actually better, as for every child who‘s depressed at the lack of social interaction, there’s a child who finds the social interaction required in a school intensely stressful (peer pressure, not fitting in, bullying etc.), and that many of the “at risk” children in their caseloads were doing a lot better during lockdown.

It’s a particularly shitty case of swings and roundabouts.

There is something to be said with the stuff upper lip. Change what you can. Accept and get on with what you can't. Work out the difference. I actually think this can do wonders mental health.

If youve provided all the help and strategies you can do no more. Schoolwork and some form of exercise are the only actual essentials. The schoolwork is their future.

It isn't essential for teens to socialise thats a choice. I also think a lot of friendship are unexpectedly breaking down and changing due to attitudes to the Pandemic going out etc. It will change, but if we learn we can survive without endless socialising maybe we might be more picky about what we do and who we do it with. Really prioritise what and who gives us joy.

Change the narrative, this isn't the end of the world, this too will change.

I can tell you what worked for me:
We have a dog. That I bought for DD a few months back, because she was becoming more of a recluse than normal. I am fully responsible for the dog, I don’t rely on my teen to care for the dog 100%, but it gets DD out of the house, chatting to people. Other parents around us seem to have the same idea, last night they went for a walk with the dogs from 8pm to 9.45, a group of them.

I gave mine a budget and put her in charge of food shopping and cooking once a week. She LOVES hunting for the cheapest stuff.

She has to shower every day and change her bedding once a week.
The rest, is really up to her.

I too work full time and I am a single mother.