Checking Into the Hospital From Fear of School

The Daily Herald reported Monday on a program at Northwest Community Hospital to aid and treat "school refusal" in children who fear returning to school.

The combined inpatient/outpatient program has treated between 200 to 300 Chicago area kids in the past 5 years.

"About half of the 12 beds in the hospital's adolescent mental health unit are for kids with school refusal behavior and there's sometimes a waiting list to enter the program.

After a physical exam, kids with severe school refusal are admitted to a weeklong inpatient program, followed by a week of full-day treatment where the child sleeps at home. The next week, the child spends half of each day at school and the second half day at treatment, while their parents are also in therapy twice a week. Eventually most kids return to school full time - many with the help of anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication."

According to Maggie Hahn, the program's clinical coordinator, the chance of relapse is very high.