[Chihuahualover1]

Hello All,
My14yr old daughter was 'diagnosed with depression a year and a half ago. She has been cutting for 2yrs, I have only known for a year. She seems to be spot on for BPD. Her doctor suggested that we consider trying Prozac, and
She has been taking it for about 8 months now. The thing is not much has changed in her since taking the Prozac. I am most concerned about her safety, continued self harm, and to have her receive the appropriate type of therapy. I just don't know where to go for help. Any suggestions or information will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Deirdre

Hello Deirdre: I'm sorry to read of your daughter's & your struggles. This can be so difficult, because you need to rely on the mental health professionals to help you through this. And, if they're not helping, then it's difficult to know where to turn. My personal situation is not at all similar to your daughter's & yours. However, I have certainly been in the position of feeling as though, what the professionals I was consulting with were recommending, was not helping. I think many members, here on PC, would say the same!

You did not say, in your post, if the doctor your daughter is seeing is a psychiatrist or a general practice physician of some sort. Hopefully your daughter is seeing a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is going to be in the best position to prescribe the most effective psych med's for your daughter. Being under the care of a psychiatrist is certainly no guarantee either. But it's better than the alternative. Likewise, hopefully your daughter is also seeing a qualified therapist. She needs to have a professional to talk with at length about what it is that is troubling her. Psychiatrists typically only prescribe & monitor psych med's. They do not, as a rule, provide talk therapy. Both are necessary, assuming your daughter is willing, of course.

One additional thought I will offer here is that Prozac is an older SSRI. I was on it for a period of time, probably 15 years ago. And I never thought it was worth much then... same thing with Paxil... another older SSRI. There are certainly more current psych med's your daughter could try. Finding one that works for a given individual can be something of a trial-&-error process. Every med works differently for different persons. If you try one for a while, & it doesn't seem to be working, then you just have to move on & try something else. It's just important to give each med time to work. The beneficial effects don't show up immediately. On the other hand, if your daughter has been taking Prozac for 8 months, & there's been no real change evident, then I think it's safe to presume it is past time to try something else.

One other thing I would like to mention here is that it will be important for you not to fall into the mindset of imagining that there is some miracle cure out there for your daughter; if you can just find it. There isn't. It's not a matter of ferreting out the right program or service. If that were the case, we here on PC would have found it, & most of us would be gone. These mental health problems are complicated & still, to a large extent, poorly understood. For most of us, coping with the mental health struggles we have is a long-term, ongoing process with periods of success intermixed with periods of increased difficulty. I'm confident, if you continue here on PC & read various posts in the depression & BPD forums as well as others, you'll develop an understanding of this. One important component of recovery from any mental illness is, however, having supportive & knowledgeable family. From that perspective, it sounds as though your daughter is in good hands. My best wishes to you.

P.S. If you are able to access YouTube, I would highly recommend that you check out the YouTube channel of California therapist: Kati Morton. (She's also on Facebook & Twitter, & probably some other sites as well. But YouTube is where I'm familiar with her. Kati also has her own website.) Kati has a special interest in teenage & young adult women especially in the areas of self-harm & eating disorders. Her YouTube videos provide a wealth of information & she answers questions from followers. If you are interested in checking out Kati's YouTube channel, but can't locate it, let me know & I'll post a link, in this Thread, to one of her recent videos.

Can you get her into DBT anywhere? Stifle the behaviour before it gets any worse.

[Chihuahualover1]

Originally Posted by The Skeezyks

Hello Deirdre: I'm sorry to read of your daughter's & your struggles. This can be so difficult, because you need to rely on the mental health professionals to help you through this. And, if they're not helping, then it's difficult to know where to turn. My personal situation is not at all similar to your daughter's & yours. However, I have certainly been in the position of feeling as though, what the professionals I was consulting with were recommending, was not helping. I think many members, here on PC, would say the same!

You did not say, in your post, if the doctor your daughter is seeing is a psychiatrist or a general practice physician of some sort. Hopefully your daughter is seeing a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is going to be in the best position to prescribe the most effective psych med's for your daughter. Being under the care of a psychiatrist is certainly no guarantee either. But it's better than the alternative. Likewise, hopefully your daughter is also seeing a qualified therapist. She needs to have a professional to talk with at length about what it is that is troubling her. Psychiatrists typically only prescribe & monitor psych med's. They do not, as a rule, provide talk therapy. Both are necessary, assuming your daughter is willing, of course.

One additional thought I will offer here is that Prozac is an older SSRI. I was on it for a period of time, probably 15 years ago. And I never thought it was worth much then... same thing with Paxil... another older SSRI. There are certainly more current psych med's your daughter could try. Finding one that works for a given individual can be something of a trial-&-error process. Every med works differently for different persons. If you try one for a while, & it doesn't seem to be working, then you just have to move on & try something else. It's just important to give each med time to work. The beneficial effects don't show up immediately. On the other hand, if your daughter has been taking Prozac for 8 months, & there's been no real change evident, then I think it's safe to presume it is past time to try something else.

One other thing I would like to mention here is that it will be important for you not to fall into the mindset of imagining that there is some miracle cure out there for your daughter; if you can just find it. There isn't. It's not a matter of ferreting out the right program or service. If that were the case, we here on PC would have found it, & most of us would be gone. These mental health problems are complicated & still, to a large extent, poorly understood. For most of us, coping with the mental health struggles we have is a long-term, ongoing process with periods of success intermixed with periods of increased difficulty. I'm confident, if you continue here on PC & read various posts in the depression & BPD forums as well as others, you'll develop an understanding of this. One important component of recovery from any mental illness is, however, having supportive & knowledgeable family. From that perspective, it sounds as though your daughter is in good hands. My best wishes to you.

P.S. If you are able to access YouTube, I would highly recommend that you check out the YouTube channel of California therapist: Kati Morton. (She's also on Facebook & Twitter, & probably some other sites as well. But YouTube is where I'm familiar with her. Kati also has her own website.) Kati has a special interest in teenage & young adult women especially in the areas of self-harm & eating disorders. Her YouTube videos provide a wealth of information & she answers questions from followers. If you are interested in checking out Kati's YouTube channel, but can't locate it, let me know & I'll post a link, in this Thread, to one of her recent videos.

I cannot begin to tell you how much your kind words and suggestions mean to me. She has not been to a psychiatrist, behavioral health assessed her and initially prescribed the Prozac. She had been seeing a couselor at the same location as well. None of which are providing any relief to her suffering. There are a couple of DBT counselors I have recently heard about. My heart breaks for her, and I have find her the appropriate help because she is getting worse. I am grateful for you taking the time to write me.
With gratitude,
Deirdre

[crimsonluvor]

Getting her in with a good psychologist will take care of the diagnosis part. Then she should be reffered to a psychiatrist to manage medications and a councelor to help her learn to manage her emotions and behaviors. As a young teenager I went down the same path but had no professional help and self medicated with drugs and alcohol and more bad behavior. The sooner she gets help the better and cudos to you for being an attentive parent she will thrive with your support!

[crimsonluvor]

Mood stabilizers and antidepressants are the cocktail that works for me. Its worth mentioning.