[dayton52]

As I've written here before, my 15 year old daughter was recently hospitalized over cutting and fears of suicide. When she got out, she entered a partial hospitalization program where she worked in group therapy. This constant talking about her and others' problems only made her worse--she eventually started scratching herself severely during the group sessions and last night had to be readmitted to the hospital.

When she gets out this time (is on meds, has been the whole time), what else can we do? If not group therapy, what are other courses of action? What has worked for you? I don't want her back in group and she desperately needs help.

[BNLsMOM]

Maybe there is a dbt group in your area that you can attend together. I am in an adult dbt group and I know that the same therapists run a group for adolescents and their parents to attend together.

I hope your daughter gets through this soon.

[PT52]

BNLsMOM has a good suggestion..there are so many variables involved, the more you can be part of the treatment, the more you can be a stable variable, if that makes sense! Lots of hugs for your daughter and for you..

[LaraLynn]

Did you get a chance to talk to the Dr. about her meds? I know several people thought that they might be causing some of the issues?

[dayton52]

LaraLynn--

Right. They have her on Zoloft and Seroquel. Again, I've talked to a few doctors who tell me the zoloft is ok so long as she's on a mood stabilizer, too. She's only been on the seroquel a few days (switched from respridon).

[bridgie]

make sure you research the effects of these drugs on teens. i was on zoloft made me more depressed and suicidal. seroquel also had very negative effects. how long has she been on the meds? sometimes while getting up to the right dose can still be a rough time. good luck.

[dayton52]

bridgie--

What meds eventually worked for you?

[blueoctober]

dayton52;It may be the zoloft that's causing an issue. Until she gets to a therapeutic mood stabilizer dose you may want to speak to her p-doc about it. SSRI antidepressants tend to cause more of an issues for those diagnosed. I would suggest she do some individual therapy with a Psychologist that specializes in children/teens and an added bonus would be if the Psychologist specialized with working with persons diagnosed with a mood disorder. I would also watch what she eats and drinks. Processed foods and high sugar foods cause my mood to be more unstable. There is a great book called the Food Mood Solution by Jack Challem which I found very helpful.

Group therapy can have that affect on a person and for a 15 year old I think you would be better off having her in individual therapy. I did 2 years of group therapy and it really helped me, but I was 31 when I was diagnosed.

As far as medications every person is different and it unfortunately tends to be a trial and error process. It's very frustrating, but it's worth it when one finds a good combo. The book in my signature is for spouses, family members of those diagnosed. You may want to read it. The more educated you are on this illness the better you can help your daughter.

I'm truly sorry that your daughter is struggling with the illness and I hope she feels better soon

[lonegael]

If she is in a group situation, it would probably have to be tightly monitored, like a well run DBT, from what I have heard. Adolescents can be easily triggered by each other and I think that it might be worth asking about either the type ofgroup I mentioned (such as one that follows a strict program or has a very keen moderator to handle overloading on the negative) or individual therapy. Best would be a mixture, but i am a ware that this might not be available for you. Good luck, and HUUGGGSSS to you and your daughter.

[bridgie]

Originally Posted by dayton52

bridgie--

What meds eventually worked for you?

hi dayton, for myself antidepressants make things worse. but everyone is different and i cant say what will and what wont work for your daughter. i just recommend researching each medication recommended to you and making informed decisions about what you will and will not like your daughter to take. we never want to go in blindly.
everyone else has given some great advise and info for you. the more you know the better off you and your daughter will be. i think an individual therapy session may help moreso than group,imo anyway. def read up as much as you can and remember nothing good in this world comes fast.

[dayton52]

again, thanks everyone.

we are looking into individual therapy. The group sessions did trigger some awful behavior and landed her back in the hospital. I'll let you know what happens, but I hope to set up an appointment with a psychologist who specializes in working with teens (finding another psychiatrist in our area will be tough).

[blueoctober]

dayton52; You may want to take a look at this website (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) There is a link to a Parents' Medication Guide for Bipolar Disorder in Children & Adolescents. It's about half way down the page and is free to download. Hope it helps.

http://www.aacap.org/cs/2010_press_r...en_adolescents

[BlackPup]

When I first had couselling when I was 18, (it was individual therapy at uni) I sometimes found it so hard that I got really anxious. Because it was individual, my counsellor could ease off the pressure when things got too much and calm me down. That may not be possible in the group dynamic, so it may really help to find someone who can take things at your daughters pace. It can be really confronting and difficult to deal with.
All the best with meds and therapy, it can take time but it will get better.