Dealing with a attention seeking teenager

[selfdestructivelady]

She self harms and makes suicide threats. But the pychiatrrist has assured us many times that she is just doing it for attention. How do we deal with this?

I cannot hope to fully answer this, so I will just give maybe part of a reply.
Have you any idea why she attention seeks?

No idea she lies alot also so it's difficult to tell what is truth and what are lies. She sent herself death threat letters also and made out someone Else was doing it.

She has also said her father touched her breast but the day she said it happened he was in hospital for a week so wwhile we have taken the claim very seriously and shown no outward sign of doubt. Silently in mine and my mum's head there is slight doubt. The pychiatrrist has also said she shows no signs of having been touched inappropriately.

In fact quite the opposite she is cheerful about it particularly all the police involvement gets very happy when they are ccoming to speak to her about it.

Do you think that she feels loved by you and other family members?

Perhaps I ought to add that that is not the same as being loved.

From what little I have seen, it is entirely possible for a person to be loved but not feel that they are for some reason.

How old is she?

This all started when my mum went back to work so it's possible she is feeling abandoned. Tbh she has always had low confidence which just seems to be her personality. It is possible she feels unloved her father abandoned her as a child and only got back in touch when she was 8. She is 12

If she's lying about being touched then it'll come out in the wash. But you do have to take it seriously.

It's quite hard to deal with a kid who behaves in an attention seeking way to the extreme.. I fear you have a massively hard path to trek for the next few years.

Has her psychiatrist assessed her for anything? I wouldn't just accept attention seeking until all other avenues had been explored.

Even though she's showing unlovely behaviour.. she's still a little girl who's hurting inside.. she just doesn't know why.

He Has said while she meets the criteria for a pd they don't diagnose pds until age 18.

So she us going to be under a psych until she can be diagnosed and not cut her loose?

Does pd mean personality disorder?

Is she under anyone else besides the psych?

Yes it means personality disorder. She is being referred for therapy. We show and do love her very much we are just extremely concerned. I don't know how long she will be under a pychiatrrist.

It must be very worrying.
[hugs for you and hugs for her].

I might also advise you, after this thread is finished, or before to also post in teenagers. They have a lot of experience over there.
I know your DD is 12, but I have seen posts about 12 year olds on there before.

At what age do you think the attention seeking, if that is purely what it is, started to happen?

She has always enjoyed being the centre of attention but this behaviour started right as my mum went back to work a month ago.

Did she start seeing the psych before your mum started going back to work or after?

Was your mum looking after her after school finished?

And does that mean that she is now in the company of her father more?

SHe started sewing the pych after and she no longer sees her dad. I looked after her while my mum was working so she didn't see any more of her dad.

Sorry I am getting a little confused here.
Does your mum live with you both?
And how often did you mum normally see her?

She is my sister and lives with my mum.

Ah. Do you live there too or somewhere else?

She is only 12. She is badly missing your mum.
What does you mum say about all of this?

I live up the road. My mum says pretty much what I have posted as it was she who asked me to post.

Is she at school full time?
Is your mum at work after school and the evenings?

Yes she is in full time school. My mum works till 5.