Worried how referral to psychiatrist will it affect DS job applications etc

[bellylaughs]

Today I took my step son to see the GP about getting counseling or some other help.

He's 15, lives with us since the age of 3, his Dad was a single Dad when I met him. He still sees his birth mother occasionally but she is rubbish at contact and things have got steadily worse between them.

Things in our house have also got worse as the usualnrows you would expect to have (bed times, going out, revision etc) all seem to blow up and he loses his temper massively and threatens to leave/packs his bags etc.

We're not sure how much is normal teenage tantrums and how much is due to the possible feelings of rejection by his Mum/resentment of his situation etc.

After another one last night we asked i independent might help and he said he was happy to try anyway. so this morning took him to GP, she asked him a few questions about how he was feeling etc and said she thought a psychiatrist was the best option.

Now however DH (and me to a lesser extent) is worried that if he sees a psych it will become something that he has to declare on every questionnaire for a job/uni place etc that he fills out in the future. I suppose we still kind of think that it mint just be a teenage thing and something he will grow out of without having to carry around with him for the rest of his life.

Does anyone have any experience of this? I've rung Mind and Youngminds and they both agreed that he may have to disclose it in the future, depending on what happens.

I'm really surprised the GP thinks he needs to see a psychiatrist. In many ways it could well be a combination of things. Presumably he did not have the best start in life (and the first 3 years are crucial in terms of later development) together with normal teenage behaviour. He may well be feeling resentment against his mother, abandonment issues, or just pure confusion that he cannot process at his age.

Teenager do lose their temper but your lad might be worse because he never learned to regulate his emotions when he was a child. Many adults still can't do this! Sometime traumas in early childhood re-surface in the teenage years.

It is very difficult to know what is best - a psychiatrist can only really diagnose and treat and from what you say there is nothing so unusual about his behaviour that would warrant psychiatric involvement at this age. I am no medic btw but a retired soc workr and worked with adolescents/fostering/adoption/childprotection etc for 30 years. I know something of mental health because of my own experiences (2 severe episodes of depression needing hosp treatment)

Talking therapy is difficult too because 15 year old boys are not usually very good at expressing their feelings and having the insight to enagage in the therapeutic process.

Re having to declare this - think it very much depends on what happens. Did you ask the GP why he/she thought referral to psych? If it is one visit and no pyschiatric treatment, then it would not necessarily have to be declared.

If I were you I would go back to the GP and ask why she is making this referral. Do you have a system where you can ask for a specific gp to ring you at some point during the day so long asyou make the request before 11? If not, I'd make another appt and tell her of your worries and maybe get a clearer idea of her reasons for this referral.

Ususally questionaires like this ask about specific diagnosis, or being sectioned rather than having seen a psychiatrist.

What does your step-son want to do, does he want to see someone? If he saw the GP on his own then you dont necessarily know what they discussed.

Has he actually been referred to a consultant psychiatrist or to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health) for assessment?

CAMHS is what I would expect and I very much doubt it will affect work applications in later life. After all this could be ancient history by the time he's finished uni.

Also, if he is very troubled getting help is really the lesser of two evils. No point worrying about job applications later if he cannot cope now.

Ah yes Madmouse, CAMHS sounds far more likely. OP these vary a lot and there is usually a long waiting list. It is the old "Child Guidance" with a new name. I'm afraid my own experience of them in the LA that I worked for was not very good - depends on the actual worker I suppose.

CAMHS is staffed by various mental health professionals, including consultant psychiatrists.

I know eviscerate - but the lad is more likely to be seen by a MH nurse for assessment

Hi all, thanks for your replies. I spoke to the GP again tonight (she actually rang back to see if i had managed to get details of our private health insurance as I said I would) so I asked her to clarify as I was a bit confused after reading your comments About who she actually wanted us to see. Basically she wants him referred to camhs for an assessment which would, she said be carried out by a psychiatrist. Alternatively, if we go private she says we will be assessed by a psychiatrist outside the camhs system.

I told her about our concerns re jobs etc and she assured me that I shouldn't worry about that at this stage. But acknowledged that it would be more private if we went private IYSWIM.

Thanks to everyone who posted, I've never been involved with CAMHS or similar so it's a whole new area for me.

In response to some of the questions above, he is not what I would consider "very troubled" BUT he did once (am sure it was just once) cut himself during a row with his dad and me. (left the room and did it and then sat there so that we'd walk in a minute later and see him) so perhaps thats why the psychiatrist?

I was with him throughout the chat with the GP (at his request) and he assured her that he hadn't had any thoughts in that way since at incident.

I'm still not sure whether to weather it out and 'see how it goes' or go ahead with the referral. I would hate to put him under psychiatric treatment if not absolutely warranted and him ask us when he's older why we let it happen.......

You wouldnt be putting him 'under psychiatric treatment'.
He will be assessed by a psychiatrist who will give an opinion on whether mental illness is present or not, and the sort of treatment that they might advise (which depending on the diagnosis could be medication, or could be psychology, or they might not advise any treatment).

Psychiatrists can only compel treatment in certain circumstances where there is a particular risk, so unless that applies the decisions about treatment will be up to your step-son/parents to decide.

Sorry, that sounds a bit harsh now I read it back. Just reading your post it seems like you are worried that your step-son will be sucked into something outwith his control, and it really shouldnt be like that.

Thanks Eviscerate, your post did help to clarify what exactly would happen. I can see now we'd have nothing to lose by going for the assessment anyway....

Employers are not allowed to ask about health prior to employment any more. This was as a result of campaigning from mental health charities.

why dont you call youngminds and get all the necessary inforamtion

www.youngminds.org.uk/ there is a parents helpline

not getting him the right help now will affect his job and future prospects far more than any psych ref on his file.

@ bellylaughs :- I would suggest that you proceed with caution. In fact I would say that your son should only go and see a psychiatrist if he and you and his father think he needs psychiatric treatment.

I have seen 10 or so people go down this route and the results were not good I guarantee a psychiatrist will always find something wrong as this is not a very difficult thing to do for them and they earn their living this way. They will tell you themselves they have liitle to back up their medicines etc as to be fair little is known about mental health.It is more a legal matter than a medical one .The consequences of having a psychiatric record for a young person can be severe when trying to get into SOME fields of work and people who do not know anyhting about mental health are suspicious of it, Some employers etc would prefer a criminal record as they know what the act was but mental health is not so clear.True, it does not have to be declared ona job application now but some employers will always get round it and would you want to apply to an Employment tribunal to prove it? TRead very carefully and yes go for the private one if you do

Celibin, I can assure you no CAHMS Dr or nurse wil diagnose unnecessarily. They get paid anyway, and the resources are ridiculously limited- in fact, as a professional, I have to say they UNDERdiagnose rather then overdiagnose.
CAMHS in many areas is the only way to access support/ counselling for under 18 year olds, the GP can not refer directly. Or you try the school counselling service, but even they often link with CAHMS.
It does NOT constitute a "psychiatric record", and does not have to be disclosed.

I wanted to reassure you that several of my friends saw psychiatrists in their teens. One of them was sectioned, & she has had to declare that on her life insurance policy. It has not stopped any of them going to an RG uni & progressing into "good" careers - journalism, medicine, publishing.

Celibin, you're talking shite. psychiatrists get paid whether they diagnose an illness or not. Get your facts right before you start posting scaremongering threads.

If it's not too late..

• GO TO A PRIVATE GP TO GET THE REFERRAL

It will cost you £50 for the GP appointment (not covered on insurance) but then your own GP, if he/she has not done the referral, will have no paperwork, and really need not make any record in his notes, either.

might be too late, though.

Sorry Just saw a few unpleasant scenarios in my long life Very sad Think mental health should be given more research funds. On a more positive note Equal Opps employers WILL help their staff and so we are moving on Please enlighten me further and yes I am interested . By the way I help 2 people with acute conditions in my own time and so I am not that bad just wised up and maybe you don't like that

celibin not sure what your agenda is but doesn't sounds like you should be 'helping' people with acute problems in your own time. Leave it to people who know what they're on about. You are talking frightening amounts of rubbish as already pointed out to you.

My DH has OCD and has seen a psychiatrist on and off for years and is on medication. He has always been upfront about his condition when going through medical questions for new jobs and it has never stood in his way. Usually medical questions come after you have been given a firm offer of employment and they cannot withdraw an offer at that stage. It would be more relevant if he was needing lots of time off work.

I can't talk about getting jobs, but as far as school and university goes I have some experience. My son has OCD and has been under a consultant psyachaitrist for over a year (he is 19). This is being done under private health insurance. As far as school and university entrance goes it is a no brainer. He has qualified for extra time in exams and last year a small amount for special consideration. Even the university websites have a section which deals with informing them of anything that may have affected exam results etc. Most universities have very good student support services.

do not listen to those saying not to go down this route. If the psychiatrist assesses and there is nothing more required than a couple of sessions with a counsellor then so be it. When my son was 12 or 13 he was referred and 'we' decided not to get 'sucked' in. With hindsight this was the wrong thing to do. If he had seen someone at that stage it may not have got as bad as it did when he was older.