Teenager fighting for life after being told she was ‘too young to be depressed’
The family of a teenager who say she was “dismissed” by doctors have shared a poignant snap of the 19-year-old fighting for her life.
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Hooked up to a breathing machine, Cariad Jarrett is fighting for her life.
Two weeks ago she attempted suicide after doctors said she was “too young to be depressed”. The 19-year-old has been in an induced coma ever since.
The teenager, from Wales, had lost all hope of getting support, after being dismissed by medics.
Now, her heartbroken family is sharing her story to raise awareness of mental health issues — as they keep a vigil next to her bedside, desperately hoping she wakes up.
Cariad’s sister Shannon, 20, said: “This has torn our family apart, we are devastated and trying to take every day as it comes.”
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Her mental health began to suffer last November and she desperately tried to seek help from a string of doctors.
However, Shannon claims Cariad was repeatedly turned away by medics dozens of times.
Shannon said: “My sister was fun and bubbly, but in the last 12 months her mental health has rapidly declined.
“I have lost count of the amount of times she went to the doctors for help – she began to lose hope.
“The only option she was given was to attend a group session with a psychiatrist, but she wasn’t ready to discuss her mental health in front of strangers.”
Cariad gradually began to feel like she had “no way out”, and on October 31 things reached a devastating peak.
Her friend found her “blue” body and “couldn’t wake her up”. After eight days in a coma, Cariad took a “turn for the worst”, and she was rushed to the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, London.
She had to be put on life support, with an artificial lung helping to oxygenate her blood outside her body.
Fast-food worker Shannon said: “It is heartbreaking as she has always been a very bright and caring girl – I hate seeing her with wires and tubes everywhere.
“Her job was a carer and she made such a positive impact on other people’s lives, it is a shame to see hers being almost wasted.
“It infuriates me that the doctors didn’t take her seriously.”
The family is staying in the cheapest hotel nearby so they can visit Cariad every day.
They are fundraising to cover the costs of the hotel room, which is $1500 for seven days.
Shannon added: “We don’t know how long we will be in London; we don’t even know what condition Cariad will be in when she wakes up – she could be brain dead.
A spokeswoman for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: “We are sorry that Miss Jarrett’s family were not happy with the support that she received.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on individual cases, however we would ask the family to contact us directly so that we can help support them and discuss any concerns regarding our services.”
Originally published as Teenager fighting for life after being told she was ‘too young to be depressed’