Admitting a Child to Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment: A Parent's Perspective
Four years ago, I admitted my then-six-year-old son to an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Much has changed in four years, but reading my thoughts from the time brings it all back. It's an experience I wouldn't wish on any parent; one I hope I never have to live again.
From my personal blog, January 2008:
I have a call in to a local children's psychiatric hospital about admitting Bob on the acute-care unit in the very near future.
Things have been getting worse over the past couple of weeks. The last time I picked him up from (his father's), he was a snarling, angry, hateful little boy who kept talking about his dad going to jail and it being my fault, and he was going to hit me in the stomach for it. He started repeating the same annoying sound over and over again and when I asked him to stop, he gave me a mean laugh and said "daddy told me to do that." And so on and so forth.
The weekend was rough. He spent a good part of it in time out for one transgression or another. He frequently growled and yelled "I hate the world!" and "I hate all humans!" and "all mommies should shut up and go away!"
Yesterday, the principal called at noon. Bob was being suspended for the day. When I got there, he was pacing the office like a caged animal. He refused to come with me. It took both of us to remove him from school and get him into my car. I then had to physically hold him in his seat for 45 minutes to keep him from getting out and running off. He kicked me, tried to bite me, and slapped me (hard) across the face. I took him to my office where he snarled at me until (husband) came to take him home.
Today, he said he was ready to go back to school. We met with the principal and he apologized and said he was ready to do better. I emailed his teacher around 1:00 and found out today hasn't been much better, and the other kids in his class are becoming afraid of him. I suggested he not go to art class (he doesn't like the teacher) and got a reply back that he'd slapped another kid and was back in the office, and wouldn't likely be going to art.
I don't know what to do. Therapy hasn't helped. The courts haven't helped. Psychiatry hasn't helped, because you can't spend 10 minutes a month asking a 6-year-old how he feels and expect to get the whole picture. There's only so much I can do, because in Bob's mind, I'm the problem. And he cannot go on this way.
Which is why I made the call.
The thought of taking my baby somewhere and leaving him, even if only for an overnight or a few days . . . Jesus. It's killing me.
APA Reference
McClanahan, A.
(2012, January 17). Admitting a Child to Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment: A Parent's Perspective, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, May 13 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/parentingchildwithmentalillness/2012/01/admitting-a-child-to-inpatient-psychiatric-treatment-a-parents-perspective
Author: Angela McClanahan
I have a brother (12) who is out of control. Been going on for years but lately it’s REALLY bad. Breaking every door in the house, hitting siblings breaking mirror to my moms car, hitting my mom, etc. Once he gets anger he cares about NOTHING and NO ONE. I watch my mom cry for hours and hours she’s losing herself and the main problem is my brother. Shes DRAINED i don’t want him to take my mom away from the rest of us (5 kids) stress kills. My mom has tried some local places but no luck with them. i desperately need some help.
Hi my son is the same way he is 13 years old have the characters as your brother and I am try other places and ?nothing works with him either his mood his up and down you never know what mood he is In what do you do for a child that way
Your not the problem his pain is he just needs something to blame it on he thinks you think he’s ill but he’s just in pain and doesn’t want help because he thinks there gonna judge him the best you can do is ask him what he wants not what you want.
Well what happened when you sent bob in the hospital. we have been going through hell.
Sounds like all your kids who are threatening you and assaulting you are possessed by the enemy and need a good cleansing by a priest or shaman, not a psychiatric ward!
My son is 6 and we ate trying everything for his behaviors, psych doc, has his own therapist, a worker that works w the whole family. Hes constantly angry, frustrated, wont stop until he gets what he wants. We try everything from saying things like "too bad, I'm sorry, maybe next time..." simple messages and then theres the phrase out part. Its def hard on me cause I have 3 incurable illnesses and one I know I'm gonna die from, just no one knows when. Please help.
I have an 8 year old brother who is really out of control and I’m just scared to stay in the house with him. He constantly gets mad about everything and when he gets mad it’s not a pretty site. When he gets mad he decides he wanna try to jump out the window to “ kill himself “ or he decides he wants to unlock the door and go run out in the street while cars are driving. It’s really scary knowing that he try’s to take his own life because he’s mad over something so small. When we go out in public he throws a bad temper tantrum! And then while we’re driving he would try to choke or hit my father which causes him to loose concentration on driving. It’s getting to the point where we can’t even take him out in public! Yes he takes medicine but honestly the medicine does nothing! He acts the same way with or without his medicine. When he goes to school he hits the teachers and kids which causes his classmates to be scared of him. He broke TWO of his teachers phones. He ran out the school building and almost got hit by a car. Luckily a someone found him and brought him back safe to the school. He’s been to 4 different schools because of his behavior. Also when he gets upset he likes to take his anger out on me and my other two little sisters. He hit us with big items, scratches us, kicks us and constantly hits us with his hard toys. He makes threats that he will kill us and I’m starting to believe him. I’m tired of dealing with this! And this not even half of things he does it’s so much more but this isn’t normal. What should I do?? PLEASE HELP?!
My heart is breaking for you sweetheart. You need to start praying honey. Your brother is under the influence of demons. The Holy Bible speaks of many men that were diagnosed as mentally ill, yet were cured when the demons were excised either by Christ alone, or through His Holy Spirit and in His name. Don't give up. Love wins. Love him sweety and pray in the name of Christ that his evil spirits be removed. Hold onto faith and get closer to Jesus. He will walk you through it all.
You are the reason that people will never get the help and attention they need. Jesus WILL NOT save you... you need to do it yourself.
CALL CPS YOURSELF AND TELL THEM YOU ARE NOT SAFE.
CALL THE POLICE EVERY SINGLE TIME.
You need to call CPS (Child Protective Services) and tell them very honestly that you are NOT safe... because you're not.
Call the police Every-Single-Time and tell them you are not safe.
Sometimes, you have to save yourself, regardless of what other people say.
Well here is our story, My son Hunter is adopted, both parents did methamphetamines, Mom did them up to the day he was born just so she could have him on the same day as his older sister that she didn't have custody of. I was present the day he was born, ecstatic, to be a grandmother again and then the phone call came from CPS that she had tested positive and would me and my husband take him. With no warning at all we had to go to the hospital and start staying with a newborn because she was discharged 3 days later from the hospital and was to stay away from him so she wouldn't bond with him. Myself and my husband took turns staying with him at the hospital because he would only sleep for an hour at a time and you would spend most of the time trying to get him to take 1 oz of formula. At age 3 the tantrums started to become uncontrollable and we ask the doctor to test him for ADHD since his daddy (my son) had it to no avail. We were told that a child that young could not show signs of ADHD. So we changed Pediatricians to one that would listen to us. We had him evaluated and sure enough by age 4 he was diagnosed. but the pediatrician would not prescribe any medication for it. We had to wait till he was 5 years old and take him to a psychiatrist. Once we saw the psychiatrist she also diagnosed him with ODD and DMDD and by the time he is 7 now I seem to be the target of his anger. Any time anyone makes him mad or upset he takes it out on me. His other biological grandmother who we call the (Disney Grandma) because she buys him everything and he doesn't act bad around, tells me that "I am the adult and I should not be letting him hit me or abuse me". She just doesn't get it because she doesn't live it everyday of her life. I just wish i could give her a clue. We got a second opinion and he suggested having him committed in a behavioral hospital for a while so they can detox him of his medication, watch his behaviors, watch his eating habits, anger triggers and adjust his medication but we are afraid of the horror stories we have heard where they have kept people's children once they have gone in and not let them go because they had insurance. Told the parents they have no Rights. Take in mind we live in Texas. Any advice would be helpful;