Mental health issues in teen DD

[yogafailure]

I don't even know what I'm asking. Finally got DD onto anti depressants last month but last night she tried to seriously injure if not kill her self. I feel way out of my depth. DH is working today, DD is now finally sleeping but I'm scared to leave her even to take the dog out.

How do I help my beautiful girl? I deal with mental health issues in younger children daily at work but this is a different ball game altogether.

wanted to post to say that I understand. Been through a lot of mental health stuff with DD1 inc OCD, anxiety and Depression. she is 28 now but still lives at home with us. however, she should complete her degree this year (via the OU) and has set up a mental health charity to help other young people. Can DM you the link if that would help.
it's bloody hard when your child is mentally ill because you dont know what to do to "fix" it! The ADS will take a wee while to kick in so make sure she keeps taking them.

Hi. I know from experience with my DD just how hard this is. You are not alone! I do have a couple of suggestions in case they help. If you think your daughter is suicidal or not safe, you can take her to A&E. We had to do that with our DD, and they were brilliant. In the end, it turned out to be the only way to get any effective help for her since it put her at the top of the CAMHS list (finally!). Secondly, I would suggest talking with the doctor about the ADs and ideally getting your daughter seen by a psychiatrist if possible. This is really difficult because, while ADs can and do take time to work, they can also sometimes cause significant mental health deterioration in teenagers. That happened with my DD - the ADs made her much worse leading to significant self harm. Of course I can't say whether this is the case for your DD, and hopefully it isn't. But it might be so I think it would be worth seeing a doctor - either at hospital or the GP. Good luck!

First off please try and be kind to yourself as well as to her through all this. It's tremendously difficult and you're doing your best.
Secondly it's worth noting that when first starting antidepressants young people can experience a massive surge in risk of self harming or suicidal behaviour. This is basically just due to them having a lot more energy than before to act on desires they already had. Please help her to keep taking them and press on through this initial difficult stage. In terms of managing risk I understand how hard it is, but for your own health and wellbeing you have to try and get more into a mindset of helping her to help herself because you can't realistically watch her 24 hours a day or monitor everything she does, nobody expects this of you.
Be kind and give her time to feel heard without really responding too emotionally even if you have to hold it down a bit. She needs to feel like she can tell you things that are bothering her without trying to protect you from it.
Good luck op, and I really hope your daughter feels better soon x

Sending sympathy too - we have been over this ground with dd17. Is your dd taking Prozac? That was the anti depressant my dd tried first and she attempted to take her own life just a few weeks later.... she takes Citalopram now and that has been much more effective for her. It is not unheard of at all for Prozac to make things worse but it remains the first treatment offered to teenagers.

Thanks everyone for your replies...it's difficult to get on my phone as she's very clingy and is attached to me most of the time wanting hugs and telling me how much she loves me. These are what she's been on for just over two weeks hopes photo attaches. Drs are closed until Thursday but will be keeping a very close eye on her until then. DH will be in tomorrow which will help keep me calmer.

Prozac is virtually always offered first to teens as it has the most available clinical trial data on safety for under 18s. The incorrect perception that these drugs can make things worse is due to the initial effect causing an increase in energy before there is any improvement in their actual mood. The person initially has more energy but the same depressed thoughts and this can cause more self harming/suicidal behaviour early on. It is important therefore to hold steady and keep taking them to see the improvement in mood which comes more slowly.

Op fluoxetine is the generic name for the branded drug Prozac. It may not be the one for her in the end but I think it takes at least 6 weeks to get the full effect.
Hope you are doing okay this must be incredibly stressful x

I also second taking her to A&E if you are concerned about her safety... this should lead to an emergency assessment, usually by a camhs duty officer where I live and this would hopefully generate more help for her. Dd has been admitted 4 times, initially to the hospital and then to an adolescent mental health unit. She is doing much better now but I really feel for you - it is a very traumatic experience to go through with your child and, if you are like me, really hard to find you can’t ‘fix’ things for them.
Sending you a hug xx

Hi OP - another one here who's been through it. DD18 has taken two overdoses, and on another occasion we took her to A&E for her own safety (before she took an OD). The staff at A&E were amazing, all said we'd done exactly the right thing in taking her there. As another poster said, the ADs won't be having much / any affect yet, so be patient with that. It's worth looking into talking therapy for her. CAMHS and YPI are utterly, utterly useless round here - it may not be the same where you are. CAMHS assessed DD after the first OD, told us it wasn't serious enough, and then she took another OD. We paid for private therapy, and thank God we did. I can't say she's 100% OK (the trip to A&E was fairly recent - but at least it was before an OD this time), but she did well at college and now has a job which she loves. I also second the suggestion from another poster about being kind to yourself - it is utterly draining to support a child through this. Best of luck to you all.

Thanks everyone...it does help to know others have been there. After two sleepless nights - why is everything worse at night - I managed to get her a) a drs appointment and b) to go to it. Not all that helpful - I like the GP she got but she didn't 🙈 GP also signposted her to bloody Moodcafe and Breathing Space and told her it wasn't fair to put it all on me. Not helpful! Obviously my poker face at the start of the appointment before I left them too it didn't work.

She's in bed now catching up on sleep. I'm supposed to be doing work/coursework before work on Monday but at the moment I can't see me getting to work more stress or her going up school. DH was supposed to be nightshift this weekend but has called in to get at least tonight off which I am very grateful for. We've a primary school aged child who we are trying to shelter from this as much as possible. Our eldest seems to be coping fine so far. I've never been so stressed in my life. I'm scared to leave her on her own. This real decline seems to have come on do very quickly.

Oh op. I feel for you.

My ds at aged 14 (only 3 days after his birthday) overdosed and was admitted to hospital for the drip to counteract the harmful effects of paracetamol.

After this, we didn't leave him alone for 3 months! No mean feat with 3 younger sisters!

It takes its toll mentally and physically. I understand your pain.

He was put on fluoxetine and exactly 3 weeks after starting it he felt a cloud lift from over him. He was on it for 9 months and hasn't looked back.

Now 17.5 he's happy, long term girlfriend and amazing social life.

Hi op - and another one! Be kind to yourself, sending you all best wishes

Thank you for your replies folks...it does help to know we're not alone. We've both got some sleep today... I did more looking into the side effects of the drugs and am a bit wtf at them...and she's just been given another month of them. She's been on them for a month now and things are definitely markedly worse. I realise that her very low mood on Hogmanay also coincided with her period starting so I am going to keep an eye on that too. Currently she's playing board games with DH and her brothers (at her request) and she's due at her hobby all day tomorrow so I'm hoping she goes and makes it through the day without picking her up. I am in the bath having some much needed time to myself. DH has been given all weekend off which has lifted a lot of my stress at least. He's been very practical in making food DD will eat, buying her treats and spending time with her watching TV etc.

Sorry for rambling, I think I'm using this anonymous space to get things out my head

Don't be too freaked out by the scary small print on the medication. Talk to your gp or pharmacist if she actually experiences noticeable side effects but other wise try not to think about it too much just try and focus on the potential benefits. One month is not long enough to properly tell if they will help her so keep at it.
Bear in mind a lot of advice about self help/mindfulness etc from anyone is usually extremely generic and mostly aimed at people with quite mild mental health difficulties. They may be helpful but don't be discouraged if they aren't and try not to let your daughter get into a cycle of thinking it's her fault for not trying hard enough with methods that may be completely inappropriate for her.