My daughter attempted suicide

Thank you @utopia for the quick reply - I will talk to them about this today. Hugs xx

Hi @Former-Member

We have an apt with the doctor at 12pm on Wednesday (he just rung). He was saying to my husband how nice and settle daughter is and how she gets along with everyone so well. She can do this when troubled - she just wants to get out. But she need treatment - so we will discuss this with him Wednesday.

We may follow this up in the private sector if the help is not adequate. I don't think she will run as we are supporting her every step of the way and all she has now is us. It is going to be a long road. Thank you for your support xx

@Former-Member

I do need some advice regarding counselling. My daughter presently has been diagnosed with multiply personality disorder (overlapped with borderline personality disorder). She has been referred to counselling that is so far away making it nearly impossible to attend.

Does anyone know of specialist counselling in this field in the NSW Sydney region or professional individuals/group who have a good reputation in this field. Or any agency we can call regarding such information? Any advice from moderators would be appreciated. Thank you

Thank you @Former-Member and @Former-Member for the advice,

@Former-Member it does sounds like you have suffered similar to my daughter. I just came home from seeing her psychiatrist at the mental health unit and he said she definitely has Borderline Personality Disorder (not multiple - daughter misunderstood). He suggested for her to go into a private fund as he believed the specialised counselling/DBT would be best for her as the public system cannot provide adequate counselling for this condition; as it is only performed at private clinics. Have you found that too? It's wonderful how you found a counsellor that sees you for a reduced fee - does she specialise in personality disorders?

With private health cover it would seem that there is a waiting period - so we are currently looking for one with the shortest waiting time until they cover her therapy - but she now has a pre-existing condition so it will take time. Apparently this DBT therapy is conducted only in a private hospital. The doctor explained that with this personality disorder the sufferers feel emotional, distress and psychological pain much more intensely than others (sensitive temperament) and are very dependent, fearing abandonment etc. They said it explained partly her mood swings, risky behaviour, impulsiveness and anger and people with this disorder suffer very low self esteem/distorted self image. Feeling this way she blamed herself for her partners abuse which pushed her over the edge.

They are also treating her for anxiety/depression as a result of her sexual assault and abuse she suffered in the past when living away from us that resulted as in (PTSD).

So far daughter is somewhat willing to get counselling - in the past she has refused. But now hopefully she is enlightened more to what's wrong and how serious her problems are. The therapy can't start fast enough in my eyes. We are seeing her doctor for a mental health plan so she can start seeing a psychologist whilst waiting. Now it's a matter of finding a good one that has understanding and effective coping techniques that Can help daughter to cope when her pain, impulses become overwhelming and triggers her to suicide. It just can't happen again.

Thank you again for both your support - it's so appreciated. Hugs xx

@Former-Member I just wanted to give you my perspective about DBT. In Australia it is the only real go to therapy for clinicians but apparently there has been studies to show it doesn't always stand the test of time. I struggled with it. Of my group of about 15 who started there was only about 5 of us who finished it and of those there was only one who it was life changing for but she had already done so much work and you could tell was ahead to start with. This was through the public health system. Now I have some one who understands me I realise that I'm implementing some more of it because I'm in a better place to do so. She is trained in DBT as well but her passion has become Schema therapy to treat personality disorders. My last diagnosis was DPD with BPD traits, dythsmia and anxiety. The fear of abandonment is still huge as is my emotional over reaction to many things. I still struggle with emotion regulation. I just wanted you to know that DBT isn't a miracle fix. There is so much emphasis on it. I'm glad I did it but you really need to be able to work through it, it is very intensive and so many skills are thrown at you in a very short amount of time I struggled a bit with that too. I really recommend finding someone who understands BPD but does not pertain to one strict evidence based rule about how to overcome it. I wish you well. It seems you have had a life full of trauma that no one should ever have to live with. Look after yourself too. I hope your daughter receives the help she needs. It is a rocky road but hopefully you get a good 4WD to traverse it. Wishing you the best 😊💐💜