CAMHS ?????

[Alwaysme123]

Hello
The school have wanted to get CAMHS involved with my sons learning for around 2yrs and i have been very reluctant because i dont want multi agency people who dont know my son to see him for 30 mins and make a judgement on him....
anyway these hols have been very hard, not just for me trying to calm him and stop his out bursts but on his sister who he is constantly upsetting..
i thought i would bite the bullet and phone camhs to see if i could chat to someone who may be able to talk me through what it is they do and if it would maybe help our situation. i explained that im weary of the whole psychiatry/mental health thing....
the lady on the phone said she would get a social worker to phone me back thats if she isnt admitting anybody onto a ward.....
I am now so scared i dont really want to talk to them... pls if anyone has any dealing with CAMHS can you tell me what they do...

I am involved with CAMHS with my DS whose behaviour sounds similar. They met with him briefly at our home for a little chat. Then no further action. I needed to call them about his inability to cope. The lady from CAMHS came around to see me on my own at home.

Just a talking shop really from my point of view. A pat on the head "don't worry you're doing fine" kind of thing. Again no further action, although she did put my mind at rest in relation to a few things.

I wanted her to help me with my concerns that DS could be on the spectrum, but she wasn't interested.

I wouldn't worry. I think a lot of peoples experience on here is that they do very little.

I completely understand your reluctance as I felt very similarly when I had to ask for respite and direct payments as this meant accepting social care into our lives. Whilst I am wary of them it has in the main given us access to services and funding that I wouldn't have got otherwise. I think it is a hard step to take but if you are struggling may be a necessary one. Try not to panic. Take it slowly and I would be relatively circumspect. Think about things objectively and maybe make a list about what are the main issues and what sort of help you are looking for. if they then don't provide the sort of help you are looking for then you can side step their service. For example if your ds is especially hard to manage in long holidays you could say that he needs a career or some access to activities in these old so that his siblings get a break. The holidays can be very hard and it was an appalling hard holiday that reduced me to tears that finally caused me to grit my teeth and agree to an assessment of my ds needs.

thank you,
i have had the phone call, and the duty worker seems ok,
she has advised me to wait for the new term at school and discuss things with school and Edpsych for a referral where they then can have a chat with me..
she understood my worries and reluctance to get them involved,
although it is such a massive emotional mountain im glad i have eventually plucked up the courage to put my foot on the path..
A list is a really good idea will help me get my worries out my head aswell...
hopefully by the next school holidays a plan may be in place for a bit of normality to resume !?!

cahms vary hugely from area to area. Mine are worse than awful to the point I refuse to have anything to do with them, BUT the borough next door dealt with my sister & I have nothing but the highest of praise for that team. As a family we've experienced both extremes so I'd advise to take the initial risk, as when they are knowledgable it's so worth it. My sis was a fantastic success story - the poster child for a positive cahms outcome.