While children both understand the concept of, and have died by, suicide, little research has been conducted on children's experiences of healthcare systems during and after a suicidal crisis. This article focuses on three case studies of mothers with suicidal daughters and aims to describe the health service experiences of parents whose children have attempted suicide. The case studies were selected as exemplars of three different healthcare experiences of mothers with suicidal daughters younger than 16 years of age. Interviews were conducted with the mothers, focusing on their experiences when trying to find care for their daughters after a suicide attempt. A ‘dirty text’ analysis was undertaken on the transcripts, which aimed to find potential redemption within stories of trauma. Narratives were analysed to see how their stories were told, but also how experiences could be shared or be dissimilar. Significant gaps currently exist in the care and support provided to suicidal children, particularly in the critical post-discharge phase. Adults were not always able to recognise when a child was suicidal, or sometimes take that suicidality seriously. Support must often be proactively sought, and even organisations that are meant to target children and adolescents may not always provide appropriate care.

Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) experience a significant deterioration in quality of life (Fontenelle et al., 2010; Kugler et al., 2013) and marked functional impairment (Markarian et al., 2010). Despite this, a large proportion of these individuals do not seek any type of help (Goodwin, Koenen, Hellman, Guardino, & Struening, 2002; Mayerovitch et al., 2003). The current study investigated the barriers to seeking OCD treatment using an online survey that was completed by 86 participants living in Australia who identified as having OCD. Results showed that the three main barriers to seeking OCD treatment were: (a) preference for handling problems alone; (b) cost of treatment; and (c) lack of knowledge about available mental health treatment. Individuals who reported receiving an OCD diagnosis (n = 57) demonstrated more severe symptoms, poorer quality of life and higher symptom intrusiveness than those who had not received a diagnosis (n = 29). Furthermore, significant associations were found between religious affiliation and barriers to treatment where greater religious attendance was correlated with a higher likelihood of identifying cultural factors as a barrier to OCD treatment. Additionally, higher levels of religious attendance were associated with a greater understanding of where to go for OCD treatment, not wanting to handle problems alone, and recognising that symptoms are a problem. This article considers approaches to overcoming barriers to accessing effective evidence-based treatment for people with OCD symptoms, and highlights future directions for research.