Child and adolescent mental health teams OR private psychiatrist.. where to go with a 13 with mental

[Hugo2019]

Hay all .. my son has mental health issues ... the private psychiatrist is a slow process....at times my son is violent .. people including Professionals tell me our family is in crisis however there is no crisis support ... there is also I’ve found out CAMHS service in our area.. do I ditch the psychiatrist and go public with the team of experts under CAMHS ( child and mental health services)! Yours in frustration ! 🤔

[Taylor-RO]

Hi @Hugo2019, thanks for sharing that with us. It sounds like such a difficult situation where you just want the best support for your son. It can definitely be frustrating waiting for support services - it is tough to see our loved ones in need. What services are best for you differs from family to family.. so it is based on your own needs, situation and background. By slow, do you mean you are on a waiting list for the private psychiatrist? If so, it might be worth staying on the waiting list for the private psychiatrist, while you explore CAMHS as a support option. If you are not on the waiting list, how have the sessions been going so far? We know that CAMHS is a specialised service for adolescents and has different levels and types of support. This is not to say it is a superior service, as it will depend on your family's needs and the background, experience and training of the psychiatrist you are seeing.. e.g they may be more experienced with adults or specific issues.

Is it possible to gain more information about both the psychiatrist and CAMHS service to assist in your decision making? We acknowledge how challenging such a big decision can be. It sounds like you have been dealing with so much. Do you have any support for yourself throughout this? If you were looking for somewhere to talk this out, you could contact Parent Line which have telephone support, referrals and resources. Please keep us updated

[Hugo2019]

Thanks for your reply .. we have been seeing the psychiatrist having had 3 appts so far over a 8-week period about an hr from where we live. She is experienced with adolescents but it’s pricey and a strain on us financially...when I spoke to CAMHS they were not keen on doing the referral because of us under a private psychiatrist... but thinking could cut our losses and go over to CAMHS...I’ll talk with them again Monday and see what the wait list is like I guess. She had suggested also a paediatrician as a diagnosis we received about 2.5 yrs ago may not be correct as we see signs of him being on the spectrum too which would require reassessing.. tricky when there are lots of behaviours and having to keep the peace with him in the mean time..

[TOM-RO]

Hey @Hugo2019 

Thanks for your response. It's hard to say with any certainty whether you should change psychiatrists.

If you don't mind me asking - what is stopping you from using CAMHS? Are you worried that they might not specialise in adolescent mental health?

Are you worried it will interrupt your son's recovery because he may have already bonded with the private psychiatrist?

Do you really like the private psychiatrist, and you're worried mental health clinicians at CAMHS won't be as good?

Like @Taylor-RO suggested, it might be a good idea to gain more information about CAMHS to assist in your decision making. It might even be helpful to meet some of the mental health clinicians, and meet the psychiatrist in particular, to see if they'd be a good fit for your son. Also, it might be an idea to ask your son for his opinion in this situation too, such as whether he'd be willing to change psychiatrists, etc. 

[Hugo2019]

Well after many months of trying a psychiatrist, counsellors for our son we have been picked up by child and adolescent mental health team from a hospital near us. Not a long wait list and lots of support over the phone .. So incredibly helpful.. I’m so surprised our local doctor, well being officer at the school, or local counsellor had not recommended CAMHS way back.. it’s so frustrating trying to find the best support when it was right under our nose all along... phew for now.. our son has finally a team of clinicians that will support him and us as we work through assessments for spectrum and behavioural issues 🙏

[Andrea-RO]

Hey @Hugo2019, 

It's such a relief to hear how supportive CAMHS was for you and your family!  It can be almost life changing when we receive the right sort of support, particularly when it comes to professional psychological help.