Will my teenager have a short life of mental hell.

[LouC1234]

My teenager is self harming and presenting to ER everyday.  They currently take an anti depressant every morning and an anti psychotic morning, lunch and dinner.  Once at ER they are given a heap more anti psychotics and then sent home.  

They live with their Dad as they have  rejected me (Mum) for reasons I don't understand.  Their Dad is on the edge of burnout as he tries to juggle keeping them safe and his work. 

We have a case manager at the local hospital however weekly 1 hr meetings are not enough. 

When we call support numbers like kids help line we are on hold for hours.  We have a safety plan but that is useless when my teen is in a full panic attack. 

We have been seeking support from psychiatrist and psychologists for over 7 years and my teen is still suffering in mental anguish.

can anyone offer any advice that can help us.  We are all deflated and have lost all hope that our teen will be okay. 

[Sophie_M]

Hi LouC1234,

First of all, LouC1234, We'd like to welcome you to the forums and let you know how much we appreciate how brave it was for you to make this post today, and share your story with us all...

You've shared a long, difficult (and incredibly emotional) journey with us, and the frustrations, fears and anger you must feel around not being able to find a solution or get the help that you and your teen need/want so badly is very understandable.

The waits and limitations in the system are frustrating and scary when you are trying to help a loved one in the middle of a full panic attack (for example) and of course this can make us feel so useless and panicked ourselves... trying to cope, help and not knowing what to do...

Long term (chronic) mental health issues are exhausting for everyone involved and we just want to acknowldege how very strong you all are, battling on and doing your best day after day.

We'll keep an eye out on you, and look forward to the support and responses you'll get from this amazing commmunity - many of whom have been through similar and know/understand your pain and struggles very intimately for themselves and their loved ones as well...

Please don't hesitate to to call us anytime (24/7) on 1300 22 4636 (or utilise our online chat service), as well as continuing to contact our friends at kids help line, plus all the other services, safety plans, etc that you've been utilising and have in place... we continue to be here for you however long you need and want us to be...

We know that it's frustrating, feeling as though all you're achieving is surival mode ATM - and we hear that you're looking for hope for a better future, so please continue fighting and don't give up!

Kind regards,

Sophie M

[Bob_22]

Hi LouC1234,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for sharing with us. I'm so sorry to read about all that you and you're family are going through! It certainly sounds like you're all struggling at the moment and I hope you find some relief soon. 

I've presented to ED I think two or three times throughout my journey and I know it's not a hospitable environment for someone with mental health issues. The work they do at hospital is mainly acute and their primary goal is either to refer on to community supports or hospitalise for long term stays. If you're son is regularly presenting to ED several times a week you may want to consider with you're psychiatrist whether it is worth him having an extended hospital admission. Generally my stays were about a month on average. It may be what's required and could set him up well for the future. 

Unfortunately, in my part of the city there aren't many public mental health units that can accommodate patients long term. Most in-patient services I found were private which ended up being the route I needed to take. It is not ideal and it required taking out a public health insurance policy (which covered in-patient mental health hospitals) and waiting a minimum wait period (which differs with providers). In the long term it was worth it for me though and it helped me access ECT also.

Unfortunately outside of that there is not much advice I can give. It sounds like you are doing everything you can and I commend you for that. I hope you can come here and feel supported in some way. Please update us on how you're doing and don't forget to take care of yourself. 💙

Bob

[Petal22]

Hi LouC124,

Wellcome to our forums.

Im sorry this is happening I understand it would be difficult to deal with.

Can I ask if your teenager has been diagnosed with anything?

Please try to hold onto hope, it is possible that your teenager can recover from what they are experiencing with the correct help.