Hi there,
I'm just wondering if anyone can help who may have experience of dealing with a with mental health problems and getting access to help.
First off apologies for what is probably a long and garbled post...
A year ago my then 17 year old DS took an overdose. This became apparent when he had an allergic reaction to the medication that he'd OD on and so we were able to get straight to A & E. Whilst in A & E a whole string of issues became apparent. For some time he had been self harming unbeknown to DH and me. The extent of his self harm is quite servere, his body is now covered with a network of scarring which means that he is unable to wear shorts or t-shirts.
After the visit to A & E he was put under the CAHMs crisis team who were great with him, paying him home visits and checking in to make sure he was ok. From there he was put under CAHMs with weekly visits to see a counsellor. Unfortunately the help he received under CAHMs was useless, without going into detail more harm than help was done during this time.
Earlier in the year when he reached his 18th birthday he was discharged from CAHMs and from there no help has been given other than his GP prescribing him 40mg of Citrilopram and referring him to Turning Point, a mental health charity which has put him on a waiting list for talking therapies. As parents we are witnessing a general decline in our DS's mental health and have tried to get help via different routes to no avail.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation and is there any advice that you can give?
Thanks