Teenagers mental health issue....advice please.

xxdeebeexx

Thank you so much for your replies.
Our meting today went really well. I had no concept of what to expect, hence the panic! Ds was fantastic and was able to explain, brilliantly, what the problem is. The Dr was great and we both felt completely at ease. She agreed that DS needs some help and he will be seen again in the Autumn by someone else who can help him get back on track.

Thanks again

Dx

kathy206

Glad it went well and allayed any fears you had OP. Good luck to you and your son xx:)

diable

A lot of people in this day and age are worried about the stigma of mental issues and seeing a psychiatrist but they are there to help, I am pleased that the OP has decided to go through with this with her son and it can only be of benefit.

heretolearn_2

Gald to hear that everything went well, all the best to you and your son.

Counting_Pennies_2

In the meantime while you wait for your next appointment, see if you can find a cranial osteopath close to you.

It is a very gentle process, just light tapping on the lower head and back, no cracking as you might think with the word osteopath.

Cranial is a proven natural treatment for mental health issues. It is also good for treatment after an accident to realign the body. It doesn't matter how long after the accident. I had a head on crash 6 years ago, and when I started to get depressed after the birth of my second child a few years ago, I went along for a cranial (saw it described on the Mind website as a natural treatment for depression and panic attacks.)

When the osteopath started treating me she said she felt evidence that my body was out of alignment and that it usually meant there had been a form of injury such as a crash. It was amazing the difference I felt after a few treatments, and I now go back each time I get stressed and panicked and I can't recommend it enough.

hth

knithappens

mY nephew had similar problems, and they were amazing with him, they help with so much and their is no stigma, they even helped with getting him back to college and work.

melancholly

just to say that although there are a lot of papers showing that cranial osteopathy can help with physical symptoms, there are just no reports of it helping mental health disorders (although it may be a very relaxing experience with a strong placebo effect, but there are a number of papers specifically saying that it has no mental health benefits). since it won't be covered on the nhs and could end up being expensive, i just want to offer a different viewpoint to the post above!

the mental health team will have seen so many issues before - they are usually a very experienced group of people who can help make massive changes to people's lives - and it isn't all about medication (which can be worrying for some people!). i hope that there isn't too much of a wait for help, as the pressure on these services is high. hopefully just the act of asking for help and feeling like someone understands will be a big step forward for your son, and the further help will be able to help him feel in control of his emotions again. it may also be worth you speaking to someone as the stress of dealing with this is a lot to take on yourself. don't forgot that you will need looking after as well! good luck and fingers crossed everything goes well/quickly!

Counting_Pennies_2

melancholly wrote: »

just to say that although there are a lot of papers showing that cranial osteopathy can help with physical symptoms, there are just no reports of it helping mental health disorders (although it may be a very relaxing experience with a strong placebo effect, but there are a number of papers specifically saying that it has no mental health benefits). since it won't be covered on the nhs and could end up being expensive, i just want to offer a different viewpoint to the post above!

Cranial is a very much unknown remedy to mental health. Anything that isn't a pill is looked upon with suspicion. Having been through a medical route of doctors only pushing tablets and the limited NHS 6 appointments with a counsellor it is just a sticking plaster covering the problem for a short period of time.

It is proven for postnatal depression, and there is evidence it is suitable for other mental health issues. Just because it isn't provided on the NHS does not mean it is not a proven treatment.

Research is difficult to carry out, due to the fact the NHS doesn't support it (the cost is too high)

melancholly

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

Cranial is a very much unknown remedy to mental health. Anything that isn't a pill is looked upon with suspicion. Having been through a medical route of doctors only pushing tablets and the limited NHS 6 appointments with a counsellor it is just a sticking plaster covering the problem for a short period of time.

It is proven for postnatal depression, and there is evidence it is suitable for other mental health issues. Just because it isn't provided on the NHS does not mean it is not a proven treatment.

Research is difficult to carry out, due to the fact the NHS doesn't support it (the cost is too high)

i didn't know what it was, so searched for peer reviewed papers on it today - the only ones for mental health evidence were sceptical. that's all i can go on and from the evidence i looked at today, i stand by my statement.

i would, however, strongly argue that counselling is not a sticking plaster to problems - quite the opposite. dealing with issues and learning to think differently is more important for the long term than anything else. i take great issue with that suggestion.

i think most people within mental health research/practise these days are focussing much more on talking therapies and how helpful that can be (since there is poor compliance with drug treatments and since it costs a lot of money and can often require drugs for life, which has many downsides). the idea that only pills are accepted is simply untrue (although obviously there are always some individuals who will think like that, but it doesn't represent NHS policy), and seems to me to be mainly put forward by a minority of people in complementary health trying to justify themselves too much.

melancholly

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

Research is difficult to carry out, due to the fact the NHS doesn't support it (the cost is too high)

since i work in research, i'm well aware of the costs, as well as the number of research studies funded by research councils, charities, industry etc. money is tight and it gets spent on studies with a strong basis. if the research can't get funded anywhere, that says quite a lot. even homeopathy studies have been done.....