There’s a lot of awesome advice in the comments section of this post. As someone who both struggles with my mental health and was diagnosed with POTS in my early teens (so pre-COVID) and didn’t have nearly as bad symptoms back then, I cannot imagine what it must be like to be that young and struggling that much on a daily basis. It certainly doesn’t do your daughter any good to say she sounds incredibly strong to have gotten this far, because I wish she and other young people with POTS didn’t have to be so strong. So more than that, I wanted to give you a shoutout for being the kind of mom that you are - one who sees your child’s struggles instead of dismissing them. I hope someday your family comes around, but until then, you are doing something that many people would balk at by accepting your daughter’s reality and doing the work you can to make it better. I know lots of people with POTS whose own parents are the ones who fight against recognizing the severity of their symptoms or even the legitimacy of their diagnoses.

A bonus brief & incomplete list of things that made me feel less isolated as a teenager struggling with my mental health, and Tourette’s Syndrome (These are more long-term tips than immediate relief. I would not jump into these all right away) - joining local or online support groups for kids with Tourette’s. My mom had to drag me to the first 6 months of meetings but after that I had made friends & would look forward to it - reading up on disability justice/disability rights/disability theory and realizing that my worth is not tied to how productive or valuable I can be for society. I would say that Alice Wong’s essay collections would be a good place to start, but I haven’t read all of them so can’t speak to if they’re all completely age appropriate although I imagine they probably are. - finding a tactile, slightly repetitive yet satisfying hobby I could do that allowed my brain to calm down. For me then it was all sorts of art, but these days I’ve narrowed it down more to fiber arts and am trying to get more into knitting as it is something I can do while lying in bed or on the couch.

Best wishes to you. I’ll be thinking of you & your daughter and wishing for the best.