TW Teen drug use

[annon123]

Hi there ,
My 15 year old Teen is taking all sorts of illicit drugs and constantly running away from home to do so.She is eventually been found by police and comes home but will not engage in help in the community adolescent mental health team. She will not talk to anyone about any traumatic risky situations she has got herself into when out of home and lately had been getting very angry and resorts to verbal threats of wanting to kill me and throws belongings around breaking stuff .I think she is going through withdrawals as she is so tired ,very hungry , moody, has cold like symptoms and is having bad nightmares. I try to remain calm but am struggling with it all . Her general health is not good .She doesn't take care of herself hygiene wise .I am engaged with community mental health for her and she has taken herself to hospital a few times begging to be admitted for help but no one will help her as they claim she doesn't fit the criteria ,even though she has taken drugs to try and kill herself ,stated verbally she wants to kill herself .Our adolescent mental health system is broken and I as her mum do not know what to do to help her particularly since she refuses all community help . Any suggestions or ideas to help get us through this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you x

[Bre-RO]

Hi there @annon123 

I’m so glad you came across our community and decided to open up about the challenging time you and your daughter are going through. It must feel horrible and frightening when your daughter has run away, knowing she’s in risky situations and taking drugs. Not being able to talk about what’s happened when she returns must be incredibly difficult as well – I can imagine it would feel like the weight of the world on your shoulders. 

I’m sorry to read that your daughter is experiencing withdrawals and taking it out on you in such a heartbreaking way. On top of all of this, to hear that your daughter doesn’t meet the criteria to be admitted, given everything she is going through, is beyond disappointing. With so much on your plate, I’m wondering if you have a support network around to help you navigate this?  

It sounds like accessing professional support has been a challenge, so I’m curious to know if there’s anything the two of you can do together to stay connected and possibly increase the chances of more open communication about what's going on beneath the surface for your daughter. Are there moments when your daughter seems more open to discussing her feelings? 

We have sent you an email to check in with you and offer some suggestions for support services that may be able to assist you in supporting your daughter. Keep an eye out for that email, and please know that we are here to continue supporting you through this difficult time.