Daughter too anxious to get help

[Squirrel12]

My 12 yr old daughter started yr 7 lasting first semester by hiding with front office ladies of her school everyday. She becomes anxious in shopping centres to the point we have to leave instantly and sleeping at night is impossible unless I am with her. She is too worried about getting help as she believes she is normal and no one can help. How do you convince your children to get help?

[Sophie_M]

Hi Squirrel12, 

Welcome to the forums! We're so grateful that you have reached out here, we know that it is not an easy thing to do, but it is so important that you have. We're really sorry to hear what you and your daughter are going through at the moment, but she sounds very lucky to have such a caring parent like yourself. Please know that you've come to a safe space to talk about these thoughts and feelings and our wonderful community is here to offer as much support and advice as you need.

If you feel it may be beneficial, we'd also recommend getting in touch with our Support Service which is available 24/7 on 1300 22 4636 or you can get in touch on our website www.beyondblue.org.au/getsupport for online chat. One of our friendly counsellors will be able to give you some information and advice to help you and your daughter. 

You might also find some helpful advice from the lovely counsellors at Parentline. A list of their contact numbers in each state or territory can be found here: https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/how-parentline-can-help-you

We hope that you keep checking back in with us to let us know how you are going, whenever you feel up to it.
   
 

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Squirrel,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for your post. I really appreciate you jumping in here and caring so much about your daughters mental health.

Sophie has given you some great resources and I encourage you to look into them. I'll share some more below and you can look into those if you are interested.

I wonder if it might be worth having a bit of a chat to your daughter about what therapy looks like? There is such a stigma around how we have to be 'abnormal' or basically a mess to see a therapist. The reality is that anyone can see a therapist for any reason. In the response of no-one can help, could you try "just try one session?"

Here are some extra resources you can try -

https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/anxiety-kids-and-teens The email support for parents might also be helpful here too.

Kids Helpline is also a great resource to share - it can be a little less daunting then seeing a therapist, especially with the web-chat, but also a way to access some support.

https://headspace.org.au/friends-and-family/mental-health/anxiety/ Particularly the group chat transcript which has other parents in the same position.

rt

[InhaleExhale]

Hi Squirrel12,

Welcome to the forums.

It sounds like it’s really hard for her to manage her anxiety and you’re trying to help her as best you can. Maybe you feel a bit lost as to what the next step could be. It is really difficult for people to reach out for help, I can definitely sympathise with your daughter who believe no one can help. A big part of these forums I think is to let people know that anxiety is really common and they are not alone. Do you think it might be appropriate for her to read some of these posts and threads on anxiety so she can explore a bit more about what she is experiencing?

In response to your question, how to convince her to get help, that is a tricky one. I think we’d need to know what you have tried already, what hasn’t worked and whether she has received any help before.

We’d love to hear back from you.

InhaleExhale.