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Possible Adolescent Mental Health Unit Admission

Cassie G

My 13 year old son, James, has been experiencing increasing difficulties with social interaction & communication, particularly since his transition to mainstream secondary school in September 2013. He has been largely absent from school since March 2014, despite transferring to a special school in January, & has become increasingly withdrawn & isolated. At our last CAMHS session today, the psychiatrist told James (without prior indication to myself or my husband) that if the current situation did not improve within 2 to 3 weeks, she would refer him to an inpatient unit. She specifically stated she did not feel James was depressed & his difficulties were solely related to his ASD. Neither my husband nor I feel an inpatient environment would be appropriate for James & fear he would suffer further if he were taken out of the family home. We also feel the psychiatrist was using the prospect of an inpatient admission as almost a threat to ourselves & James, that if we did not sort things out, the matter would be taken out of our hands. Obviously we are deeply concerned. James was formally diagnosed with Autism last July & has not recieved any support or therapy thus far. He is on anti-anxiety medication & melatonin. He will not engage with the pscyhologist or  psychiatrist at CAMHS, neither of whom are ASD specialists. We really feel that the CAMHS team do not know how best to help James or have his best interests in mind. We would be grateful for any advice or support you may be able to offer. Thank you.

Parents

  • Transition into secondary is traumatic and 13 seems to be a common age for pressures to build up, mainly because the peer group is responding to puberty in a collective and conformative way from which he will be progressively isolated.

    You say he was only diagnosed last July. Does he know and understand the diagnosis? How has he taken it? Was there a long lead up to getting a diagnosis or was this dropped on you as the explanation for the disorder?

    You say he has had no help adjusting to the diagnosis. I do wonder what the specialists you are dealing with think you or your son are meant to do with the revelations and adjustments. They sound heartless and self-interested. 

    There is the danger they are trying to cover their own mistakes by getting an inpatient referral. They may have been told they need to get him assessed in a controlled environment if they've been asking for guidance on perceived complications they do not comprehend as normal for autism.  You don't want him treated for early onset schizophrenia by people who aren't qualified to assess autism.

    Do you have contact with a parents' group, either NAS or independent? You can find out about these using the little red map on the home and community pages of the NAS website (tends to bring up London first but scroll down). You clearly need support and advocacy.

    It does worry me particularly that they are not informing you of everything and just carrying on as if this is just about themselves. You should be getting better support from these 'professionals'. You say they are not autism specialists? That may be a large part of the problem - without sufficient understanding of all aspects of autism they may be reading in other factors where they don't belong.

    Bullying in teenage years can be a big factor in behavioral change. He may have been subjected to name calling, intimidation and aggravation within or out of school.

    For that age group "Martian in the Playground - understanding the schoolchild with Asperger's Syndrome" by Clare Sainsbury Lucky Duck Publishing ltd 2000, despite its age is still a good book on what goes on in school. A biography with insight on growing up is "Making Sense of the Unfeasible - My life journey with Asperger Syndrome" by Marc Fleisher 2003 Jessica Kingsley Publishers might help.

    But it is paramount you get some advocacy - someone with knowledge who can help you talk to these 'professionals' - either a local parents group, or community advocacy, or use the NAS helpline.

    What you are going through is appalling and I'm sorry you've been caught up with clearly inappropriately qualified specialists.

Reply

  • Transition into secondary is traumatic and 13 seems to be a common age for pressures to build up, mainly because the peer group is responding to puberty in a collective and conformative way from which he will be progressively isolated.

    You say he was only diagnosed last July. Does he know and understand the diagnosis? How has he taken it? Was there a long lead up to getting a diagnosis or was this dropped on you as the explanation for the disorder?

    You say he has had no help adjusting to the diagnosis. I do wonder what the specialists you are dealing with think you or your son are meant to do with the revelations and adjustments. They sound heartless and self-interested. 

    There is the danger they are trying to cover their own mistakes by getting an inpatient referral. They may have been told they need to get him assessed in a controlled environment if they've been asking for guidance on perceived complications they do not comprehend as normal for autism.  You don't want him treated for early onset schizophrenia by people who aren't qualified to assess autism.

    Do you have contact with a parents' group, either NAS or independent? You can find out about these using the little red map on the home and community pages of the NAS website (tends to bring up London first but scroll down). You clearly need support and advocacy.

    It does worry me particularly that they are not informing you of everything and just carrying on as if this is just about themselves. You should be getting better support from these 'professionals'. You say they are not autism specialists? That may be a large part of the problem - without sufficient understanding of all aspects of autism they may be reading in other factors where they don't belong.

    Bullying in teenage years can be a big factor in behavioral change. He may have been subjected to name calling, intimidation and aggravation within or out of school.

    For that age group "Martian in the Playground - understanding the schoolchild with Asperger's Syndrome" by Clare Sainsbury Lucky Duck Publishing ltd 2000, despite its age is still a good book on what goes on in school. A biography with insight on growing up is "Making Sense of the Unfeasible - My life journey with Asperger Syndrome" by Marc Fleisher 2003 Jessica Kingsley Publishers might help.

    But it is paramount you get some advocacy - someone with knowledge who can help you talk to these 'professionals' - either a local parents group, or community advocacy, or use the NAS helpline.

    What you are going through is appalling and I'm sorry you've been caught up with clearly inappropriately qualified specialists.

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