A Place to Heal

Cari Salyer was out of control until doctors and staff at Crittenton helped her to stop

At 16, Cari Salyer was a handful—rash, temperamental, embarrassing. Her behavior, however, wasn't a hormone-fueled, teenage phase. It quickly went from prankish to dangerous. One day, she ran a red light in her dad's company car and crashed into a family in a van. "I was so impulsive," Salyer said. "I was constantly out of control, swinging from high to low."

Her parents agreed something was wrong and called Crittenton Children's Center, where she was admitted, diagnosed, and treated for bipolar disorder.

Shelter from the Storm

Salyer wasn't alone. Every year, social agencies refer dozens of children ages 5 to 18 to Crittenton, a psychiatric treatment facility in Saint Luke's Health System. The center, which evolved from a program that began in 1896, provides psychiatric care for children, adolescents, and families.

Although her inpatient stay lasted just days, Salyer credits the care she received at Crittenton, plus medication, with saving her life. "The staff at Crittenton changed me forever," she said. "If it wasn't for them, I don't know where I'd be."