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Friend with trauma & ADHD - Advice?

4 replies

ValleyForge · 11/12/2023 19:03

I want to throw this out there in the hope that some of you may have had similar experience and perhaps have advice to offer...
I know a young woman (30) who is ADHD; I believe also that she could be on the spectrum, and so her behavior does swing quite dramatically with very little triggering.
She has had a terrible life, being passed from pillar to post within the social care sector as a child (her father put her into this after her mother died as he couldn't cope) and as a result she was also subjected to a number of sexual abuses due to lack of care from social services.
Her father then died a couple of years ago, effectively leaving her alone in the world with no family (apart from odd relatives who she never had any connection to and doesn't want to make contact with as she believes that they don't want to know her).
What few friends she has / had, have done nothing but treat her badly and for want of a better expression have abused her, everything from lying, misleading, using, stealing from & in some instances being violent towards her.
She knows that she is alone in the world, and it is absolutely heartbreaking when she breaks down over this.
I have known her for several years and have basically become like the father figure in her life, but the unfortunate thing is that the pressure on me from her has increased and has become a tad overwhelming.
I have my own life to lead, but I care about her and don't want to see her sink without a trace.
Friends have pointed out the obvious that she is a draining influence, and I do understand where they are coming from, but (to my own detriment) I am not one to abandon a friend in need.
I have done numerous things for her in order to try and help her move on, ranging from getting her in with the local mental health services (utterly useless), reporting her abuse to the Police via a 'historic complaints' section on the .gov website (doesn't want to pursue the issue after her initial Police interview out of fear of re-living the incidents in a court), tried to get her active in ADHD social groups in the hope that she can make new friends (but she has found the whole thing overwhelming and has avoided making any inroads).
I desperately want her to generate a new bunch of friends who will treat her as a human being and show her care and respect.
As I have made her aware, I wont be around forever and want her to have new people who she can grow with.
Does anyone have a similar story? Can anyone offer advice on moving her forward? Recommended groups etc?
Thanks in advance!

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BertieBotts · 11/12/2023 19:27

I would suggest that she looks for a local sexual abuse counselling charity. I have not needed the services of these myself but I have heard from people who have used them that they tend to be excellent. They do not usually rely on a diagnosis or referral. She would be able to self refer. There is unfortunately often a waiting list.

ValleyForge · 11/12/2023 19:38

Thanks for that suggestion. I will certainly look into that for her. The problem is that her reluctance to push herself and get involved in social situations is one of her major stumbling blocks.

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skatykatie · 11/12/2023 22:20

@ValleyForge I can totally understand how difficult it must be for you and you sound like you have been an amazing friend. To be honest I can relate to your friends story a lot in being treated badly by others (though I would say I'm the opposite and tend to be hyper independent and find it difficult to rely on anyone). It sounds like your friend has been treated so badly by others, that she now has huge anxiety around people and that is very difficult to overcome. Is there any way you could suggest she begin with therapy or even perhaps speak with a GP that she could trust? Wishing you all the best

ValleyForge · 12/12/2023 20:55

@skatykatie , Thankyou for your kind words, and I am so sorry that you yourself have suffered similar. The sad thing is that she is very much a small boat adrift in a very vast sea… she is petite and very skinny, and her appearance seems to be a magnet that draws others to target her as she looks vulnerable. Therapy is something that I have been desperately trying to get going for her for months, but as I have mentioned the local mental health unit was an utter sham. I was genuinely surprised when she was given a student therapist (still at university) to be her case worker, utterly appalled in fact; this doesn’t include the more mature therapist also assigned to her who seemed to be a dyed in the wool man-hater and went off on a tangent along the lines that I was an abuser and controlling my friend. I did point out the lengthy document that I had provided them with that detailed my friends tragic life, but that went on deaf ears. I did make a complaint. No joy.
A few weeks ago I did speak with one her surgeries doctors who very kindly spared me time to detail her issues. I did emphasise that a mental health therapist was urgently needed for her needs, but was advised that could take several months despite my insistence to have it sooner. 24 hours after that call she received a lengthy questionnaire for therapy evaluation (so long that we actually took a break half way through completing it!). I am hoping that this will be the turning point for at least one aspect of her life, that perhaps she can get some kind of release talking to a skilled professional who will address the pain she carries.
The other (and equally as important) issue of her finding new friends is ongoing….

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