Son with anxiety and depression

[KD99]

My 15 year old has just been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. It’s taken a few months to diagnose as he has been suffering from headaches and stomach issues for a while and has missed a huge amount of school. They have refused antidepressants but we’ve been referred to CAMHS. I’m not sure what to expect now and what happens next. Any tips would be hugely welcomed.

Hi - I work in CAMHS. Not all services are the same but typically what will happen is that he'll be seen for an initial assessment appointment (which will explore past and present difficulties, they will likely want to speak to you together then him alone). He will likely then be offered a course of therapy in either tier 2 (for milder difficulties - eg school counselling) or tier 3 (moderate - severe) services. There will likely be a bit of waiting list for this, which could be a few weeks or up to about 3 months, depending on where you are.

The first line of treatment for depression and anxiety in a child of your son's age is CBT, in accordance with NICE guidelines. If a shift is not seen by the therapist after a course of sessions and he is wanting to try anti depressants as an adjunct that may then be considered, but for his age it's uncommon to offer medication at the start.

In my experience CBT can work very well for teenagers experiencing these issues. I wish you and your son all the best.