Published on 12, July, 2020
My daughter 14 has been under camhs for 2.5yrs. When first referred she had developed a phobia of eating,, due to a choking incident. We did lots of cbt/exposure therapy. She was diagnosed with arfid and after looking at her as a whole and how she responded to the sessions, which wasn't well ans progress was painfully slow, she was referred ans diagnosed with Autism.
Her eating is now manageable at her usual restrictive level and her weight is stable. She suffers so badly with anxiety, she wants to do social things,, but just can't. Our recent camhs sessions have been to face her fears slowly, that's not gone well at all, she now refuses to engage with camhs at all and just has a meltdown. So next appointment is a review and medication was going to be suggested at this appointment if she hadn't progressed.
I want her to be able to enjoy her childhood without anxiety crippling her, so I'm at the point I think we need to try, but my daughter refuses to take any medication because anything unknown /new triggers anxiety, but the meds might help the anxiety.. So how do you deal with this? Also have people seen benefits with medication in teens?
My daughter went on Sertraline when she was 18. It literally gave her her life back. She went from refusing to go to college, not wanting to leave her room & crying at the doctors surgery to going back to college, getting a part-time job, learning to drive & finding a boyfriend, who she flew over to spend a month with in his country. For her, the effects were dramatic & swift. I would definitely recommend trying them for severe anxiety. Sometimes nothing else works, & things like CBT often make things worse for those with ASD.
Thank you for your reply, it gives me positive hope. Its just getting her to understand the benefits of taking meds over her fear.
Cbt didn't work for my daughter, that's when they put her forward for an asd assessment, they said they did feel she was perhaps autistic from the beginning, but low weight can also give similar symptoms.they said at the time cbt doesn't want to rk with autistic children We changed camhs worker this year and what she's doing pretty much mirrors the cbt she did with food, but in different situations, manly social, scoring anxiety before. During, after, she cannot even do the activities. We tried to take her to the supermarket checkout last week and she didn't speak for tw days after and had a meltdown at the till the camhs worker said she would try a different approach, but now she just won't engage at all, so we are no further forward, just ten steps back as she refuses to attend the appointments now. I'm just wondering if she took medication, if that would ease things a little that she might engage and progress.. She can't even do a full day in school as she cannot do social situations because r eat around others, even in a quiet area, so she comes home at lunchtime everyday. She cannot walk to school or walk home, she waits at school for me to collect her younger brother and then go for her, even though its walking distance home.
CBT doesn't tend to work for ASD. The very nature of CBT is that your way of thinking is wrong & unhelpful, so it seeks to change it. Imagine being told that by somebody supposed to help you? With ASD our way of thinking & being is different, NOT wrong! I'd disagree that medication is pointless. It is generally the last port of call for desperate people. If coping strategies etc worked for everyone then 100% its the right way to go. Often with the best will in the world there is no other option. Anxiety is a medical condition which treatment is available for. To deny treatment is akin to telling someone with a broken leg to stop complaining & get up & walk. The leg won't heal without treatment & neither will the mind.
I agree it's a last resort, we've been through every service over the years, healthy child, compass reach, early help... Its certainly not something we've rushed into and if it doesn't work, then it doesn't work we've tried and we wouldn't continue, but she needs a life and if it works then she might get her childhood back.
I'm open to different opinions thoigh as I know what works for one might not work for another...
It can work on Autistic individuals but it needs to be tailored with an understanding of autism. however if an individuals has complex Post traumatic stress and autism it can be extremely harmful.