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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

What are your thoughts on CAHMs?

38 replies

furrylittlecreatures · 15/07/2015 18:23

Anyone's dcs being seen by CAHMs.? We had our assessment session and got to say I wasn't overly impressed. Just wondered what other people's experiences are?

OP posts:
BackInTheRealWorld · 15/07/2015 18:24

Worse than useless. (imo)

Deeperdown · 15/07/2015 18:30

Discharged selective mute under investigation for autism 3 year old because she spoke to one person and was according to cahms miraculously cured.
Also blamed her selective mutism on me having mild post natal depression.

Later discovered selective mutism was part of her additional needs.

VlBeing re refered again now and not holding much hope .

mapmyface · 15/07/2015 18:38

I agree, worse than useless

Lancelottie · 15/07/2015 18:43

Brilliant, sanity-saving and possibly life-saving for one child.
Chocolate teapot standard for the other.

I think it depends who you get, but I will be eternally grateful to the first one we saw.

bowbear · 15/07/2015 18:52

Absolutely useless in our area. I hope you have a better experience.

crazyauntie · 15/07/2015 19:12

It's depends on your workers and area.

When I saw them the process was awful, they lost my notes, then the psychiatrist left so wasn't seen for another 6months. (It took me turning up at a&e with self harm injures because they saw me again). I had one worker who just didn't care and was horrible and just didn't seem to understand. However when I was referred to the crisis team I got a lovely worker who seemed to understand mental illnesses and feelings. The crisis team is only meant to see a patient for 12 weeks but because my nurse new I wouldn't cope she fought for me to stay under crisis until I was 18 and got a worker from the adult team. So for me the first part was awful and unacceptable but once I accessed the help I needed it was brilliant. They kept me at home when I should be been sectioned and gave me two daily visits instead. They saw me when I needed which to begin with was once a day...

I'm sorry you're having to go through the awful process. And I hope you and your family receive the help you need. Thanks

crazyauntie · 15/07/2015 19:14

*unit.

Not sure why my phones charged it to because. Confused

Elysianfields · 15/07/2015 19:17

Life saving for my ds.without a doubt. Dedicated staff, worked hard to keep him with us.

jimijack · 15/07/2015 19:27

Not good in the sense that the child very easily manipulated and told them lies. None of this was picked up or questioned by them.
Little communication between the team and the parents of the child.
Expected phone calls were never made, appointments by post never arrived, when parents couldn't make the final family meeting, it was left at that, appointment was never rescheduled.

Very very frustrating for wider family watching from the sidelines with a very disturbed child who now has pretty much been abandoned by every one.

Original poster
furrylittlecreatures · 15/07/2015 19:51

Glad it's not just me then (not for others bad experiences of course). The worker asked lots of very difficult question; putting her emotions into words and given she doesn't understand how she is feeling it was rather hopeless. I struggled to answer some of the questions myself!! I was putting so much hope into this, now I think it was misplaced.

OP posts:
TinklyLittleLaugh · 15/07/2015 23:22

DD was cutting herself, school refusing, neglecting self care and hygiene and basically just crying all the time. It was a nightmare to get an appointment; they never called us back.

When we finally got to see them, clever DD basically told them what they wanted to hear and they said all was fine and gave us an advice sheet.

So yeah, pretty crap really. Two girls have committed suicide at DD's school; I was terrified for ages DD would do something awful to herself.

nicoleshitzinger · 16/07/2015 08:01

Very unimpressed.

Two children referred. One diagnosed with Asperger's provisionally over the phone before he was seen Hmm after I complained to my MP and made a formal complaint to the PCT about long waits for assessments.

Once he'd had the assessment and diagnosis we had no more input.

DD at 12 for self-harming. Had some very pointless family therapy as part of a trial, and when that was finished we were signed off. Re-referred a couple of years later.

I feel that dd runs rings around them. The doctors are the wettest bunch of people I've ever met. The therapists slightly less so.

Original poster
furrylittlecreatures · 16/07/2015 12:56

Well, I just don't know what to do now?? Out of school and no intention of returning!

OP posts:
JustDanceAddict · 16/07/2015 14:05

DS saw a great lady in year 5 for anxiety re being left at places. he was referred quite quickly as it was beyond anything I could cope with.

crazyauntie · 16/07/2015 16:03

Furry this my not be a possible solution for your dd however my friends younger sister wouldn't go to school from the age of 13. She went to camhs they didn't/couldn't help so in the end she ended up doing online schooling. Then in year 11 went to the local pupil referral unit and did a vocational qualification and did another fast track gsce. She left school with English, maths, science, art (fast track) and a qualification equal to a GCSE. She is now going in to her last year of college and apply for uni for next September. She still says to this day she doesn't know why she couldn't go to school but there was something stopping her. She loves college and is doing very well. Online schooling is a very good option for young people who can't go to school due to mental illnesses but still wants to learn. Also it can be used so they keep with core subjects while the recover and integrate back in to mainstream schooling.

EE123 · 16/07/2015 18:09

Im in the CAMHS saved my child's life camp, but that was only after emergency intervention. Second the online route, and bugging the local education authority for some type of education intervention. One option we ended up using was the local hospital school which also provided options for kids going through school refusal.

Gymbob · 16/07/2015 22:57

a total load of shite. total.

Lancelottie · 17/07/2015 09:13

Furry, can you feed back to them your feeling about the assessment? Tell them that your DD struggled to answer some of the questions and you aren't sure it gave a true picture?

We seem to have been extraordinarily lucky with our therapist (who was anything but wet - quite brisk and snippy, really) but we had nearly a two-year wait to see her as apparently no one else would have been qualified to take on our 'very difficult child'.

GreenMouse · 17/07/2015 10:47

Very good with DD (self-harm, low mood, anxiety, low self-esteem) but only after a long fight to get some long-term, open ended help. It took 2 years from first approaching the GP for a referral, first we were offered 6 sessions for DD then discharged (useless), had to go back to GP for another referral and were offered 4 sessions of family therapy (useless) then had to self-refer, jump through hoops and complete zillions of questionnaires (again!) before finally a referral for open-ended, weekly individual therapy sessions. DD goes on well with her case worker and is engaging, which is good.

The service seems woefully underfunded with long waiting lists and some of the workers look very demoralised.

One thing that I have found from my experience and talking to other parents, is that in our area at least they are very reluctant to diagnose depression and prefer to talk about low moods.

bigTillyMint · 17/07/2015 11:08

I think it depends very much on the practitioner that they are matched with. DD was very, very lucky with hers and had a very experienced older man who she made a very positive working relationship with. She really valued the sessions and it has definitely (alongside other things) helped her.

MrsGrumps · 17/07/2015 15:41

Appalling but then I'd describe social services as that too. Too quick to listen to the lies the child is manipulated into saying. I'm a horrific parent according to them subjecting teen DD to emotional abuse and neglect. Anyone who knows me stands there mouth agape when I tell them what's happening and shake their heads

Original poster
furrylittlecreatures · 17/07/2015 17:40

I don't know what to do now. I am never going to get her back to school on my own in September!!

OP posts:
Lea3283 · 17/07/2015 21:11

my ds was diagnosed with adhd when he was 8, hes 14 now. back then it was very simple- we had a home visit in oct, by Jan he was diagnosed with out any assessments. the dr gave him an on the spot diagnosis after his first meeting with ds- but he was very very hyper! and random lol. School reports and visits where made before the dr seen him and after the first visit dr said there was no need to see him for assessments as he clearly had all the symtoms of adhd! Now we have probs with our 6y dd- shes been on the neuro development waiting list for over a year- been told its an 18mth waiting list. Her behaviour has got worse and tried to ring camhs today to see if theres any chance of having her seen sooner, butwhen i got through she gave me a different number which was the alcoholic services! I know im stressed with her but come on! I did say well if shes not seen soon at the neuro then i'll be a patient for the alcohol services lol. Finally got the right number but then no answer! imo - very stressy to get hold of, very slow these days x

kua · 18/07/2015 20:14

Having had a few friends go through the service, it does seem to be very variable. If they diagnose behavioural issues then it seems you are on a hiding to nowhere. Others, have had excellent support.

SirChenjin · 18/07/2015 20:17

Really good support here - just took bloody ages. That's not their fault though, the blame lies with our Govt.