Camhs advice and other things

today i had my first camhs assesment for low mood and anxious worries etc. but I felt (and my mum felt) that it was pretty useless. They focused almost entirely on my weight ( I have lost weight 2+ stones worth in about 11 months give or take not through anorexia but purley due to loss of appetite) and not on why I'm so sad or anxious. They are going to put me through yet more blood tests and bone density tests and then the waiting list for CBT. I am horrible at discussing why I'm sad and often when talking about it I brush it off and play down how i feel just so I dont have to go into depth, but today I was especially avoidant (and forgot to mention a ton of things I needed to say) because I was so infuriated with their persistent referencing to my weight!

I just want to get better, and Im not happy anymore. They asked whether I go out with friends, I said yes, but what i mean by this is that I've been out maybe 3 times in the past 11 months, in reality Im too tired to go out or I get to nervous. I know its my fault today didn't go as well as planned by im just so annoyed they kept focusing on my eating and not on my depression.

Can anyone advice on what to do ? :frown:

Reply 1

furryface12

Original post by Boo_Ayres13

I can definitely understand struggling with this! I get the same thing focusing on weight and it drives me mad, hopefully the blood tests etc will show them there's nothing to worry about though. I also struggle a lot with talking to people, try and give the therapy a go though- they'll be well used to people like us and hopefully in time you'll be able to open up a bit more and it'll start helping a bit. I'm not sure what you can do other than try and explain to them later that things are worse than they seem, hopefully that'll be okay. Hope things start improving for you soon either way :smile:

Reply 2

Boo_Ayres13

Original post by furryface12

Thank you so much, my next appointment is next week and I just want to tell them everything :/ this week has just proved to em that I'm not okay and I need serious help.

Reply 3

furryface12

Original post by Boo_Ayres13

Thank you so much, my next appointment is next week and I just want to tell them everything :/ this week has just proved to em that I'm not okay and I need serious help.

Can you write some of it down? That's helped me in the past, means I don't forget anything or get too scared once I'm in there, can just go in and hand it to them. Write things down when you're not feeling so good and keep adding to it during the week. Hope they help you eventually, always welcome to PM me if you want to talk :smile:

Reply 4

LanaDelReys

I understand completely. I've been in therapy on and off for nearly 4 years now (the first time was for an eating disorder and most recently for depression, anxiety and substance abuse). I found it so so hard to open up to my current therapist, but she was very understanding of it. After two months, I learnt to fully trust her and I was able to begin to fully talk about my problems. Writing things down definitely helps the process. I found writing in my diary very helpful when I was in a dark place. Once I opened up to my family about my problems, I was overwhelmed by their support and it made everything more bearable. If you ever need to talk, PM me. I know how difficult it is and how dark and consuming it can be, but therapy can really help, it just takes a bit of time to get used to. As for the blood tests, they just want to see if you're okay because if you're lacking nutrients that will make you feel even worse, but I understand how frustrating it must be.

Reply 5

Boo_Ayres13

Original post by LanaDelReys

Thanks for your comments :smile:

I've got a letter from camhs today summarising my assessment and it basically reads that I'm not unhappy :frown:

sadly it seems as though my usual clamming up when discussing myself has hindered treatment options :frown:

I feel awful that I basically lied about how I feel and I'm worried they're not going to believe me when I tell them how I really feel this time :frown:

Reply 6

doodle_333

Original post by Boo_Ayres13

Thanks for your comments :smile:

I've got a letter from camhs today summarising my assessment and it basically reads that I'm not unhappy :frown:

sadly it seems as though my usual clamming up when discussing myself has hindered treatment options :frown:

I feel awful that I basically lied about how I feel and I'm worried they're not going to believe me when I tell them how I really feel this time :frown:

they will be used to people who struggle to open up at first, it's possible that they thought your weight loss was medical and your mum was panicking about mental health over nothing but given they have offered you further sessions it's likely they realise there are more problems... perhaps they saw you were struggling to be open and thought they would take it easy on you

if you're finding it hard perhaps write some stuff down?

Reply 7

danuuutka

Original post by Boo_Ayres13

I can totally understand why you're feeling so disheartened, I went through a very similar experience, where in the first session it was mmore about what they wanted to know rather than what I wanted to say. However one thing you must understand is the fact that they probably focussed on your weight so much because it's a very worrying symptom - before checking up on your mental health in detail, they kind of have to make sure that your physical health is okay i.e. if there is an underlying issue to your weight loss, or is it just mental health. They kind of just need to rule certain things out to make sure that you're not in any risk of serious health consequences.
As for advice for your next session, try to be honest and blunt with them. I'm also a person who likes to laugh off my issues, don't go into detail and rush things off, but hte only way you'll get help is by opening up to the person. For example, with the going out with friends, instead of just saying yes, say "yes, I've been out a few times in the past year but struggle to because of so and so". Also, I'd also say that you need to let them know what YOU want from the therapy, or ask them "why are you foucssing on my weight instead of the fact i feel like crap?". There may be a specific method that theyre using to help you, so don't e afraid to ask. If you don;t want to do it face to face, write them a letter to read for when you leave the room etc. I hope it all goes well, it's really worth sticking it out, and if you just don't get on with this counsellor, it is totally okay to ask for you to see someone else! I did it before, and as nerve wracking as it was, itt was the best decision I could've made! because different people have different methods of dealing with someones issues, so you just need to find a therapist that you click with :smile: