Interesting session with difficult child and psychiatric hospital sw

[butterflydreams]

So I had a session with the psychiatric hospital social worker and difficult child this morning, this was really more an assessment - the required within 72 hours of admittance one. Anyway, when she brought in difficult child he was kind of quiet and then she started asking him questions. She had already asked me all of these questions but she wanted his take on things. She asked him why he was there. He said I don't know, my mania was breaking through my medications. She wanted him to clarify his answer. He started getting agitated. He said I don't know the only thing I can see is the doctor has added Lithium and I should be able to go home. She said that she wanted to know what brought him there. He again answered that his mania was breaking through. She asked him what he meant by that. He continued to get agitated. He said I was hyper and making noises and I was unstable. She said that is better but what do you mean about being unstable, tell her what showed he was unstable. He really started crying and was getting more agitated. She asked why he was upset. He told her that he didn't really know her and she was getting into his business and he didn't like that. (This is the same social worker he had the first time he was inpatient). So she got him to calm down and she tried again, he repeated what he said about her in his business and then said he couldn't remember what he had done. After repeated attempts, she had me tell him what I had observed. He of course didn't like this and continued to get upset. She asked him to repeat what I had said, he said I don't remember. So she had me repeat again, this time him repeating everything after I said it. He is still saying he made up the hallucinations - not only this time but the last time. I am not buying and I told him so. There is too many signs otherwise. He just wants out of there. Anyway, after a little bit, he started being cooperative and answered questions without getting too upset. What should have been 1 hour turned into 2 hours.

I am more than curious now to be able to talk to the psychiatrist. I am hoping when I take my daughter to her appointment with him on Monday that I will get a few minutes afterwards to talk to him before the treatment team meeting Tuesday.

Well, now I have to get busy here at work.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Well, perhaps it took double the time, but I like the soc worker's approach. When he became too aggitated to make forward progress, she allowed him time to calm before really get into the serious, tough stuff. Repeating you sentence for sentence insures he is "hearing" it.

Keep us posted about the treatment team.

Sharon

 

[klmno]

I think that's a tough one- my gut resposne is that he needs someone to work with him to help him feel comfortable to tell and talk about hallucinations, instead of afraid.

 

[TerryJ2]

It is very hard to open up to a stranger. And at a psychiatric hospital, they're all very nice, but you're surrounded by nurses, SWs, doctors, therapists, teachers and everyone really is prying into your business. I feel his pain. And shame. No one wants to admit to hallucinations. You all did very well.
I hope he can get past this and realize that the more honest and graphic he is, the easier it will be to help him. It is so hard. Poor kid.
Poor Mom. You are doing admirably.
Many hugs.

 

[butterflydreams]

Thanks all. I know it must be very hard for him. I was proud of him today, he really worked through it. He has a lot of hard work ahead of him. I know he has been overwhelmed with talking with so many different people and then in process group too. How many times you have to repeat yourself over and over again. Today was the hard meeting with the sw because now the sessions will be about ways to cope and what needs to change and how to make those changes.