Seven hours in A an E..

[Parents! Get help here!]

DD16 texted an hour into the school day to say she couldn't stay. I was going into school for a meeting anyway so told her to hang tight and I'd get there. En route I called her CAMHS teamworker and she said that as we are between psychiatrists at the moment, if I was worried to take her to A and E (emergency room).

Arrived at A and E at 11am and asked to see a psychiatrist. (We had to wait in adult A and E as she is 16 - lots of people arrested and bleeding in handcuffs, one of whom went into a fit in the chair next to her.) Kept asking where the psychiatrist was. Eventually at 4.15pm the CAMHS worker turned up, but it turned out he wasn't a psychiatrist. DD16 broke down completely. After reviewing her he said she had the option to go home or stay. She said she felt she should stay as she was suicidal. He then kept asking whether I could take her home and keep her safe. I said I could under normal circumstances but this seemed like a crisis and if she was asking to be admitted then she probably should be. He then said 'Well, you need to see a psychiatrist for that.' Arrrghhh!

By six they said we would have to wait for another hour and a half to see an actual psychiatrist. By this time DD16 had calmed down and said she wanted to go home. So here we are. Still haven't seen a psychiatrist.

The good thing is that our visit is on record and I have told her if she has another episode like she did on Saturday night then I will call an ambulance. I feel calmer having decided that and surprisingly she agreed as she feels they will see her at her worst and believe her.

[peppersnap]

DD16 texted an hour into the school day to say she couldn't stay. I was going into school for a meeting anyway so told her to hang tight and I'd get there. En route I called her CAMHS teamworker and she said that as we are between psychiatrists at the moment, if I was worried to take her to A and E (emergency room).

Arrived at A and E at 11am and asked to see a psychiatrist. (We had to wait in adult A and E as she is 16 - lots of people arrested and bleeding in handcuffs, one of whom went into a fit in the chair next to her.) Kept asking where the psychiatrist was. Eventually at 4.15pm the CAMHS worker turned up, but it turned out he wasn't a psychiatrist. DD16 broke down completely. After reviewing her he said she had the option to go home or stay. She said she felt she should stay as she was suicidal. He then kept asking whether I could take her home and keep her safe. I said I could under normal circumstances but this seemed like a crisis and if she was asking to be admitted then she probably should be. He then said 'Well, you need to see a psychiatrist for that.' Arrrghhh!

By six they said we would have to wait for another hour and a half to see an actual psychiatrist. By this time DD16 had calmed down and said she wanted to go home. So here we are. Still haven't seen a psychiatrist.

The good thing is that our visit is on record and I have told her if she has another episode like she did on Saturday night then I will call an ambulance. I feel calmer having decided that and surprisingly she agreed as she feels they will see her at her worst and believe her.

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders

[jellibeans]

peppersnap

Where are you living? Are you in Canada? Did you see my post about Valerie Porr giving talk in Toronto?

I am not understanding why it is so hard to get help for your dd. I am sorry my memory is not good and I don't remember the details of your situation. I do hope you can find help for your dd.

[peppersnap]

Hi jellibeans

No, we're in the UK. I don't know why it's so hard to get help either. In a way I think it's because my DD16 presents to strangers and those she is not so close to (teachers, doctors) as a very competent, calm, mature girl. It's only at home and with close friends that she shows how much she's struggling.

For some reason medial professionals seem reluctant to believe the breakdowns, screaming, smashing things, suicidality, deep depression, self harm, drinking etc... . it's very tough.

They seem to think Prozac is going to be the answer, but she's been on it since before Christmas and still wants to die.

[jellibeans]

dear peppersnap

I am sorry it is so hard to find help. Have you thought about videotaping her while she is raging?

The prozac can cause a person to be more irritated... . my dd never saw any benefit from it. She is on Celexa now and I think it has helped.

I have had to wait in the ER for three days until we could get into a P hospital... . my suggestion for you is to stay next time... . getting her to see professionals is key to getting her help.

[peppersnap]

She is seeing professionals... she is in the mental health system and has a named psychiatrist and therapist. But that's at CAMHS, and in between appointments it's A and E. Problem is after a meltdown she completely pulls round within a couple of hours so if the wait in A and E is longer than that, the hospital psychiatrist does not see her at her worst. They see her calm, chatty, happy and laughing.

[jellibeans]

peppersnap

When you go to the hospital is it because she is suicidal or just out of control? Have you thought about recording her? I have done this a few times... . it is okay as long as my dd doesn't know I am doing it. It is nice to have something to back up what you are saying.

[peppersnap]

This was our first trip to A and E. She has raged before but she would see me attempting to film her PDQ I think.

She has been suicidal for a long time but it is usually at the 'no serious immediate intent' end of things. However I'm concerned that should it change to 'immediate intent' I would have no way of knowing. When she started the Prozac at Christmas we were told to look out for worsening symptoms as they could mean the meds were increasing suicidality. When she had a meltdown at school and was then not functioning, we reported back to the psychiatrist and were dismissed. This was part of a long list of things about the P I was not happy with (I put these in another post) and we have since asked to change to another P at the practice. However, because this will take at least two weeks we were advised if we wanted to see a P more quickly, to take her to A and E.

The hospital P she would have seen had we waited would have only assessed her for admittance that night and since she was feeling better after crying, they would almost certainly have sent her home. It turned out that they would not have given her a full assessment or reviewed or changed her meds - they would simply have kept her in and referred her back to CAMHS in the morning, where she already had a 9am appointment.

[jellibeans]

oh peppersnap... . I really feel for you... . it must be so hard to not be able to find someone to help your dd.

You could just have a small recorder... . no need for video... . some phones will record memos you could use that... . or buy a small devise and record her.

What is your next step then? Waitng for new P? If you have not seen an improvement with prozac I would ask for a change but be aware that can cause unwanted behaviors... . my dd16 had the worst time when changing meds but I do beleive she is on ones that help her now.