"North Lanarkshire CAMHS Service"

Second time around at CAMHS in Coatbridge and again feel like I am being chastised for not "complying" and not listened to. We had to cancel two appointments, one because we forgot we had plans that evening - God forbid we have a life outside of CAMHS and another because I myself was unwell and I am the only driver at home. So my daughter was discharged from CAMHS and we had not been told until I eventually got ahold of her counsellor.

My daughter received a private diagnosis of Bipolar Type II disorder as we had waited over 7 months for an appointment with CAMHS. I feel like this has been completely downplayed by CAMHS and we have been spoken to as though we know nothing about Bipolar Disorder even though I live with it every day and it became very apparent to me two years ago that my daughter had it.

The diagnosis was made correctly at Ross Hall Hospital using SIGN guidelines. She was worked up in a more thorough manner than I was myself at my diagnosis, but CAMHS are not accepting it. My daughter feels patronised, I feel chastised for cancelling two appointments.

We were told that my daughter would get to see a psychiatrist regarding medication and as she had a bad experience with the psychiatrist she saw previously we felt quite pressured to see them again and I was asked exactly what is the issue to which I replied, they were rude and fell asleep in a consultation which led us to basically beg Yorkhill to see us again and they looked after her until her discharge, (for a separate issue) but then with her moods and becoming apparent that she was bipolar.

They say they are not discounting the diagnosis but they certainly haven't seen her on that working diagnosis. She is filling out her mood diary every day but that doesn't help when she feels lonely and helpless and becomes non verbal or when she goes off out all the time and then shopping sprees or cannot sleep. I guess the fact that I was told she had been discharged (another appointment has been made for my daughter following discussion) for cancelling two appointments... where is the duty of care? It's like being punished for having a life basically or this is how it feels.

So again, here we are, facing difficulties with CAMHS in Lanarkshire. I find the attitudes to be dismissive of the parent (when a diagnosis of BP does also take into consideration of others as the person affected is not always aware of their behaviour and how different it may be).

For now, I feel like crying. I feel like a chastised child. I am also fully versed in Bipolar Disorder and medications personally but my experience apparently is not valid. I have just found 8 of my cousins also, one has Tourettes like my daughter and Bioplar type 1, four have bipolar type 2 and one has bipolar 1 and schizophrenia, so its kind of a sure thing here!

So where do we go now? I have received more support from Mind, Young Minds and friends from CAMHS but what my daughter needs TODAY is a mood stabiliser to get her through the last two years of school and allow her to fulfil her potential. But I feel we are trapped in some sort of CAMHS game here with weird restrictive rules that don't really apply in real life to real people.

Why can't she be trialled on a mood stabiliser, we keep getting told they are extremely potent drugs for a young person, but yet therapies like Lamotrigine used in bipolar type 2 disorder are given every day for epilepsy in young people. I know this because I have bipolar disorder and I am not an idiot because I live with the condition and have done since my daughters' age.

So what do we do? Back to Ross Hall for private treatment I cannot afford? I would sell my house and may have to so that my daughter can be treated and understood and I am actually thinking about putting it on the market.

Sorry for the rant but I am sure I am not the only person who is dealing with these issues and a young person with bipolar disorder and not getting anywhere.