# Urgent mental health help needed



## mma800 (May 7, 2012)

Can anyone out there help me find an appropriate in patient mental health facility for a 13 yo boy with anxiety/ depression/aggression. Preferably but not limited to the Baltimore/DC area. Even Alaska would work if it was the right spot.

My good friend is struggling to find her son a placement. They had to call 911 last night when he tried to choke his mother as she took away his ipad. Insurance and cost is not a problem. We can make calls to get him in ASAP. He has been inpatient before
Sorry to ask here, but folks here are helpful and it's best to throw out a wide net. Anyone?


----------



## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

All I can offer are prayers, please tell friend that we are praying.

I know two folks on this forum who might can help. If they don't pipe up today, then I will PM you their user names and you can send them a PM.


----------



## mma800 (May 7, 2012)

Thanks DJ! My friend is desperate and I feel so helpless. Much appreciated.


----------



## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Hmm lemme look up the palce my former step son was sent when he had issues. it seeme d to work for him at least at the time. Do they mind a christian based facility?


----------



## mma800 (May 7, 2012)

No, jsriley. Christian based is fine but not essential. Thanks for helping! Any info or links are much appreciated


----------



## farright (Mar 25, 2010)

if i remember right there is one in Grand Forks nd we looked into for my oldest boy not sure of name but heard it is good we went a different route that seems to be working so far.


----------



## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Ridgeview in atlanta. A friend used to work there. Its a good place to get help. The folks there care and run a good ship especially for adolescents.


----------



## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

I've had experience with my son institutionalized, but unfortunately the only recommendation I can give you is where *not *to go (Cincinnati Children's).

But from that personal experience, I can say that if I had known of a Christian (or Jewish, or any religion-based) option, I think that would have been a lot better, and not because of the religion. Our experience was that the psychiatric industry is a very statist industry. The state knows best and has authority over the child, and the parents know nothing (or worse). We went to an emergency room for help, and instead of working with my son and addressing his problems, they started interrogating me. I was immediately put into the 'overly restrictive parent' category the minute they found out my son had turned 16 two weeks prior, and didn't have his driver's license yet. The questions went downhill from there (that doesn't begin to cover their reaction to the fact that we attended church once a week).

I don't have any other experience, other than this one location, so I can't say with any authority that a religious-based institution would be better. However, I do know that in school settings there is a different mentality between faith based and non-faith based. In the non-faith based schools the state is considered the most capable authority - and they believe they _do _have the authority over the family. In a faith based environment, it seems that there is more respect for family and there's less of a statist authoritarian overlord mentality.

I wish I could give better advice on how to find the right place - you have no idea how much I wish that. It breaks my heart to learn of another family going through anything like what we went through. I will say, though, that my son is now doing great. He's on scholarship in college, he's doing well in his studies, he's very self-sufficient. He not only has his driver's license, he worked long hours and just bought himself a used car. Cincinnati Children's exacerbated the problems, and made our life a living hell for a while, but going there was the beginning of my son's turning point. I credit the counselors he had post institutionalization for where he is now. They were not only more family oriented, but they also actually addressed my son's issues (the entire time my son was institutionalized at Children's they _never _addressed the issues that had brought us in to the emergency room in the first place - they were far more interested in driving a wedge between parents and child).

I'm wrestling with even posting this, because I don't want to scare your friend, or discourage her in any way. She's got one h**l of a load right now and needs all the strength she can get. But perhaps posting this does help, because if I'd have heard of someone else's horrible experience, I would have gone into that emergency room with my eye wide open and better prepared...

One thing I wish I had done - find a different place. And maybe that is the best advice I can give. If it's not the right place, don't be afraid to move him. I wish I had.

I will be praying for your friend, her son, and the whole family.


----------



## mma800 (May 7, 2012)

Farright and crackbottom-
I looked up Grand forks and Ridgeview and forwarded the websites to my friend. That was just the type of help I was looking for. Anyone who has a good adolescent psych nearby, please post the name!

Goshengirl-
I am so sorry for that terrible experience. I think knowing that your son is thriving now will be encouraging. What an ordeal for you!
This is a good kid, and he goes to a Catholic boys school. They are good parents but I think he is on meds that are really messing him up!. I am not against meds, but his are not the right combo for him
Thanks for the input!
Keep it coming. I am looking up every place I can find and forwarding the info.
Thanks!


----------



## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

Have you tried Kennedy Kreiger in Baltimore?


----------



## mma800 (May 7, 2012)

Thanks mdprepper! I will forward the website to her. You all have been such great help!


----------



## farright (Mar 25, 2010)

a friend of mine went to brattalboro retreat in bratleboro vt when i was i my teens long time ago dont know if it is still there back then it was really top notch but that was 25 or so years ago.


----------



## mma800 (May 7, 2012)

Thanks Farright! I found it and sent her the link. I really appreciate all the info from everyone


----------



## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

Woodburn in Fairfax, VA should be able to help you. If they can't take him, they can refer you to someone else.

I've heard great things about the Shore Haven facility. It is in southern MD, near Leonardtown, I think.


----------



## AuroraHawk (Sep 12, 2012)

My sister, who lived in Alaska while her children were school age, had a son who has ODD and has Aspberger's. Her son was sent to: Cinnamon Hills Youth Crisis Center.

He was there for almost 2 years and was a changed young man when he returned home.


----------



## mma800 (May 7, 2012)

Thanks! I sent her the links for cinnamon hills, shore haven and woodburn. All resources are really appreciated! Thanks so much to all. I knew when I first posted that the kind folks here could help me to help my friend. You are all great people. My most humble gratitude for taking a minute to help a family in crisis.
Btw- my friend is a prepper who works for TPTB inside the beltway and she has super-spy level clearance. Her kids are boyscouts and they go to church every Sunday. Her mom has Alzheimer's, and her sister was killed by a drunk driver. She is a great person and great mom, doesn't deserve this struggle. Thanks for helping her everyone!


----------



## charles1198 (Mar 10, 2012)

You are not going to find any better than this:

http://familytherapyinstitute.net/

It's outpatient, but extraordinarily effective. Keeps kids out of the hands of psychiatrists, too. We utilize this sort of treatment where I work, and it just WORKS.

Call them and ask for a referral to a practitioner nearby.


----------



## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

This is going to sound rediculous but I will share it anyway there was a guy in my husbands village he was crazy all his life. There was a wedding and they decided to lock him in a store room for the wedding they forgot him in there for one week. When they remembered him they thought they would find him dead. With no food or water. But they found him perfectly sane perfect! He was in a room they kept onions and stuff but it only had onions. He ate them all. I don't know how much but all he had was onions and he was cured he eventually married and had a family. Now my husband did work for a psychiatrist and he asked her about it and she said some of the drugs they have also have onion extracts in them. And that onions have an antibiotic element the is only. It is in garlic too. It has to be raw she said. Anyway we will pray for your friend. The story is an extreme and the onions were spicy so I don't know if you can get a child to eat it but there might be good garlic pills or onion pills that could be mega dosed. It couldn't hurt But there is always hope. I hope I haven't offended anyone with this I know when someone is hurting that when one gives an opinion it can seem trivial but I wanted to share this just in case.

The dr said all antibiotics have the onion or garlic in it.


----------



## charles1198 (Mar 10, 2012)

I do agree that onions and garlic have strong healing properties to them, but I wonder how much is this man's miraculous transformation came from being forgotten in the store room for a week rather than from the food he ingested while in there.


----------



## faithmarie (Oct 18, 2008)

I don't really know except for that doctor affirming that it is in psychiatric drugs. And the guy only ate that for a weed. Drastic It had to have flooded his body. I would imagine. Like I said. There is always hope. If all else fails there is always something to try even if it seems to be a last resort. And my husband said the guy was crazy all his life Who knows but I had to post it. Even garli cures mersa as much as it can be cured. It holds it at bay. And also lymes.


----------



## farright (Mar 25, 2010)

if you dont mind telling how did your friend make out ok.


----------



## mma800 (May 7, 2012)

Thanks for asking!
He was placed in an inpatient facility in South Caroline and is doing well. I actually got a photo of him with a therapy dog last night. My friend is very sad to have him so far away but tells me he is getting the right help for him. Thanks to everyone for the advice!
I am deliberately not naming the facility for privacy:flower:


----------



## farright (Mar 25, 2010)

good to hear hoping for the best


----------



## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

we a child is in therapy the who family will need some help too especially any other kids. when my handicapped son had his problems, my daughter started acting up because she felt that all our time was spent on him and that we forgot about her. while it was far from the truth it was what she saw and felt. w also needed to find out what not to do and what to do to keep my son going in the right direction. make sure your friend find help for her whole family while her son is getting his help.


----------

