In-patient Facility for Troubled Teen (not drugs)
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Anonymous
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Our almost 13 year old son is dealing with some undiagnosed issues. He is prone to very angry and sometimes violent out bursts, defiant behavior and language among other things. We have had to call the police twice the last month. No substance abuse we are aware of and manages to do okay in school (7th grade) with mostly B's.
He is in therapy 1 hour per week and just started with a new therapist a few weeks ago so we don't have a diagnosis yet. I just don't think the 1 hour per week is working and would like to consider an in-patient facility to speed up the diagnosis. Anyone with any similar experiences that can recommend a facility. We are in Montgomery County. |
Anonymous
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OP - By therapist do you mean your son has had a complete mental health evaluation by a psychiatrist who has a specialty in adolescents/teens? And at the same time does therapy? Because if not, I would start with that route. Also, it sounds like you and DH (if married) might benefit from some professional assistance in coping mechanisms with your son - not sure if this would be a for parenting strategies or more therapeutic approach. There needs to be inquiry as to why he is holding his behavior together at school, but not within the family setting. Have you talked with school staff to see what DS is like at school and perhaps if there has been anything which has happened to him that he is not sharing at home, but taking out at home? Have you clearly shared in a session without DS what is going on at home with DS with his therapist? From your post it sounds as if DS will benefit from both medication and a therapist. And it is true that at times the medication has to be started first to enable one to become compliant and willing to do therapy. |
Anonymous
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I don't think that hospitalization is as complete a solution as people often think, and it costs a fortune, but consensus among the parents of mentally ill kids I know is that Dominion is the place to go in this area.
I have a mentally ill kid, who has not needed hospitalization, but it's always a possibility in the future so I attend a couple support groups and keep my ears open on this topic. Alternately, DBT therapy, e.g. at Rathbone and Associates, might be a good way to intensify treatment without a hospital. Therapeutic boarding school might be another solution, although they'll probably require a diagnosis. |
Anonymous
| Call the therapist and explain that you feel he needs more intensive treatment and see where that conversation goes. To get admitted, you will likely need something from the current therapist anyway so it's better if he/she knows what you are thinking and what you are hoping for in terms of treatment. |
Anonymous
| Or just try daily therapy - that might be better than in patient |
Anonymous
| Take him to the psychiatrist first, op. |
Anonymous
| RICA |
Anonymous
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This is a difficult decision, and you need to know that there are others (like me) who have been there, and are sending you support.
There are intensive outpatient programs at Dominion, Adventist, and Inova Kellar. You probably will need to have some psychological assessments done, as part of any admissions process to an RTC (residential treatment center) or a IOP. You might also contact an educational consultant to discuss therapeutic schools--boarding and day. Tom Harvey at the School Counseling Group specializes in therapeutic boarding school placements. He helped us immensely. |
Anonymous
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I was not impressed with Dominion when my DD spent a week in the outpatient program there last year. We spent hours going through intake and showed up to start the program after a long weekend--and they had no record of her paperwork or any idea that she was supposed to be there. (So we did the intake again that day and started the next day.) Her first program day, she was placed in a substance abuse group when that wasn't her issue. Kids were sneaking alcohol onto the unit and "pairing off" in couples when that is expressly not allowed. The nurse who discharged her was outrageously unprofessional, criticizing doctors and spouting strange and offensive theories about why people suffer from mental illness. If you are looking for a day program, I recommend trying one of the others mentioned above.
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Anonymous
| Careful calling the police. Do so as a last resort. If you do call, ask for a crisis intervention team. It is not unheard of for police to use force when dealing with an out of control situation. Lives have been lost. I would start with a psychiatrist before going the hospital route. Aggression can be a sign of depression. I recommend lowering school demands and making sure your son gets a lot of exercise. |
Anonymous
| How big is your 12 year old and what exact behavior did he do that you had to call the police? My stepsister ended up working with a behaviorist for her out of control 12 year old after getting no where with his therapist. But he was still small for his age so he was easier to control. |
Anonymous
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Is your son's therapist a psychiatrist? If not, leave and find one ASAP.
People use the terms therapist and psychiatrist interchangeably but they are very, very different professions. |
Anonymous
You really need both and it's ideal that the work together. (Not necessarily physically, but they should be sharing information.) |
Anonymous
| Has he been evaluated by an adolescent psychiatrist? |
Anonymous
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OP here, thanks for all the feedback. To answer some of the questions:
He has been seeing a psychologist when he agrees to go. Often he refuses to go at all. He is a large kid 5'-10" and 135 lbs. When he gets angry he will break things or take things and throw outside. We have had police to the house twice: one time we called because he was out of control and smashed an iphone, the second time he called 911 and hung up, they called back and had to send out someone. Both time they talked to him but did not appear to scare him in the least. Can anyone recommend an adolescent psychiatrist. |