Daughter

[Justwondering]

My daughter recently came off her meds and is now imagining terrible thoughts that someone is attacking and raping her

l can’t convince her to go back on meds   What do l do ? I terrified with the consequences that will happen 

[RiverSeal]

Hey @Justwondering, thank you for sharing about your daughter with the Forums community!

It sounds really tough for you as a parent to see her going through this experience and also for your daughter and the reality she is experiencing. You are demonstrating your resilience and strength reaching out to your peers and you love and compassion as a parent caring for your child.

It is a personal choice to take medications unless you are on a community treatment order and there are many reasons why people choose not to take medications. Ranging from the side effects such as weight gain, the sedative effects they have and the lack of motivation to do the things you usually like to do.

I'm not sure if you have tried calling the CATT team to have your daughter assessed by them and then they can decide what course of action is needed and perhaps organising treatment in a hospital if needed. They are a good place to start and I'll add their details here: CATT – the crisis assessment and treatment team | healthdirect, Acute Mental Health Services | SA Health. Also going back to see your daughter prescribing doctor to have her medications reviewed and discussing why she doesn't want to take them. 

It's also important to take care of yourself and you may benefit from some support as a carer. I will add a link here for you to take a look at: Carers SA | healthdirect

Please continue to reach out to the community here on the Forums and share your experiences and we can support you too.

Take care

RiverSeal 

[defaultusername]

Hi @Justwondering,

Welcome to the Forum and thank you very much for sharing.

I'm sorry that both your daughter and yourself are dealing with what sounds like a very worrying and distressing situation.

To echo what @RiverSeal has said, reaching out is definitely a strength and does show what a caring parent you are. She's lucky to have you in her corner.

And RiverSeal has made some really good points, that unless she's under a community treatment order she doesn't have to take the medication and that the CATT and her GP would be a really good point of contact.

Remember to be kind to yourself during this difficult time… which I know can be easier said than done. But we 'cannot pour from an empty cup', as they say.

There is SANE's Support Line 1800 187 263 Mon - Fri 10am - 8pm where you can speak to a mental health professional and arrange ongoing guidance and support.

Here are also the list of Australia's Mental Health Carer Support providers: https://www.mentalhealthcarersaustralia.org.au/about-us/our-members/ if you feel you need some further support.

I hope that things improve for both you and your daughter and hope to hear back from you soon.