Help desperately needed for suicidal teen

Apologies! What I've suggested cannot cause further harm, especially under the accountability of a private GP. In fact, if GABA isn't the issue, and he's not actually Autistic or ADHD or dyslexic, he'll revert back to whatever he wants to do. I wouldn't want to suggest a thing which could cause further harm. But if it aids focus and clarity and relief, it's a good indication of the problem.

However, given the severity of you've noted and all the medical papers out now, both the supplements and a trial of something like Xanax might provide the clarity needed to allow him to begin to organise his thoughts and provide breathing room and possibly the ability to learn new ways to perceive the world around. 

These along with practical self-care guidance, and practical wisdom. it takes times from teen years into mid 20s to learn practical steps for self growth. 

At a molecular level, what is being found is the Autistic biology is less equipped to filter out incoming sense-perception and appears to not have the same access or strengthened pathways to the Left-brain social linguistics, so from brith, there is not only a loss in translation, but also an onslaught of sensory input "too-much-all-at-once" which feels like one is constantly invaded and also cannot communicate the need for help. Internally, GABA is responsible for shutting down hyper-activity in the brain and filtering the incoming signals. When it's low, life is one giant escape room. Where just when you manage to troubleshoot and solve a problem, 3 new ones pop up. 

Here's some of the research:

"Further, lower cerebellar GABA+/Glu ratios were correlated to more severe social impairment in both autistic and SA males, suggesting that the cerebellum may play a transdiagnostic role in social impairment" https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925492723001555#:~:text=Further%2C%20lower%20cerebellar%20GABA%2B%2F,transdiagnostic%20role%20in%20social%20impairment.

"A recent investigation found that there was a negative correlation between thalamic GABA and autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) in male participants with autism" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8858939/#:~:text=Several%20evidence%20also%20reported%20higher,et%20al.%2C%202018).

There's a body of work if you search for GABA autism ADHD x

The problem is that as any normal teen he also has the normal teen side where he likes to get high. So the issue is to separate getting high vs self-medicating. And I can tell that sometimes he indulges and sometime he is self medicating. Difficult to tell. 
We tried CBD - no big difference. 
He is in a such acute condition that perhaps we can try the GABA route later - in a few years. 

For now , we need god knows what. 

If your son doesn't want to talk to anyone directly maybe he could use SHOUT

Shout 85258. If you are a young person struggling to cope, Shout can provide 24/7 text support. For help, text SHOUT to 85258

I really feel for you. I hope that you all get the help and support you need x

The suggestion with medication can be something you administer and control. For instance, asking a GP for 5 tablets, and giving him one every few days. As a mother, I would address the severity of the situation first with something which counteracts a potential medical issue (which is a big finding with Autism Spectrum) to provide ease under accountability. Given he's already self-medicating, this would be an exchange and at least under a professional's care, which can help you get to the next step and perhaps the medical help you may need if there is a biological difficulty. 

Healthy supplements can take a month to really notice a difference. Thus the long and hard road vs a quick fix. This is a great way to introduce the importance of self-care. I'm happy to leave some links to start.

On a side note, what I've suggested are also administered to patients with epilepsy and schizophrenia as well as ADHD and Autistics or any one else in need of a GABA boost to help calm the mind and an over-active imagination. 

Without spending too much time on the sociology and philosophy of it, the experience of entering into adulthood in our current society is profoundly overwhelming - beyond what I experienced in the 90s when at least rock stars could provide comfort that I was not the only one noticing a corrupt system and I was not wrong to see the cruelties along with the beauty in the world. If ignorance is bliss, we lost it around the time the world became more connected. What kids are exposed to should make them profoundly skeptical and question who or what is worth trusting. X

My son likes this company, we have a subscription https://feelgud.co.uk/ They have an FAQ page and recommend mushroom in the morning and ashwaganda in the afternoon.

But these might be something yours might take interest in as they have CDB (no THC) https://thelondondispensary.com/product/cbd-fruit-jellies-reishi-ashwagandha-gummies/

This company also has a mushroom blend and ashwaganda https://knownnutrition.co.uk/collections/mushroom-complexes

I would search Reishi+Ashwaganda Gummy- in my experience, teens seem to happily take these. You can always double check with the company what dose and combination works. :) 

yes, we wil go down the private route for diagnosis. 

He says he hears voices at night and cannot sleep. He is paranoid and distrustful. 

We are afraid to give him any medications as his first thougth would be to OD. He tried last week with his moms herbal tabs. 
Could you suggest any clinic/practice for the food supplements? 

I agree with this. But he does not respect anybody and anythink - cynical and nihilistic. He thinks the values we cherish have been imposed on us and not selected by us as persons. So he is in an extremely rebelious state. 
And yes, as his father - he does not like me very much. While he was dilusional last week - he told me very hurtful things which I'm trying to forget. I also didn;t like my futher too much - perhaps time for a pay back. 

Thank you for sharing. CAMHS seem to have abandoned him. The early mental intervention want him off weed before they step in. He cannot get off weed as he needs some medication to cope. It's a visious circle. 

I'm glad to hear that getting a diagnoses helped. He also does not believe he is autistic - he just thinks he is mentally ill. 
He has very strong nihilistic philosophy that he actively fuels with internet research - why keep living if everyone will die any way - so better die now, YOLO, Kurt Cobain etc. Nothing matters and since he does not believe to live longer that 20 - he can self destry with nicotine and drugs. He realises strongger drugs have negative impact on him so he agrees he will stiop them - but needs his weed to keep him straight. He smokes 2-3 days a week. I give him £10 a week - not sure what the market price for weed is but he tells me this is enough for 2 cigarettes. 

Thank you Rosie,
We've just been with the GP. He also does not understand why CAMHS did take it further with him. They didn't provide an plan of action and we feel they all abondended him. 

He does not believe talking with any will help him and is quite cynucal about it. 

We need someone who specialises in this sort of conditions and who can work with my son in the mid term - not just a single consultation. I'm not sure how they can egage with him as he is in his hole and does not want to talk to anybody. 

I thought here I can find some guidance on a private route - is there any private practice that can help? 

Dear NAS93448,

I’m sorry your son is going through such a tough time, it’s good that you’ve let us know what’s happening. We hope you and your son are okay.   

If your son is unable to cope with the distress or despair, it’s very important to tell someone about this. Call your son’s GP and make an urgent appointment. Your GP can make sure you get appropriate help and support.  

If it’s outside your GP hours call  111 to reach the NHS 111 service:  

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-use-111/  

The Samaritans also provide confidential non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day on 116 123, or by email on jo@samaritans.org.  

MIND have information pages on coping with self harm or suicidal feelings based on the experiences of people who’ve been through it that you may find helpful.   

If you feel you need more urgent help, our website lists some options you could consider https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/help-and-support/urgent-help 

If your son is very close to doing something to hurt himself - call 999 now or go to your nearest A&E department. There should be someone there to support him and make sure he gets ongoing support.  

You can find more information here:  

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/suicide 

In addition these resources may be of interest to you, our website has a lot of useful information about diagnosis, including a guide for parents and carers, which explains how to get your child referred for an autism diagnosis.    

You can also browse our website for lots of other advice and guidance on a wide range of information about autism, including what autism is, socialising and relationships, communication and education.  
   
To find diagnostic services in your local area, you can try searching on our Autism Services Directory, which can be found here.  The Directory also includes listings for support and social groups for autistic people, their families and friends. 

Kind Regards,

Rosie Mod

sorry to hear about what your son is going through. 

I went through similar at that age too. can he talk to someone when he feels really low? I found the access team really helpful for mental health, as they are 24/7. im also west midlands they have a number for each area I think. when at school I had to work with an agency called t3 for drug use because weed helped me too, but its seen as bad. CAMHS referred me onto an organisation called midlands psychology, autism specialists who I think have stopped now. There may be another place that your son could get referred to from CAMHS who could assess him,

getting a diagnosis really helped me, I was diagnosed at 16 after 2 suicide attempts. I think it would be very beneficial for your son, as it ca help make sense of things. I wonder if its worth considering engaging with the GP about autism but not disclosing info about the cannabis use, hopefully they would take him seriously and look at assessing him. its not a drug problem, its a method of coping but is just not recognised as so in this country.

I hope he starts to feel better soon

Are there any men you know who could be a mentor for him? He could maybe benefit from having someone to encourage him who isn't a family member. I used to be an alcoholic and was in trouble with the police so I can understand why he's had problems. One issue is often children will not listen to their family because it seems to just be human nature to rebel against our parents.

Samaritans

Dial 116 123

Email: jo@smaritains.org

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide

National Helpline 0300 111 5065 (Monday - Sunday 9am 9pm)

It could be good to have him tested for ADHD as well. Bless, it's incredibly hard - hang in there!

There is a reason ADHD and Autism (and then also Epilepsy) find weed helps. This Californian-based Professor explains the difference in the strains and how they work with or against the human brain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXvuJu1kt48v=V_K4PAkFtRY 

One variety helps filter out sense-perception for relief and aid focus / executive function, which are very specific things Autistic and ADHD have difficulty with (frontal left lobe) - organisation for instance. We are a mismatch in modern society. Often stuck in to right-brained thinking (tapping into a time-stream that is eternal/moment vs linear). Often overwhelmed by more intense impact from our sense-perception among other things. 

My son went through some of the same issues. He's dyslexic, not autistic, but experiences some of the same hyper-sensory impact, executive function issues and prejudice. I finally got him on a reishi and ashwaganda supplement (now at 27, he just takes a mushroom blend with Lions Mane and Rieshi) this is a healthy long-term solution for us. I've found it helpful personally, supporting my gut-brain axis: focus / clarity and also my ability to digest what I'm not allergic to. It promotes vitamin D.

However, an immediate POSSIBLE fix with a private GP (I don't fully know your situation): There are still moments where both my son and I need medical help shutting down looping melodies or a whole agenda creating excitement, spiralling into over-stimulation and anxiety which keeps me awake at night or becomes unmanageable. There's a good deal of medical research on Autism and ADHD being prone to less GABA (which is responsible for shutting this down in the brain), so in a pinch I do have a Private prescription for Xanax which is designed specifically for this (and for clarity, beware that anti-depressants further lower GABA which can be deadly for those of us with this different biology). 

As this won't conflict with weed, under supervision one can always see if it's a momentary fix - just to get him through the week. For a healthy long-term solution, I'm a fan of a good nootropics blend.