Growing a support team

Hi @Skinnymum,

I am on the similar journey that you are on with a 16 yo son with some suicidal thoughts and diagnosed with bipolar and BDP traits. I don't have the answers you are seeking right now but understand how hard it is. I find that my personal support network (family and friends) are mostly awesome but mental illness is so fraught with individual opinions and lack of understanding that sometimes that is harder.

I haven't found anything specifically for my son as yet and not sure if I will. We are changing psychologists to look at new interventions for his diagnosis and I hope as we go on this journey we find the support networks we need.

I do enjoy the forums for sharing and understanding although don't tend to log on as much as I could.

I hope you can get your son to school soon and I hope he gets through this difficult time as quickly as possible.

Sharonm x

I agree with you getting all parties to work as a team. If everyone is taking a similar approach and giving the same message that can only benefit.

I haven't had a lot of experience with CAMHS but a friend has and was very happy with the support.

Instead of a life coach could you engage a private psychologist to help work with your son on some strategies and goal setting? Not sure if you use your mental health plan sessions with CAMHS or if they would still be available for a private psychologist? You get up to 10 session and medicare pays $84.40 per session so you just have to cover the gap (mind you that gap can vary a lot between psychs).

I hope your week gets better. I have weeks where I just feel so overwhelmed and at a loss but there are also weeks where I feel I am making progress...keep talking and reaching out. It definitely helps.

xx

Hi @Skinnymum,
I've struggled for the past 5 years with my now 18 year old son who has a diagnosis of major depressive disorder and social anxiety disorder. He stopped attending school on a regular basis in Year 9 at age 13. Since that time we have changed schools 4 times and he has been admitted into two adolescent units for treatment. My progression through this was something like this:

* Initial school - school counsellor involvement + external psychotherapy

* Involvement of psychiatrist + ongoing psychotherapy

* Antidepressant medications commenced roughly at age 14 + ongoing psychotherapy

* 4 week inpatient stay in a private adolescent & young person's mental health unit with moderate effect.

* Change of school from private to govt. Involvement of school counsellor. Continued psychotherapy.

* Change of schools and repeating Year 10. Continued non-attendance. Involvement of school counsellor and escalated to area level with Dept. of Education

* Admission to CAMHS unit - cojoined Dept of Education/Dept of Health Facility for residential care for 8 months. Initiated by school counsellor together with evidence and supporting reports from private psychiatrist & clinical psychologist. Continued private psychiatry and clinical psychotherapy

* Enrolment in an SSP school via CAMHS unit and study via distance education with limited success. Managed to complete Year 10 and 11 requirements. Continued psychiatry and psychotherapy.

* Discharged from CAMHS unit and enrolled in another SSP school however refused to attend.

* Formally terminated from the SSP school and referred to a Transition to Work Officer, Dept of Education.

* Application to Family & Community Services for funding under a "transition to work" program facilitated by the Transition to Work Officer.

* Application for funding in a community participation program approved at moderate funding level ($28,000 pa)

* Engagement with an external disability service provider and an outreach support officer.

* Currently applying for a disability support pension whilst continuing with the outreach support officer.

I'm thinking an SSP school may be best suited to your son. Definitely you need to have a "base" team of a psychiatrist and clinical psychologis with a consistent record of treatment. You need to get the school counsellor involved as progression to an SSP school needs to be initiated by the school counsellor (only applicable to govt. schools). Once enrolment is approved in an SSP school the support will escalate significantly according to need. Ask the school about initiating this.

It's a long, hard road through beurocracy filled with obstacles and difficulties, but just keep persisting and pushing even if you feel like a pest. As evidenced by my experience with my son, there is a future beyond failed schooling and support that can assist. Don't give up. In the meantime keep your son engaged in treatment and look after yourself.

Hope this gives you some direction. Feel free to ask for more specifics.

Love

Janna ❤️

Thanks @Janna Your story sounds so hard. I have so much admiration for your strength to keep motivated over such a long journey. I'm still struggling with the idea that my son might not have a full recovery in the next few months! I do like the idea of using a school psychologist and will keep the SSP school up my sleeve. So you've given me a lot of direction.

I've been a bit thrown over the last weeks as our regular person has been off sick, right as term holidays ended. It's highlighted to me how much it all hinges around the CAMHS team and I'd like to pull the school in more. I think I'll discuss the idea of seeing the school psychologist for goal setting and tracking.

Thanks again,

Hi @Skinnymum,

I wanted to add a few things. In hindsight I believe we wasted a lot of valuable time shuffling from one school to another and waiting anxioulsy for things to miraculously self-rectify from a schooling perspective. It was amazing how weeks quickly turned into terms and then years. I wish that I would have pushed harder earlier on to get my son into the residential care program (or some other program), or even that we would have lodged an application for a placement at an SSP school earlier. He had just turned 17 when he entered the program which didn't leave us much time to sort things out as adolescent units do not apply once over 18. Places are very limited in these school and they have long waiting lists. He responded well when in the inpatient program that included school, however, due to insufficient school placements in that SSP school he was forced to leave when discharged and had to attend another out-of-area SSP school and that's when things went south again.

I also wanted to say that whilst in the program there were many other adolescents who did well and were able to successfully reintergrate back to their home schools after a short stay. Additionally, SSP schools are often more suited to students who are struggling emotionally as they have far more flexibility and work at a pace that accomodates students (less pressure). They are also very tolerant and understanding of non-attendance and psychological support is built into the curriculum.

I guess I'm just trying to emphasize the importance of acting sooner rather than later because of the inherent delays involved in the process and limited places. There would be no harm in getting the ball rolling in this direction and meeting with the school psychologist/counsellor to discuss things just incase your son does not improve. If he does improve you will have lost nothing, however, in the event that he doesn't you'll have already set up some supports and direction.

All the best

Janna ❤️