Teen in mental health crisis: Any good resources?

She started around 12, with just a “normal” desire to get in shape and lose a few pounds. She started working out and dieting, and it ended up becoming obsessive, and went into near anorexia. Restricting, bingeing, severe weight loss. But that was when a lot of her mental illness battles began as well, along with EDS/Hypermobile Spectrum Disorder (which went undiagnosed for another 3-4 years). It has been the perfect storm of so many conditions. She believes she ran her body down so far, starving and overworking it, that she opened the door for the other illnesses, and I think she’s right. She developed POTS after having multiple rounds of Covid because her immune system was so compromised. She still fights with the ED but not as bad as she did; it has kind of been taking a back seat to more emergent issues. She has a lot of gastric distress and her diet is very limited - and not very healthy. Hence the nutritional deficiencies.

If you said so before, I missed that she had covid multiple times.
That really is a lot to deal with all at once.
Are you saying part of the reason for her limited diet at this point is to try to avoid the gastric distress?

Are the other emergent issues things like the misophonia?

I’d say that definitely plays into it. She has what she calls “safe” foods that don’t give her sensory or gut issues. Lots of bagels! She avoids dairy for the most part. She has severe sensory issues all the way around, including misokinesia -the “visual” form of misophonia, where seeing someone tap their fingers, fidget, or bounce their leg can trigger her. She has always been super-sensitive, which I can now connect to the Autism but she’s so high-functioning and so adept at masking, it’s no wonder she was undiagnosed for so long.
15 seems to be the magic number, especially with girls, for so many of these issues to emerge. I think she’s had a lot of these things simmering under the surface, and the stress of a traumatic personal relationship finally resulted in an opening of the flood gates, as it were, and here we are with a laundry list of illnesses, conditions, and comorbidities, both mental and physical.

Oh my goodness, now I'm really confused! So you're saying that this traumatic personal relationship was a sort of 'straw that broke the camel's back' sort of situation?

I’d say so, yes. Although it was already extreme prior to that, that relationship seems to be what really pushed her over. She has been in trauma processing therapy for some time. Let me clarify, that this relationship and its demise, for a “normal” brain and mental state would not have wreaked this kind of havoc.
I’m feeling kind of uncomfortable now that I have thrown so much of this highly personal info out on a public forum. I’m not sure that was appropriate although I’d like to continue our conversation in a more private setting! I do very much appreciate your interest.

If it sets your mind at ease, I'm not sure anything you've said is entirely unique! It seems like so many teens go through this kind of difficulty.
Is it okay if I send you a message? On my screen (on a tablet) it's a little envelope symbol in the upper right corner.

I think you are right to point out that the root cause probably was deeper than the situational trauma of the rocky relationship etc.

I also know it's not easy for you as a bystander to deal with the fallout. A friend once told me that her teen daughter's inimitable teenage logic made it possible to explain to her parents how her breakup with her boyfriend was *their* (her parents') fault.
https://mhcsandiego.com/misophonia-and-vitamin-deficiency/

Sorry for the delay!! Things got a bit haywire around here, as I injured my leg & was chair bound for a week, and also things got really intense with my daughter.
Please do feel free to message me if that’s an option, I haven’t really explored this app enough to be familiar with the options!

I have a 12 year old granddaughter who started getting depressed which led to cutting and bad thoughts.
Her parents immediately put her into a psychiatric place and she was there for 3 weeks. Lots of in house counseling. Was referred to Rogers in Milwaukee WI. As an outpatient.
Did this for 6 weeks for 7 hour days. Then weaned down to 4 hour days.
Lots of counseling and coping skills.
Started testing depression meds. until they found the correct one and correct dosage.
May not need to stay on for the rest of her life tho.
At home she has been so much happier now. However she has 2 more years of middle school which is a hard place to be!
She was also diagnosed with a disorder that I could not find the title for. Body image. She’s still working on all of this. Hoping and praying this was all worth it. She’s an only child.
So sweet and loving but to her parents has a lot of rage at times but now has a lot of coping skills which she does use.
It all takes time and patience. All Parents should have coping skills too.
Overall we were very please with facilities and treatments. And it’s sad to say. As one came out another went in!

@kathymj You have given hope to some parents or family members who may feel like their battle will never end. Thank you for sharing what your granddaughter has gone through, and her success. Here's to hoping for continued progress.
Ginger