Self harming & overdoses!

[Natanna]

Hi, my daughter was self harming (cutting her thigh with a razor) I begged her doctor to refer her to CAMHS but she refused saying it's not a mental health problem & said not to worry as it is a pretty normal thing for teenagers to do these days as a way of coping & sent us on our way with a couple of private counselling business cards! A few days later she took an overdose! I rushed her to hospital & CAMHS did eventually come to see her the following day. They accepted to see her but said she would b on a waiting list. On the first visit which was just an assessment, they said she had been accepted for counselling & they would be in contact in the next 2 weeks to arrange her first appointment but then reminded me there is a waiting list for appointments so it could be a few weeks after that (I felt like she had been put through to the semi finals of a competition) Two weeks later on 20th October she took another overdose, the ambulance rushed her to hospital & she stayed there until Saturday when she was taken by ambulance to the Priory after pleading & begging CAMHS non stop to help & she has been there since. I was horrified when I got there that night after a 2hr drive following the ambulance as on the wall facing her bed had written 'LET ME DIE'! My other daughter who is 14 & I both broke down crying & we were only allowed to stay 5 minutes to say goodbye. I know she is in the best place to help her as she is now on medication & getting therapy but she is still self harming somehow & has now wrecked her arm too! I have been visiting her daily the last 2 1/2 weeks driving for up to 6hrs at times due to traffic & now I'm in debt by £800 & cannot afford to pay my rent so my other daughter & I will more than likely end up homeless as no governing bodies are willing to help a single disabled parent see there seriously ill child. All I can say is if you think your child is self harming in any way PLEASE PLEASE seek help immediately & KEEP pushing for the help he or she needs no matter what doctors etc say Xxx

(post edited by MNHQ)

Any advise atall would help Xxx

Oh dear Natanna - I'm sorry to hear of your predicament.

As somebody who has come out the other side of self harming I very much sympathise with the whole thing. Dealing with depression is incredibly difficult, even for the professionals as different people respond to different methods.

Is your daughter willing to take anti-depressants? I'm not sure how old she is, or how willing she is to talk to you but ask her how she feels when she self-harms. Cutting releases endorphins which act as "highs" and can provide temporary relief to mental pain.

See if you can get her to do one of the following things instead of cutting:
-hold an ice cube in the crook of her arm
-scribble where she wants to cut in red felt tip
-ping elastic bands against her wrist
-eat a chili pepper or other strong tasting thing that people struggle to eat

I'm afraid I can't really help with the legal side of things, or ways to fund your visits to your daughter. Hopefully someone else will be along that can answer that.

Is your daughter now on ad's?
My son was self harming for about 6 months and at the same time seeing a private psychotherapist, yet still took two overdoses in May. One on the Monday which failed and then one on the Tuesday which luckily he told me about and we got him to hospital.

Luckily he got to see a psychiatrist the next week who waited another week before putting him on fluoxetine (20mg). He is a different child.

He still has depressive episodes (in fact he had one last night, I found him lying on his floor) but he deals with them differently - doesn't self harm any more and realises the episodes are temporary.

I really hope your dd is on ad's. I just cannot believe that the GP said SH was a normal teenage thing to do and to effectively ignore it. Yes it maybe more common but it is definitely NOT a normal thing to be doing to cope.

Good luck to your dd, and you. It sounds such an incredibly stressful situation to be in. I guess you can just hang on to the hope that she is in the best place and will come out the other side.

for you

I'd complain about that doctor for starters.

I suspect you'll be in more trouble if her doctor finds out you've posted his name and surgery on a public forum, with negative comments about him.

Whilst I have every sympathy for you OP, I suggest you get this post taken down pronto, before you are sued for libel too.

She is 16 & her sister is 14. Thank you to everybody who has given me advise as I truly do appreciate it so thank you all Xxx