Mental Health is a Struggle It is never ending!
I felt urged to write. My story is messy and includes my husband and my daughter. My adult children do not live at home, so is is just three of us in our home.
Fresno County mental health is in need of an urgent overhaul. Sarah checked herself into Exodus last night after a fun day in Bakersfield for my niece's birthday party. Nothing happened... nothing was wrong when she went out on her skateboard. She called 911 herself and did not use the services the county provides for us - Central Star Wraparound. She stayed overnight and they called this morning to pick her up.
I talked to the man that called me from Exodus and he said he is sorry that there are not more services that can help Sarah. I told him this is her third visit to a mental place this week. She was at Saint Agnes twice and then to Exodus. It is like a hotel for her. I asked if there was a behavioral facility they could send her to? Nope, they are releasing her. What do I get to do as a parent? Drive over and get her. I have zero choice because they will call CPS if we do not get her within 2 hours. Another fun note is that they can charge us for neglect.
She is suicidal one minute and then the next minute she is not. California Mental health facilities go by what she tells them.....not her history...not how many times she has been placed there...not how many times the cops have been out....not how many bruises I have or my husband.....not how many times she has eloped from school or our home....not how many holes we have in the walls or broken items in our home. Let me say it again....mental health in Fresno County goes by what Sarah says.
I have been told so much advice from family, friends, cops, wraparound, cps...the list goes on and on.
Let's see: CPS continues to state that the best place they can offer Sarah is in our home, press criminal charges, find her a place to go, keep searching for a place, give her back, there has to be a place somewhere, boot camp, drop her off at juvenile hall, don't go pick-her up, how can you press charges? I have heard it all and there is NO solution for Sarah and our family. We have lots of support from friends and family. We left church because they can not handle her. Her last buddy at church quit after going to youth group with her twice. Church people run when they hear her story, lies, and manipulation. Her teacher told her that heaven already passed her by.
My husband and I are abused if we leave her in our home and we do not have a normal life. We have respite that comes in an gives us relief on Friday nights. If we actually do find a facility for her, then she is institutionalized. We press charges and she has a record. The school district has applied to all the residential placements on their list. There is not a locked facility in the USA that will take her. I applied over the summer at 15 residentials with AAP and all the places denied Sarah. The residential paperwork is about 3-5 hours each. They stated, "she is too acute" I tried to find a new psychiatrist and spent hours filling out paperwork. I went to the appointment and after an hour the psychiatrist said she was too complex for her. We are on a wait list for a psychiatrist in Visalia...maybe February they can see her.
What is Sarah doing now while I am blogging? She went out skating. She is probably doing drugs or stealing stuff. You say. You shouldn't let her go. LOL Please come and try that with her. We have concluded that we can not parent Sarah. We just have a home for her when she decides to lay her head here. It is sad, but true. We love her and continue to pray for her. Please pray with us. Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble.
She is back at Exodus She told the on-call wraparound lady she was going to jump off the parking garage. I was told to call 911 because they don’t calll 😫😫
