SUICIDAL AGED SIX
three trips to A&E in a week last July for the family to finally access the help they needed to get Briena a diagnosis.
Nikki says: “Briena began hurting herself – she would bite herself a lot, bang her head, pull her clothes, scratch herself, pull her hair.
“We were in crisis. I couldn’t take any more. She was sleeping in our room so we could keep her safe. It was torturous. I feared we were going to lose her. One night, she was on our bed and she was fighting us to throw herself out of the window. I was holding her and Lee was on the phone to the crisis team.
“Every time I’d loosen my grip, she’d throw herself towards the window and lurch forward.
CRYING
“I was crying, Briena was beside herself, Lee was on the phone and I thought, ‘What can we do?’ I couldn’t take it any more.” Lee adds: “We felt we had to watch her around the clock.
Even now, if she’s had a bad day, we put a baby monitor in her room, to make sure she’s safe through the night.”
The family’s final trip to A&E was filmed by Channel 4. And back under the care of CAMHS, Briena was finally diagnosed with autism last August.
It was a huge relief for Briena, Nikki, Lee and their three other daughters, aged 17, nine and six. It led to more support – and Briena says her new school has helped too. She explains: “I used to feel like everyone was a jigsaw puzzle and I was the piece that didn’t fit. I feel better now I’ve got more of an answer. At school there is a sensory room and if I feel stressed I go in there.
“There’s a projector that projects stars, beanbags, a fluffy carpet and a tent. My friends help if I’m feeling bad. The teachers are good too. I still have panic attacks sometimes.
“All I can think is, ‘Make it stop, make it stop.’ But I can’t control it. I still have good days and bad days.”
Briena’s story comes as figures from the Education Policy Institute estimate that one in four children referred to specialist services – more than 130,000 – were “rejected”.
Some 25,000 young people a year go to A&E with mental health issues.
And the Royal College of Psychiatrists says that while mental health funding is officially at record levels it is down in real terms since 2012.
Nottingham NHS Trust acknowledged delays in Briena getting care. A spokesman said: “When it became clear Briena needed more intensive support that was put in place.
“We took part in the documentary to show the difficult decisions that staff make with limited resources and an increase in demand.”
■■Losing It: Our Mental Health Emergency is on Channel 4 at
10pm on Tuesday