你好杰西卡,
我很遗憾听到你的痛苦和困惑，但我很高兴你为你儿子找到了帮助。我女儿患有急性躁郁症。她的情绪波动从偷钱、偷车、做各种破坏的狂躁症到抑郁/自杀发作，最终导致她住进医院。像你一样，我的主要目标是让我的孩子安全回家，和我在一起，远离那些“可怕的”医院。然而，每次我们一转身，她就又陷入了危机。有一天，我威胁她说，如果她不振作起来，下一步就是让她住一年的公寓。她转过身来看着我说:“可是，妈妈，你还不明白吗?那正是我的归宿。你知道我脑子里有多可怕吗?”我们把她放进去了，这是我做过的最好/最坏的决定。 It broke my heart and shook my foundation about what kind of mother I was that I couldn't raise my own kid. But, it changed my daughter's life. She later said that she knows she would be dead without residential. Kids know. They often understand first how very ill they are. Your son may like the fact that he feels safe, can talk about his problems with professionals, and is surrounded by other people who are in the same boat. All the things my daughter gave up to be institutionalized are small potatoes compared to the tools she acquired to live a productive life, the insight we got into the meds/lifestyle she needed, and the resolve she built to come out and manage her mental illness. She's now finished up a certificate program in college, has a career, is engaged to a stable man and is doing so well. Your son may not need to be hospitalized again. But, he might. You may want to explore with him, in therapy, why he likes the hospital and determine if he's crying out for more help or simply trying to avoid responsibility. NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) is a national group that offers lots of free education and support groups for families. You might want to contact them to see what services are in your area. (Look at the "Resources" page on this site for NAMI's contact information and more sources of help.) In the meantime, I wish you well on your journey with your son.