Our children and youth face mental health challenges on an unprecedented scale (Newsroom, November 6). Tragically, it appears that little meaningful action is being taken in response. My 17 year old son committed suicide last year. We had spent over a year trying to secure him the right help, but it never came. Even after his mental health disintegrated enough to prompt two suicide attempts, he languished on a waiting list.
The “talk therapy” she eventually received was inadequate, her case supervision was chaotic, and my repeated attempts to sound the alarm registered like the reactions of an anxious mother. Communication failures, dismissive attitudes, and “care” that was provided almost entirely over the phone or online meant that no one took overall responsibility and no one got to know this struggling child well enough to discover his desperation. Now I have to spend the rest of my life dealing with the loss of him.
Why is the proper and timely treatment of young people not an absolute priority for this government? Every preventable death is a tragic loss, not only for the family, but also for society.
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I can only confirm from our own experience how broken the system is. Our son waited over two years to be seen by the child and adolescent mental health service (Camhs), and our GP was unable to prescribe antidepressants due to the Nice guidelines. During this period, his mental health steadily deteriorated, with an escalating cycle of self-harm. When they were finally able to access Camhs, they were experiencing suicidal ideation in addition to anxiety and depression. Our son is 14 years old. To say that we all despair seems an understatement. There are no adequate words to describe the concern experienced by a vulnerable child.
This experience is being lived by thousands of children and their families, so it is not surprising that, in some cases, we see how the final tragedy unfolds. Our children are silent victims of government failure on an epic scale. My heart goes out to everyone across the country who is waiting for help. You are not alone.
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Our oldest daughter started self-harming in early 2020 and did so consistently for the next two years. She has large keloid scars that she will carry for the rest of her life. The scars that my husband, I and her sister have are emotional and I am not sure when they will heal.
This crisis started just as the ability of her school or Camhs to offer meaningful support was shattered by the lockdown and then ground to a halt for over 18 months. Visit after visit to the Emergency Department, several hospital admissions, evaluation after evaluation by Camhs, without significant follow-up. She asked me, “Why do people ask me all these questions if no one helps me?”
We are in a better place now, largely due to a Camhs program that started 10 months ago. I appreciate this, but I’m still angry that we stayed in the wind for a year and a half.
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My 17 year old daughter was referred to Camhs in September 2019 because her high school refused to accept her ADHD diagnosis from Canada and make appropriate accommodations, and our GP could not continue to prescribe the medication without an appointment at Camhs. Thirteen months later, they finally saw us for the first time. Next week is our last date as with a sigh of relief we get kicked out of the system as my daughter turns 18 and we will be someone else’s problem.
Each time, she was forced to discuss depression and anxiety again with a new doctor (eight appointments, seven doctors). Are they counting that as talk therapy? Not a single meaningful piece of advice on how to deal with or overcome ADHD, let alone depression and anxiety. Not as much as a DIY book recommendation. “What can we do for you?” they ask my mortified boy every time. They need me to say he’s not suicidal (today) so they can check the box and escort us out.
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