"Admission for a depressed teen with anorexia"

My teenager was admitted to EMyU last year after a long medical admission for serious self-harm and malnutrition due to anorexia. This EMyU admission was their 3rd admission in 12 months. My teenager was involuntary at EMyU for 2 months 4 months earlier. That admission was not good at all, but I did not complain because my teenager was involuntary and much of what went wrong essentially came down to their incredible resistance to treatment (e.g. multiple NG tube pulling, tampering with feeds, self-harm, absconding from the unit).

EMyU managed to get weight back on my teenager via 100% oral supplement feeds. But the cognition and mental health issues were not treated. They were discharged home on oral supplements only and had not eaten food for 8 weeks.

So, it was natural for me to feel very reluctant to have my teenager transferred again to EMyU from another hospital once they were medically stable. But as they were an involuntary patient, my teenager could not go anywhere else and they were still actively suicidal. I knew EMyU may not be able to effectively treat their anorexia, but they would keep my teenager safe.

This admission to EMyU was different and the experience was a lot more positive. Perhaps because it was not my first rodeo and I knew what to expect this time and my expectations were not high. 

There were 4 core reasons I believe this EMyU admission was a lot more effective for my teenager.

1) The nurses are incredible and my teenager formed a close bond with many of them. A special call out to Jenna who has known my teenager for a while and really took the time to understand them and work with them.

2) The psychiatric registrar Dr Matthew was amazing in terms of connecting with my teenager, going out of his way to follow up on things, and most importantly his communication. He regularly called me to give me updates and he also liaised with my teenager's teams at CAMHS.

3) Dr Divya's acceptance to listen to my thoughts and grievances. She listened to me and agreed to do a comprehensive review of my teenager's extensive medication regime. This was a game-changer for them.

And finally, 4) my teenager's willingness to change and accept what was needed to improve their mental health and getting them eating.

Less than a month post-discharge and I am happy to report they are doing well. This may be their last admission to EMyU due to their age, but my fingers are crossed it's because they've remained healthy and not because they've aged out and we are in the wrong catchment zone.