August 2, 2005
Mental Health, Other
Question from Roseburg, Oregon, USA:
My 17 year old daughter has had type 1 diabetes since the age of eight. At age 13, she began to present emotional/behavioral problems. She tried to commit suicide twice that year and spent several weeks in two different acute mental health lockdown facilities. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has been in counseling and seeing a psychiatrist ever since. She continues to be oppositional, angry, and hangs out with the wrong crowd. Taking care of her diabetes is the last thing on her mind.
A couple of years ago I searched on the Internet for group homes or programs, such as wilderness camps, for troubled teens. I found many programs, but none that would take a child with diabetes. Do you know of any residential type settings for teens with diabetes who also suffer from emotional/behavioral problems? Also, is it legal for the places I checked into previously to deny my daughter services just because she has diabetes?
Answer:
Generally, an inpatient private facility can refuse to admit a person for any reason except their race, creed, or religion. In some circumstances, facilities that operate an emergency department cannot refuse to treat a patient with a health emergency until that patient has been stabilized so that it is safe to transfer to another facility.
DSH
[Editor’s comment: Cumberland Hospital in New Kent, Virginia is the only facility we know of for treating teens with diabetes and behavioral problems.
BH]
