Psychiatrist for 16yo; NW England

[MenArePigs]

Hello; I am in desperate need of a psychiatrist on the northwest pref Liverpool or Chester to help my son. He is suffering from severe depression, social isolation and trauma.

He needs to be assessed for depression (GPs seemingly can’t bothered despite three attempts) and also for autism which runs in my family and he has all the signs, having had lifelong social communication issues.

I have spent the day trying to find one without any luck, just wondering if anybody has any wisdom to share.

Have you asked the GP to refer him into CAMHS?

Private therapy it iou can afford it and ask for gp to refer for autism diagnosis

GP basically has told us to get on with it and get more sleep blah blah blah

that was our third attempt. He’s been in counselling since April.

it’s completely unhelpful and dismissive.

I wanted a diagnosis of some sorts,
a pathway, a referral for depression and autism. I’ve have previously been given Prozac myself after a series of questions from a GP, so I know they can dx to some extent.

I can afford to pay privately but even those have massive waiting lists. This is why I’m resorting to asking mumsnet for help to find me a psychiatrist.

I am not surprised children’s mental health is the state it’s in - effectively a two year waiting list just to get some bloody Prozac.

Hi
We went with Stepping Stones. They're London based but they do online assessments and it's £500 for the initial one.

We are in a similar situation, doctors useless so resorted to private. Was assessed within a couple of weeks and given medication.

They are very responsive and helpful. PM me if you want. My son sounds similar to yours and I know how frustrating the whole thing is!

https://www.steppingstonesclinic.uk/professional-assessments/

If you suspect autism can you find some parent support groups where you live as they’ll be able to signpost you to providers nearby.

If you are able to pay for an autism assessment that might be worth doing. Alternatively look for providers who offer assessments via Right to Choose rather than the standard NHS waiting list.

If DS has had CBT it’s worth being aware that standard CBT isn’t usually recommended for autistic people.

unfortunately CAMHS can be very hard to access so does make sense to try & pay for services if you can

Thank you - I will call stepping stones as soon as they open x

Montrose Group in Sheffield offer both paid and Right to Choose appointments for assessments, counselling and medication. Everything can be done online so it doesn’t matter where you live. You will need a referral from your GP for RTC and an agreement for shared care from your GP (so you can get your son back under NHS support) if you don’t want to remain as a private patient for ever (most don’t as it can be very expensive).

I was considering this for my daughter and asked chat GPT who gave me this info:

1. Dr Shimrit Ziv
2. Online appointments available.
3. Experienced in ADHD and autism.
4. Offers medication management and will request GP shared care once a child is stable (although GP acceptance can’t be guaranteed).
5. This would probably be my first choice.
6. Child Psychiatry Consultancy (Dr Athina Zakynthinaki)
7. UK-wide virtual appointments.
8. Treats ADHD and co-occurring autism and anxiety.
9. Happy to review previous reports before deciding if further assessment is needed.
10. Neale Health
11. Consultant child psychiatrist.
12. Online clinics.
13. Medication titration and ongoing reviews for children with ADHD.
14. Online Psychiatry UK
15. Consultant psychiatrists.
16. Offers medication reviews if an existing diagnosis is available, although they may still want to confirm aspects of the assessment before prescribing.

Thank you. We have a psychologist appointment this morning. I will work on that list @Dontstopmenow00

Hope your daughter is doing ok