Admission Criteria:

• 5-17 years of age
• Suicidal and/or homicidal with lethal intent
• Impulsivity or pathological aggression
• Severe agitation, assaultive, explosive states
• Severe, endangering impairment of judgement
• Severe, bizarre or endangering behavior
• Severe runaway risk, fire setter, or sexual perpetrator
• Self abuse, if severe or life threatening
• Evidence of brain impairment

Services Provided:

Assessment:

• Neuropsychiatric exam
• Complex EEG
• Evoked potentials
• Psychosocial assessment
• Neuropsychological exam

Stabilization:

• Neurobehavioral milieu
• Medication
• Individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Family therapy
• Behavioral therapy
• Experimental therapy
• Case management

Aftercare:

• Written discharge treatment plan with: history, formulation, diagnosis, further treatments needed, medical follow-up, case management, educational/vocational planning, strategies for counseling and/or psychotherapy, additional support services, level of supervision needed

Symptoms to look for:

1. Repetitive rage behavior (e.g.; requiring seclusion or restraints).
2. Impulsivity (e.g.; aggressive behavior that is impulsive rather than planned).
3. Poor planning skills (e.g.; runaway with no plan, no money, nowhere to go).
4. Short attention span (e.g.; attention too short for group therapy).
5. Laboratory evidence (e.g.; abnormal CT scan, MRI, EEG).
6. Pathological Aggression (e.g.; violent behavior with no provocation, no gain).
7. History of neurological disease (e.g.; seizure disorder, encephalitis).
8. Neurophsychological tests abnormal (e.g.; VIQ-PIQ > 30 points).
9. Toxic exposure in gestation (e.g.; substance abuse by mother in pregnancy).
10. Prior head injury with L.O.C (e.g.; loss of consciousness > 1 hour).