My son, now 14, had four inpatient hospitalizations from 2002 to 2005, for anxiety disorder. The first few days of the first episode were just awful, he was tearful and begging us to take him back home (it was Christmas, too!), but after a few days the medication took the edge off, and he enjoyed the structure, the activities, being with the other kids. The staff was extremely compassionate and spoiled them with gifts Christmas morning ( I couldn't believe the list of stuff they all got!).
The trouble with hospitalizations, from my point of view, is that with insurance companies limiting the length of stay, it's very hard to get a kid stabilized on new medication and to really complete the diagnosis on only a 7 to 14 day stay. I think that is why we have have multiple hospitalizations, it often takes more than one to nail down what is the problem, and come up with a treatment plan that addresses it. The staff at the hospital "knew" we'd be back after the first one, and we were, 48 hours after discharge.
The other problem is that for children with ODD and anxiety, is that it's very difficult to duplicate at home the structure and consistency of a hospital setting, with all the staff and support they have. In our family's case, my husband and I were in the last throes of a disintegrating marriage, so it was really a mess.
But if your child is happy there, fantastic, it's much easier on your nervs than if he was sobbing and begging to come home.
Best of luck to you, and keep us posted.
