Today I want to write about the current teenage mental health crisis in the UK, how unsupportive the system is and how dangerous the system is for our young people.
This is from my own personal experience.
My teen suffers with an anxiety disorder, is also apparently showing signs of autism, had had long standing depression and most of this is due to family breakdown.
Lack of communication and interaction, not my choice, with the other parent who displays aggressive language and behaviour which have had a lasting negative impact on my teen. Lack of support from the other side of the family and a breakdown in relationships on my family side between parents and my siblings resulting in loss off communication and interaction.
Now my personal little family my husband, teen and I are great together. That’s not an issue at all. The issue is how past interactions with the other people have had a very damaging PTSD affect on her.
As much as you try and protect your children by leaving a bad relationship, unfortunately, you are made to keep contact that’s how it is unless something terrible happens.
So coupled with my teens already spiralling anxiety, people phobia, covid in full flow, my teen is then raped.
Yes. I know. I’m horrified too. I still can’t say those words out loud.
The police take an initial statement and say she needs an intermediary because of her fragile mental state to help her. SIX months of waiting and chasing they found one. That’s was six months of more stress thinking, more reliving, more worry about the process, NO support.
The rape crisis team couldn’t handle anymore cases!
Victim support could only guide you through the process not discuss mental health issues.
Camhs (child and adolescent mental health services) can only do so much.
And do you know what camhs wanted my teen to do?
Happy journals.
Fuçking happy journals! Now by this point they have been self harming, suicidal, I’ve been taking her to hospital, the GP, I’ve been begging for help. I was offered therapy for MYSELF.
My teen is on self destruct and doesn’t want to be here, they have thoughts of harming others not just themselves. They have been put on a talking therapy waiting list……
Not one person will prescribe anything to help short term….
What are we doing? Taking it in turns to sleep in their room. Limiting mobile usage, can’t go out alone, can’t have any doors closed behind them. There’s no knifes in my house, no razors. Medicines are locked up. Along with cleaning products. We have childproofed my home to an extreme level to keep them safe.
And you know what…. Camhs have discharged us….. we have to call back up if she has an episode we can’t cope with.
We are her only support.
Stop Walking on Egg Shells 
I’d like to add that feeling that you’re battling this as a family alone is common. And for most parts true. The services are more of a guide, telling you what you should do, hide all sharps, hide all tablets and cleaning products, call the police if they go out alone. Then you are just left to handle your child. As though you can reach into their minds and predict every event and eventuality.
We have struggled for 12 months to get ongoing support.
We have been fighting for medication available to 18’s and overs but not younger people.
We have been fighting for a real psychiatric assessment, again, not available.
The UK system is failing our young people. As more and more teens die from suicide, our real worry is that our child will just become another statistic.
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