Hi. I am new to forum and unlike many parents who post here my child is no longer a child but a grown adult. Despite this my worries about her are greater than ever since she moved out. She is struggling with depression caused by the everyday struggle with type1 diabetes and now I feel totally helpless not being close by her. I try to support and encourage her but I feel being her mum is no longer enough. My heart aches every time I hear she is feeling so low and at times suicidal. I have informed the GP and referred her to therapy. Don't know where to turn next. Anyone out there also facing something similar or have any advice?
Hi there Caz. I'm sorry neither you nor your daughter sound to be in a good place.
When did your daughter move out, and does she live alone, or with a partner of housemates? Does your daughter communicate her mental state with you, or are you concluding from various comments or other clues she gives you?
One way or another, any big change, like moving out, can take time to settle, even without T1 in play. I can recall moving away from home, to work abroad and a few weeks into it all, sitting, in work, in a foreign country, knowing very few people, aside from colleagues who were very much older than I, thinking, "what on earth have I done?" Those feelings very much changed in the weeks and months that followed. I just needed time to adjust, and work out my new routines and begin to build a new network.
I'm not suggesting that's the case for your daughter. I couldn't possibly know, but I do think it's maybe something to consider., in the mix.
Successful parenting is about bringing up young people, who go on to being independent adults. It looks like you've done a good job there. There's no doubt that your daughter's T1 brings extra factors into the mix for you both, but working with her to build her independence is the way forward.
In addition to
@urbanracer 's link to potential groups in your areas, Diabete UK also has a helpline, where you can talk to someone:
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/how_we_help/helpline They may have other ideas for sources of support.