Devastated

[Disney Newbie]

I don't post much but wanted to reply to your post I think it's natural you are devastated but thankfully your daughter seems to have escaped doing too much damage to herself if any at all but your daughter needs you at this time and will have floods of emotions to deal with so for now just being there for her with loads of hugs and kisses will be great for her and everything else can be sorted in the days weeks and months to come. Take care.

[skalexander]

You're not a bad parent. Your daughter was clearly doing a good job of showing you that, although things may have been challenging, she was coping - you weren't to know that wasn't the reality.

Take advice from the Doctors about what help and support is available. It may also be worth contacting MIND, or having a browse on their website, as they can provide a lot of information and support for matters of this nature.

Wishing you and your daughter all the best.

[JessBlu]

You are not a bad parent.

If you would like someone to talk to who is not involved PM me.

[happytraveller]

Originally Posted by Disneyboo2

This post is the hardest thing I've ever had to write in my life, I just feel I need to tell someone.

I'm a regular poster and probably should have asked admins permission to post under a different name, sorry!

I'm just not even sure how to start as my emotions are all over the place so please excuse me if this turns into a ramble!

Yesterday morning my 16 year old daughter took a paracetamol overdose. I received a phone call from school to say they had phoned an ambulance and to meet them at A&E. I think I'm still in complete shock, I just feel sick. She is still in hospital receiving treatment. I'm praying she hasn't damaged her liver, the consultant was very reassuring and feels it was caught early enough.

I feel so sad that she felt so awful that she thought this was a solution. I'm feeling terrible that we knew she was anxious about school and friends but didn't realise how bad it had got.
In some ways I feel totally numb, it feels totally surreal, it's almost like my mind is trying to process it but has shut down!
I have absolutely no friends who I can talk to about this and can't even face talking to my family. I just feel like such an awful parent.

See more...

I am so sorry your going through this, but your parenting skills cannot be called into question.Your daughter is 16. At that age, it could be something your not even aware of that has driven her to this. There is so much going on in the lives of teens these days, but even in mine and I'm 43 most parents would have only known what their children wanted them to know, at that age. All you can do now is support her and I hope you manage to get support too xx

[djewkes]

You are certainly not a bad parent, as a teenager you can become very focussed on the present and sometimes just can't see a way out. At the age of 20 I took an overdose... I look back now and think "what an idiot", I had fallen madly in love (I thought) and then been stood up, all my friends were dating... I thought it was the end of the world... luckily I threw up virtually everything I had taken, and I never tried it again...
So don't blame yourself, just be there for her... good luck xx

[jas72]

Oh dear this is a very sad read.

Don't beat yourself up, your daughter needs you now more than ever.

I hope she makes a full recovery and gets the help she needs.

[smithlane]

How devastating for you, I hope your daughter continues to recover. You are certainly not a bad parent! Who knows what goes through teenagers heads most of the time, like others have said they don't always open up to parents. My DD is 13 and can seem perfectly fine for days then out of nowhere have a complete meltdown over one thing or another. I'm not complacent enough to think any parent including myself could potentially be in your shoes one day. Thinking of you both at this very tough time, I know it's easier said than done but please don't beat yourself up just be there for her xx

[Taffy1959]

I'm so sorry to hear this and hope she makes a speedy recovery.

Please don't think you're a bad parent because I can tell from your post you're not.

As others have said teenagers just don't seem to like talking to their parents, I never confided in my parents about anything when I was a teen.

I really hope you get the support you need for both yourself and your daughter

[Rataouille92]

I didn't want to read and run.

It isn't your fault at all, sometimes it happens to those who you least expect. Some aren't brave enough to voice up if they have problems. I never did when i was bullied and i still hate talking about it now.

Don't push her for answers as this could scare her more. Just tell her you love her and be supportive. She needs to feel loved and know she has others around her.

Stay strong xx

[Guest]

Please do not blame yourself , It is not your fault in the slightest .
I did the exact same thing when I was just a year older than your dd and I was so good at putting on a front that nobody knew just how down and desperate for an escape I was . My parents were truly heartbroken when they took me to the doctors as I was feeling unwell and being sick and that's the only way they found out. I was then rushed to hospital and they found I had some liver damage but your liver can repair itself to some extent and I've had no lasting damage luckily .
I did councilling for a little while which helped to some extent . I still get bouts of depression now but I refuse to go back on to anti depressants.
I'm sure your dd will be fine physically and she hopefully should get some help now through talking therapy at the very least. Really feel for you both and if you need a chat feel free to pm me as there were so many things I wish I'd told my mum so she didn't blame herself