Self harm, eating disorder

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My 13 yo dd is currently being seen by camhs, she self harms (until now not really showing any signs of stopping) and we suspect an eating disorder, she has already lost 1 stone in 2 weeks, one of which she had the flu, and she is constantly exercising in her room. Just last week I discovered a set of scales in her room and on Thursday found laxatives with 1 remaining in the pack.

This past week she's had 2 panic attacks which camhs are not aware of. Although she assures me she has not self harmed, tbh I believe her. Camhs are talking about anti-depressants(fluoxetine) which at first dd resented, but now seems more open too.

She has not as far as I'm aware been diagnosed, but apparently camhs usually have a diagnosis on record but are reluctant to share.

Any thoughts or tips on how to help?

Sorry things are so difficult. As she is under 14 I would try to involve yourself more with camhs despite any protestations. They can be reluctant to engage with familes, particularly over 16 and over 14 partly because you are not the patient, . I'm not sure how long they have seen her, but usually they are reluctant to diagnose teenagers , which can be part of the frustration, as any MH issues are emerging and can change. My DD actually received several incorrect potential diagnoses.

If she does have an eating disorder, there are specialist ED units they can involve so encourage them to share some information about diagnosis with you, saying you want to support their work at home and there's lots of research you can do, if she has an ED on local units/day patients, voluntary groups, online support etc.

My DD stopped eating for a while but had severe Depression not an ED, and its harder to know where to start . In terms of SSRIs, my DD also took them at a similar age. Its a big decison for both patient and parent, but doesnt need to be long term . A psychiatrist should prescribe the SSRIs and ensure that alongside medication she is getting regular talking therapy with a therapist she feels comfortable with(important) (NICE guidelines say medication should always be alongside talking therapy with teens, the idea being to lift low mood enough to get them talking ). Going on the medication was less hard than coming off after a few months. I am not sure if she is at school, but in terms of self harm, making sure she has time to relax, suggesting she writes feelings down in notebooks, we did a lot of baking. www.childline.org.uk/Explore/Self-harm/Pages/Self-harmcopingtechniques.aspx

My suggestion, as she is so young, is also to make daily notes for camhs and yourself on any extra symptoms, and send them through (as professionals change regularly) . Ask for family therapy (they may not feel its necessary but sometimes don't offer it when it could be useful) . Hope this is a little bit helpful, good luck.