What if your teen DC is in crisis but refuses help?

[Anonymous]

What are the options? Is residential the only option? Do we need to use a service that physically comes to take a child away?

[Anonymous]

If they are a danger to themselves or others they should be in the hospital-Google for your county how that works if someone won’t go willingly to the hospital (or ask your child’s psychiatrist.) do NOT hire someone to abduct them.

[Anonymous]

Most states have mental health treatment consent ages that are much lower than 18, so your child would already have to consent to care if they are a teenager. Utah is one exception which is why there are so many treatment programs there. Some are good, others are not. How old is your child and how resistant are they?

A local hospital/ER will not help unless they are actively suicidal and even then, will essentially stabilize and discharge. There is very little mental health care to be found that way.

There is a good Facebook group with people who are more experienced than you will find on DCUM. WTRS - Wilderness Therapy and Residential Treatment Search Support.

[Anonymous]

So what options are there for families?

[Anonymous]

I have found zero options

[Anonymous]

If they are 18 you are able to have them involuntary inpatient in some states. Please Google for your location. If they are in danger of self harm or harm to others call 911. If they are suicidal they will not just threat and discharge. They should do a pysch evaluation and may decide that inpatient is required meaning the child will be transported from ER to inpatient clinic.

[Anonymous]

PP it has never happened that smoothly for me .
People need to be aware of how difficult it is to get any real meaningful and therapeutic help.

False hope is not helpful

[Anonymous]

If they are in crisis, residential is probably not what you are looking for. Residential occurs after stability and is not medically oriented the way crisis services are.

For crisis, you are probably in need of emergency room services. If your child is a danger to self or others, they can be admitted but sometimes it takes time to find a bed. We’re in MD and have never had an issue with getting my kid admitted while a minor even when kid refused.

If you can’t get your kid to the hospital, you can call Crisis, the police or 911. Police will transport your kid in handcuffs so that may not be ideal.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford to hire an educational consultant, they could look at your kid's case and make recommendations as to the best places for you kid to be treated. This would be mostly private pay.

This is truly a nightmare situation, and I wish you the best of luck finding your child some help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have found zero options

Same. We found a lot of “therapists” willing to take our money when we were desperate to loop us back to the same place. They would tell us in VA to call the mobile crisis unit, police, get a mental health eval and our kid would end up back home a few hours later more angry. The age of consent is very low in VA.

What exactly is going on with your family, OP? Maybe we can give more specific ways to help for some of us who have been through this.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking at residential, I would suggest the FB group for wilderness and residential. You will get first-hand experience and no judgment.

Mental health care in the DC area stinks, and you may need to travel, depending on the circumstances of your child's case.

I actually think even the educational consultants in the DC area are horrible. We hired "the best," and he was so lazy. He just kept telling us my DC needed wilderness, which was counter to the advice of every, single professional who had touched our case. But the EC was stuck on his recommendation and really wouldn't help if we weren't going to listen to him. He ultimately gave us another list, but there was no rhyme or reason to it. I showed it to a social worker who said you would never send the same kid to those programs.

That FB group is a lot to take in, but offers a lot of ideas.

[Anonymous]

OP, what did you end up doing? We have made many trips to the ER so my heart always goes out to the frazzled parent in this situation. Is DC a minor teen or 18, 19?

Thinking about you.

[Anonymous]

Sending support. Dealt with this for an adult family member and it is just as trying as everyone is warning. Seek the help you can but know it’s an arduous path.

[Anonymous]

I’m one of the previous posters just coming back to say I’m thinking about you, OP. I hope today is a little easier than what you were going through.

[Anonymous]

+1 it’s so rough. Thinking of you and your family OP.