A family have started a children's charity after their 12-year-old son struggled for years to get help with his mental health and suicidal attempts.<br /><br />Kirsty Solman, 41, and husband Scott, 46, have been trying for over two years to get help for their son Kyle, 12, who struggles with depression and anxiety issues.<br /><br />After Kyle’s mental health worsened during the COVID lockdowns, the family began seeking help for him – but say they weren’t taken seriously, even after multiple attempts from Kyle to end his own life.<br /><br />“Kyle has always been quite an anxious child,” Kirsty said.<br /><br />“A lot of that was down to his autism, but then lockdown hit, and we started noticing a change in his behaviours. He started becoming very, very withdrawn.<br /><br />“Before COVID, he was very active – he was part of a mountain biking club, he did swimming. He was always on the go, and he loved being out and about.<br /><br />“During the first lockdown, he had talking therapy over Zoom. They said that he seemed absolutely fine – but they couldn’t see that he was constantly fidgeting and picking his fingers completely raw.<br /><br />“He finished the talking therapy, and they told us they couldn’t do anything else.<br />“In November 2021, it all got too much for him and that was the first time he tried to end his life.<br /><br />“It wasn’t until Kyle’s third attempt before his doctors spoke to their psychiatrists to see if anyone could take him on. He’d done all the therapy they’d advised, and nothing was helping.<br /><br />“Since then, he’s been in psychiatry. In the meantime, they’ve started him on sertraline for his anxiety.<br /><br />“We’ve fought for him constantly.”<br /><br />Since starting medication, Kyle’s mood has gradually begun to improve – and he has even been able to return to school for the first time in months.<br /><br />Kyle and his parents have been documenting his experiences with sertraline on their social media to attempt to reduce the stigma around children who receive mental health medication.<br /><br />“The medication along with the continued therapies have definitely made a massive difference,” Kirsty said.<br /><br />“He missed half of his final year in primary school due to how poorly his mental health got.<br /><br />“Now he’s in secondary school and he’s enjoying being at school. Seeing him actually want to go to school is amazing.<br /><br />“He’s still not at the point where he’s ready to go out and about and join clubs outwith school, but the fact that he’s able to go to school is a really big step.<br /><br />“Since we’ve been raising awareness and Kyle’s been documenting his journey on sertraline, a lot of families have come forward and said thank you – they felt alone and judged when their child was put on medication.<br /><br />“We want to try and help end that stigma, because that shouldn’t be the case – if a child needs mental health medication, that shouldn’t have to be kept a secret. It shouldn’t be something that we can’t talk about.”
