Category Archives: Mental Health

Articles relating to mental health are in this category. Typically they will fall into one of two categories. Yours, or your child’s. Yes, your mental health is important.

PRTF Update and sadness

First, let me start by defining PRTF for our readers.

Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility.  (PRTF)

David is a resident at a PRTF about an hour north of our house.  Today, we received notice that his stay there is coming to an end.

The reasons that we were given:

  • Hyperactivity is getting worse.
  • Aggressive behaviors are increasing.

Concerns:

  • Behaviors are decreasing beyond what we can manage here.
  • the psychologist says testing shows mental health needs are increasing.   Reality levels are decreasing.
  • Needs a residence with decreased stimulation.
  • David is not benefiting from being at the facility.

At this point, there are no facilities that we know of that can take our 12 year old boy.

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Old Faithful Geyser erupts approximately every...

Old Faithful Geyser erupts approximately every 91 minutes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To say that we are heartbroken is an understatement.  We are also very frustrated.  They are licensed by the state to care for kids like David.  Yet we are at this point.

The nearest facility that might be able to accept David is about 500 miles from home.  Not sure it helps a child with Reactive Attachment Disorder to be even further from his family.   I explained to the staff that if they couldn’t handle David with a full complement of staff, there is no way we could bring him home and expect to handle him.

 

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PRTF placement update.

David was away from his residential Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility.  He was undergoing a med wash at another facility in our state.  Since David is a special needs child, and was a special needs adoption to begin with, he is covered by Medicaid until he turns 18.  In order to be placed in a facility, something called a certificate of need (CON) is generated periodically.  Typically, 90 days.  David’s latest CON is for 30 days.
Why?
Because while David was away from the facility we didn’t undergo family therapy.
David has a number of diagnoses, including Reactive Attachment Disorder.
Because of David’s birth history and prenatal care, he has a tolerance for medications.  He builds up a tolerance very quickly.  Any med will only be good for about six months.   We learned this through experience, and explained this to the staff at the facility where he resides.
As I stated, David’s most recent CON is approved for 30 days. Because we haven’t done family therapy. yeah… the CON people want to know if we have a plan in place to move him to another facility. Don’t they still need to generate a CON for that?  Yes.
The CON allows for placement and bills to be paid.
The nearest facility is over 400 miles from our home.  How does moving a child with numerous psychiatric issues, nearly 500 miles help him?
Especially when the bill is paid by the state either way?
Are we upset?  Yes, I would say so.

The Colfax at Auraria light rail station in De...

The Colfax at Auraria light rail station in Denver, Colorado (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We are working on finding the funding necessary to travel to two separate facilities to tour those facilities in the event that we have to place David in one of them.  The first is in South Central Montana.  The second is in Denver, Colorado.

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Missing David. and frustrated

RethinkMentalIllnesslogo250_250People frustrate me.  Not all people.  Just some.

Before David’s 12th birthday, we moved him, temporarily, to a different facility so that he could undergo a med wash.

All the reports I have received have been about how good a child he is, and how he listens.

That is great.  I am happy that they see how good he can be.  He is manipulating them.  I keep telling them, he is in the honeymoon phase.  When he gets everyone figured out, he will revert to the David we all know and love.

Don’t get me wrong, I love our son.  I miss him constantly.  I don’t miss the behaviors.  I don’t miss the fights, I don’t miss staying up for two days praying for him to fall asleep.  I don’t miss him abusing our animals.  I don’t miss having our other children lock themselves away in their bedrooms because they are afraid to come out.

Wake up people!… Be the professionals that you claim to be.

I can tell you until I am blue in the face that he is in the honeymoon phase.  Believe me.

On Monday, we have a staffing at the facility where David normally lives.  We are praying that they will accept him back when we get done with the med wash.