Reply to suicidal ideation- 9 yo DS

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Dear OP —

1. I am VERY hopeful for your situation: your responses prove to me that you are a balanced personality who is focused on finding resources; your DH and you are working toward each other during this pain/fear; and, of course we ALL suffer the stigma of emotional/mental issues and clearly you are not going to let negative bias keep you from getting help.

2. Twin daughter (emergency placement) always suffered anxiety, bouts of depression, we were always in therapy. Talks of suicide began at about that same age, and as you know it cascades and takes over your entire lives.

3. Trying medication is an art (and maybe) not a science.  We began with SSRIs and gotno where. Our genius psychiatrist said bipolar meds, and I was scared as I knew lithium but these next gen drugs are not nearly so intense. That along with an ADD med and child just got into one of the most exclusively application high schools in the District for fine arts.

4. No mention of self harm now for YEARS, and we are trying to get her back into talk therapy but she associates it with the bad ol’ days and still says no.

5. Glass is half full for sure. Other families who did not go through this when their children were tweeners might be assuming that all is well and find themselves in a life threatening crisis — we are battle tested to see the signs.

6. Your love with get you through this . . . Ignore the mean ol’ trolls. Share with others that mental health is a normal part of wellness care and these scary times do not last forever when you acknowledge them.[/quote]

Meds have terrible side effects. Also, not everyone with a different opinion is a troll. [/quote]

As someone whose child benefitted from medication, and who wishes I hadn’t allowed myself to be dissuaded for so long by the kind of statement above thus allowing my child to languish in pain for too long, I would say:

Most meds, not just psychiatric meds, have all kinds of side effects. Many side effects are mild, rarer side effects can be more serious. The full possible range of side effects do not happen to each person. Some people may experience no or very few side effects. Some side effects present initially and then subside after a few weeks. Many side effects are manageable by changing the time or method of administration. Patients who experience side effects may be switched to another medication in the same or different class of medications. Patients who experience severe side effects generally can stop a medication - sometimes immediately, sometimes titrating down.

The real problems arise when a person has serious illness and finds a medication that works well but also has significant side effects - imagine a suicidal child whose suicidality and depression go away with a particular medication but who starts to experience significant weight gain. A parent or patient might decide the benefit of not being suicidal is worth the side effect. Or, they might search for a medication that works better.

It is very simplistic, and unhelpful, to say “meds have terrible side effects”.  If I had a suicidal child, I would have no hesitation about trying medication, and working through several different medication trials if necessary to find the optimal result.

[/quote]

THANK YOU. [/quote]

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