My Friend's 10 year old son's Horrible experience At Children's Hospital

[Heather MC]

I got Permission to share their story but not use their names so to protect the innocent I will call them Mary and Sam.

Sam is 10 years Old he has had a rough year, His Father Died and Sam was diagnosed with Diabetes, he is also on the Autistic Spectrum. He has light sensitivity issues. And Anxiety challenges.

Sam is on some medications for his health issues, the worst of these is Zoloft. Apparently the Zoloft has been hurting his stomach so bad he has been talking about wanting to kill himself. His mother worried for her son took him to the Dr. The Dr sent them to the ER at Children's Hospital this was Friday Evening.

They were in the Er for 6 hours before they got admitted to the Psych Ward. His mother Described the room like it was a prison cell. one bed, plain walls no TV. She said it was one step away from a padded room. She was not allowed to stay with her son, and there were no comfortable places for Parents to stay for any length of time. Neither she nor her son had ever experienced a place like this. She decided to stay in the waiting room. She was told her son would have to stay there from friday to Monday because no Dr. would be available to see him until Monday.

There are other Children on the Ward, NO Parents are around. Her son told her the staff was really rude and uncaring, at one point Sam was upset and crying another child came over to try and comfort him a staff member yelled at the other child to "Mind his own business"

Saturday Morning Mary decided run home and get Sam Clean Clothes and take a Shower. When she got back she saw her son on the monitor walking back and forth and crying. When she got in the room she found out he had been like that for hours, they had locked him in the room and would not let him out. And Sam told his mother the staff looked through the small window saw him crying and just walked away.

Mary said she felt like her son was treated like a criminal and his crime was his Dr. gave him too strong a dose of Zoloft.

Sam told his mother "This place make me want to kill myself more than the pain in my stomach"

Mary decided to take her son home. Instead of keep him in that place any longer.

I can not believe this is how Children who suffer from mental health issues are treated at a Children's Hospital. There was no compassion for any of the Children, NO other Parents were there. And all the kids were locked away most of the Day.
We can do better than this surely

[watch the sky]

1. sounds more like a jail than a hospital

Sheesh. What an horrific experience, where IS this "hospital"? It should be avoided from this one account alone.

[Heather MC]

4. DC

[Warpy]

5. Psych units are like this

Reducing stimulation in the patient rooms is useful and I've never seen a TV in a patient room. The day room usually has one or more.

People are locked into their low-stimulation rooms when they've had meltdowns and have been acting out. It's not a punishment, it's a low input environment where they don't have sound. light, and people coming at them and they can get themselves under better control. The standard used to be checks every 10 minutes. Now there is constant video monitoring.

It's really too bad that some things weren't explained to this mother but I imagine staffing has been cut back to dangerous levels like it has everywhere else and no one had the time.

Likely a med change would have happened had she allowed him to stay there but Zoloft is one of those drugs that need to be tapered down instead of stopped suddenly. If she had stopped the drug at home, that could easily have caused the major meltdown.

I see major breakdowns in communication all over the place here and nobody is able to do the best for Sam because of it.

[nolabear]

6. This is an important post. The story has far too little information to be useful.

I know it sounds terrible, and am not claiming to know nothing bad happened. And a mother's fear is understandable. But I'd need a LOT more information on what was happening with the child, physically and emotionally, why the psychiatric hospital immediately, what the drug protocol was and what mom's understanding and participation was. Your explanation of the patient rooms is right on.

I feel very bad for them, though. Poor little guy is going through some terrible things, and needs an advocate and some real help for mom in helping him to heal.

[Niceguy1]

9. you are probably right

And this should be communicated to the parent it sounds like the parent is not well.informed. for starters, you aren't going to get a room unless a dr admits you. So most likely the exam lerformed by staff was reviewed by the doctor.

[Heather MC]

10. He was not behaving irractically he was in a lot of pain in his stomach

she is doing the Taper Down, she saw the Dr On Monday as planned. She just didn't let her son stay there through the weekend

and the calm room is one thing but the rude staff is not necessary these are children not harden criminals

[cynatnite]

2. Does she know that she can get with administrators about this?

They have patient advocates that family can use.

Hospitals usually have avenues for those with complaints and many are pretty good about addressing them.

If I were her, I would exercise these options. They have no reason to change if no one steps up and forces them to.

[xfundy]

3. Most antidepressants, etc warn that if given to children or teens

they can produce suicidal thoughts.

Your friend should take legal action against the facility.

[watch the sky]

7. I think she should look into it

what I really didn't like was that there was no doctor around to check the child until Monday and the way the staff handled the patients. I believe her son's account on this, that is not something a kid lies about.

[Heather MC]

11. I always cringe whenever a friend tells me there son or daughter is on a mood altering drug

I mean he lost his father of course he is going to be sad and depressed. But I am not there 24 hours so I don't know what happens behind closed doors

[MindPilot]

8. Exactly why I trust psychiatrists about as far as I can throw one.

Like cops, they are not your friends.

[sweetapogee]

12. I agree with others....

too much information missing to pass judgement. The hospital has video cameras so what they are doing is no real secret. If legal action is a possibility, why are you posting details on a public forum?