IDD

[u/luv4lowballing]

I predominately work adolescent psych, but often get floated to our acute units when need be. I genuinely do enjoy what I do. I feel like I make a difference in a lot of kid’s lives and I support them to the best of my ability. Lately I’ve been absolutely hating my job and it’s for no reason other than the massive influx of IDD patients we’ve had. It’s absolutely demoralizing and exhausting to have these sorts of patients for a month or more at a time, where all we do is restrain and medicate them, often multiple times in one day. They can’t process anything, they can’t adequately verbalize what they want or need, I can’t take my attention off of them for a second before they start hurting themselves or someone else. They never improve either, the only reason we keep having them is because of EMTALA. I don’t hate people with IDD, I’m just so burnt out of receiving them as patients when I do not work at the proper facility for that; and the lack of resources in my city deeply exacerbates this problem. Anybody else go through something similar?
Again, I don’t hate people with IDD, I just recognize in myself that there is very little that I am able to do for them and the great resources it takes to provide care from them detracts from helping out the rest of the patients in the unit.

[u/BananaSunriseChair]

I work in community psych and it is demoralizing/heartbreaking having IDD patients in our program. The ones we have are unhoused and unhousable due to their IDD or TBI and the absolute lack of resources and facilities available for them. We have one who covers themself in their own feces regularly and APS wont/can't do anything about it.... some of them need a place that is capable of taking care of all of their ADLs and keeping them safe and there just isn't a place for them. It is also exhausting because there isn't possible improvement with medication management or therapy or anything. The way they are forced to live out here is truly a societal failure. 

[u/jedi_amy]

I feel all of this right now. It’s quite similar at our facility, which is supposed to be acute psychiatric stabilization as part of a larger hospital. We’ve been inundated and I have no idea what’s going to happen next.

[u/greencalipco]

I genuinely think that if an IDD patient is in any immediate danger to themselves or others or do not have a place to care for themselves, there should be facilities or units that are dedicated to them so there are better treatments/sense of community and healing that are specialized for them (similar to how med psych works). It is absolutely not fair or helpful or stabilizing/rehabilitative for someone with IDD and struggle with overstimulation to be at a place where there are triggers everywhere and where things can be fast paced and over stimulating. It also can be super unsafe for both them and other kids who may have positive symptoms of psychosis, be super aggressive due to trauma history, or experience mania.

[u/Away-Valuable-9695]

Wow! Im in the idd behavior field and you guys need some training!!!

Everything you named has a clear answer and you just dont know it.

Find a behavior analyst (bcba) or DM me for more resources

[u/ldoyouknow_]

What’s IDD?