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?
There are alternatives to drugs for managing anxiety.
Try an app called Headspace, 3 mins a day to start with then increase at your own pace, it helped me. There are other similar ones. I am rubbish at meditation but this did help me.The first month is free but I paid to carry on.
Or the application can cause her to become anxious around the use of the application. The child's restricted diet may be making the anxiety worse. Possible trying some omega 3 and multi vitamins supplements might help. they come in all forms from milk shake mixers, gummies, capsules and dissolvable tablets.
Blue, I think Headspace is unlikely to cause anxiety as it is specifically (and very professionally) designed to help with anxiety. It is very friendly, not judgemental, and was recommended to me by the NHS. In my experience many young people are happier using their phone than talking to people, specially if they are autistic.
The app allows you to pick and choose what you feel comfortable with, e.g.just watch relaxing videos of nature or craftsman at work, which can be helpful if you don't want to do the meditation. It gives you a few minutes each day to escape and settle the jangling nerves, if nothing else.
However, in the highly unlikely event it causes anxiety, then the app can be deleted.
they are one of the best in the world