Psychiatric treatment in a residential facility or hospital is one option
for treating a child or adolescent with a mental illness. At some point in
your child’s treatment, this level of care may be recommended by your
current-treating mental health professionals. This type of recommendation
may leave you frightened and concerned. Asking the following questions will
help you gain a better understanding of the proposed inpatient treatment:
- Why is inpatient psychiatric treatment being recommended for our child,
and how will it help our child?
- What are the other alternatives to
residential or hospital treatment, and how do they compare?
- Is a child and adolescent psychiatrist admitting our child to the facility?
- What does the treatment program for inpatient treatment include,
and how will our child be able to keep up with school work?
- What are
the responsibilities of the child and adolescent psychiatrist and other
people on the treatment team?
- How long will our child be in inpatient
treatment, and how are these services paid for?
- If we are responsible
for funding all or a portion of our child’s
stay, what will happen if we can no longer afford to keep our child in treatment,
and inpatient treatment is still necessary?
- How will we as parents be
involved in our child’s treatment, including
the decision for discharge and after-care treatment?
- Is this facility
approved by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations (JCAHO) as a treatment facility for youngsters of our child’s
age, or will our child be on a specialized unit or in a program accredited
for treatment of children and adolescents?
- How will the decision be
made to discharge our child?
- Once our child is discharged, what
are the plans for continuing or follow-up treatment?
Parents should raise these questions prior to their child’s admission
to the facility. It is also beneficial to request and arrange a tour of the
facility. Parents who are informed about the facility’s procedures
and treatment plan can more effectively contribute to their child’s
treatment and advocate for his/her needs.
If you or someone you know would like more information on
mental illness or wish to request an educational presentation, please contact:
NAMI IOWA (Alliance for the Mentally Ill
of Iowa)
5911 Meredith Drive Suite E
Des Moines IA 50322-1903
Phone: (515) 254-0417 or (800) 417-0417 IOWA ONLY
Fax: (515) 254-1103
Email: info@namiiowa.com
