Ethan's Story "He had been experiencing delusions and hallucinations."

Ethan’s psychiatrist at the County Department of Mental Health called the EMQ FamiliesFirst Mobile Crisis program. Ethan’s mother and sister had come in to see her that morning. Both were in tears and seeking help both for themselves and for Ethan.

Ethan, 17, had stopped taking his medications and had been experiencing delusions and hallucinations for about two weeks. These were increasing to the point that his mother and sister were concerned that Ethan might eventually become violent, as he had in a similar episode about a year earlier. They felt helpless because Ethan was becoming increasingly isolated and suspicious, and was refusing to see his psychiatrist or therapist.

An EMQ FamiliesFirst clinician met with Ethan and his family. The clinician was able to listen compassionately to Ethan’s personal experience at length and without pressure. The result was that Ethan was able to recognize on his own that going to the hospital would provide a much-needed respite from the strain that he had been under. He was even able to remember that medications had provided him with relief in the past and to consider trying them again. The EMQ FamiliesFirst clinician was able to support Ethan, his mother and other family members through the difficult process of an emergency hospitalization. Ethan did resume his medication treatment and was feeling much better within a few days.

The family’s alternative would have been to wait until Ethan’s symptoms escalated to the point at which a 911 call would have been required. At that time, the even more distressed and suspicious Ethan and his family would have had to endure a dramatic physical intervention, most likely involving police presence and Ethan being taken to the hospital in restraints or handcuffs. While the hospitalization was necessary and the ultimate resumption of medications would have been accomplished, the experience of both Ethan and his family and their view of mental health treatment in the future would have been substantially different. Fortunately, EMQ FamiliesFirst was there to help.

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Confidentiality of EMQ FamiliesFirst children and families has been preserved
through the use of models. Some stories may be composites of multiple cases.