Connect with people who understand what you are going through, seek advice and surround yourself with support. We're free, anonymous, and professionally moderated 24/7.
Nifty123New Contributor
My son has recently spent time in hospital for mental health. Since leaving he is not doing very well. When do u know to leave him alone or to call 000. He told a friend he was going to hurt himself last night. We approached him but he said he doesn’t want to talk about it as it only makes him worse. What do u do as a parent?
In response to: Help from other parents please
hanamiSenior Contributor
Hi @Nifty123
I'm so sorry to hear about your son and him not doing too well. From what I understand they usually have a team from community mental health who do follow ups after someone leaves the hospital. My team used to do 48 hour follow ups, so it was mandatory to go and see them within that time frame. Does he have anything like that? A case manager or mental health nurse? I think that's important for your son during this vulnerable time.
Take care
Hanami
In response to: Help from other parents please
KrishnaSenior Contributor
Hi @Nifty123 There should be a follow up visit or call from community health but if not I would be contacting the hospital he was in and expressing your concerns. I’m sorry your son and family are experiencing this. A hard road I know too well. 🙏❤️
In response to: Help from other parents please
cherryblossom8Senior Contributor
Hi @Nifty123 ,
I am so sorry that your son is not improving.I would call your CAT Team that should follow up after a visit to the hospital. It might be called something different in other states, check this link here for relevant numbers:
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/crisis-management
I'm surprised your hospital has not informed you of this. If he is talking about self-harm with friends, he definitely needs support from his mental health team. I would also remove anything in the house that could potentially lead to self-harming (My friends had these problems with their son, so they used to remove sharp things, medications, etc... They would also take turns to make sure he's not unattended).
I hope this helps and remember to take care of yourself too :). Hang in there, we're here to help and let us know how your son is doing.
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
You’ll soon be able to use one secure login to access all SANE services.
For added security, members are now required to log in with their email address and password - member names are no longer supported for logging in.
If you had a Forums account before 19 May 2026 and haven’t set up your new login yet, you'll be prompted to set up your new secure login when you sign-in.
Fields marked * are required
