Our teenage DD has all of the trauma related and attachment issues typical of an adopted child so has always found it hard to regulate her emotions which makes life very hard for her. Recently she has been feeling anxious going out, has struggled to cope at work so is off sick, and has had some panic attacks - this is consistent with having been studying at home for a long while previously and often being isolated. I would say she is feeling appropriately sad about her life rather than depressed. So, she went to the GP who prescribed anti-depressants. She tried two kinds - both had negative side effects: with one a pounding heart and shaking, with another increased agggression - an issue for her anyway, so we advised her to stop each time. Wonder where we go from here. She has a therapist but won't always see her and is reluctant to delve much into the past which she will need to do at some point if she is to make sense of where her issues come from. DH and I are not keen for her to be on tablets but DD wants something to make her feel better. As it is she isn't coping with normal life. Has anyone else experience of teenagers being treated with medication for anxiety?
Medication for anxiety?
My daughter is older - 24 now - but was put on anti-depressants when she was 18. She had been the victim of a serious sexual assault and was expressing a desire to kill herself. She was later put on medication for anxiety too as she was having panic attacks and was unable to leave the house (or even her room at one time) It took a long time to get the right help in the way of therapy and to get the funding for this so the medication was a safety net. She’s still taking them but the antidepressant was changed at one time when she started taking concerta for her ADHD and she was losing weight but then with this one couldn’t stop eating and put on too much weight (I can’t remember the name but later found out this one was used in farming to help livestock gain weight!) She was then changed to vortioxetine (not sure of spelling) which was new at the time and is (apparently) more expensive but is very good. It has cognitive benefits too. She was put on it by her psychiatrist who she sees privately so the GP couldn’t change it. If your daughter sees - or could see - a psychiatrist that would be a good idea as they do proper assessments for depression etc and will treat accordingly whereas a GP is only able to do the basics. I have thought about myself that at one time if I’d gone to the GP and described the way I was feeling she would have put me on antidepressants and then I took the Becks Depression Index which my daughters psychiatrist had asked her to do and came well within the normal range. I then had therapy through a specialist helpline which worked for me. GPs I think are inclined to prescribe antidepressants quite readily as there’s little else they can offer but they can be quite addictive so it’s best to get psychiatric input if you can - and of course the right sort of therapy. My daughter went to rape crisis first and as there were only 15 sessions they were putting pressure on her to talk about what happened which she wasn’t ready to do and she stopped going - the organisation she is with now is specialist for people with learning disabilities and it’s taken ages for her to talk - you can’t rush therapy - your daughter will get there in the end - it may take a while - years even - but all the small steps along the way will make a difference.
This will not solve the problem, but perhaps help a little: I met a care experienced young person who has overcome very serious anxiety issues and she said regularly listening to positive affirmations helped her. I have tried it with my daughter and she also finds them very helpful. My daughter is listening to Harry Henshaw's, but the choice is huge.
Actually now you mention it Chestnuttree - my daughter’s psychiatrist prescribed TED talks as one time - listening to one of her choice daily - then sharing her favourite - that did help too
Dear Safia and Chestnuttree,
Thanks for these helpful points. I've been pondering it all through the week and think maybe we will also need to go down the route of her seeing a psychiatrist - I'm wondering how you find a private one who is really clued-up about developmental trauma and attachment though. (DD saw an NHS psychologist who seemed to have no idea about this!) I still feel nervous about medication, but can see that she needs something to give her hope and to help her through until she's ready for therapy. I think the difficulty she had with antidepressants-was that they seemed to make her more out of control - whereas she needs something to calm her down. Not sure what this might be. The affirmations and TED talks sound good - we are keeping going with anything which brings her pleasure or builds her up.
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