I am an expert. If I give evidence in a court, it will be taken as expert evidence because I am a specialist medical doctor in mental health.
It becomes clear to me who the real experts are when I see young people in my day-to-day work.
Annie came to see me about a situation. She felt unwell while at school. She said her heart was racing because she couldn't breathe properly. She had pins and needles in her hands and felt as if she was going to pass out.
She told me that she didn't want anyone to notice so she went to the bathroom. There was pain in her chest. She couldn't leave the bathroom because she was crying. She'd had episodes like this for a couple of years but this was the worst she'd ever had and she was scared something serious was wrong. It was getting harder for her to go out with her friends.
Annie saw her doctor and he said it was just anxiety.
She was told by the doctor that she should not go to the hospital when she has anxiety. She received a prescription.
When she searched for the tablets she was given, she found they were antidepressants.
Her friend with depression had gained a lot of weight on her medication and it seemed like her personality had changed. Annie doesn't want to bemedicated for the rest of her life.
She was anxious and low about herself. She felt judged because she admitted to drinking and using drugs. She regretted telling the truth because she thought it stigmatised her, even though she thought it was normal for someone her age.
She stopped drinking because she was afraid of what drugs would do to her heart. She was scared to exercise in case it hurt her.
Annie had a different story to tell and I had a lot of questions about why this was happening. She didn't know where to get help because she felt like she wasn't the person she was being treated as.
I saw a young person in trouble with the law that week. He had a rough childhood and found that the streets and a group of young people in similar circumstances were safer than home. He was accused of breaking and entering. He couldn't sleep, couldn't sit still, and found it hard to talk about himself. It was difficult to talk to people in positions of authority. He used drugs to sleep, to feel ok, and to block out bad feelings.
The two teens had very different experiences but neither could articulate what was going on with them.
They looked miserable. They looked away when they were spoken to.
They both let me know when I got it wrong with a shake of the head. They would follow up with more information if the answer was yes. They tried to help me understand. I didn't think they were lying or hiding the truth when I was looking at their world.
Annie has panic attacks, a panic disorder and agoraphobia. He is on the autism spectrum. Trying to fit into atypical world causes his anxiety. He was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217
They have their own story. I try to use my experience and training to consider their story against the evidence in mental health research. I try to speak their truth back to them. We look at aspects that can be reversed by treatment and check out what parts seem to fit. We talk about the pros and cons.
It can take time and a lot of trust to get there.
Both Annie and Justin were given labels. They didn't agree with those and didn't follow them. We needed an agreement first.
I have found that the expert on any adolescent is themselves. To be effective, I have to listen to them.
In Australia, support can be found at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, MensLine on 1300 , and on 13 11 14 at Lifeline. The charity Mind is on 0300 123 3393 in the UK. Mental Health America is available in the US.
Dr. Lee is a Psychiatrist.
Annie and Justin are examples of similar cases.
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