I am currently 15 and I was put into the Rockford ...

I am currently 15 and I was put into the Rockford Center when I was 14. I had multiple suicide attempts before my visit and self harmed at least once a week. Before I was put into Rockford I had very low self esteem and I would find it difficult to find reasons to live. Although some of the staff wasn't the best there were many nurses there that were supportive and actually seemed to care. The social worker for the Junior Adolescence unit was very kind and made family sessions very comfortable even if you struggle with family issues as I did and still somewhat do. I was admitted at 3 am and I cried the first night but I had brought something that made me feel comfortable and they had to confiscate all the things i brought that night to make sure they weren't dangerous but the nurse saw I was crying so he checked it very quickly and gave the item to me. The food was similar to school food but what more can you expect. The rooms were nice and if you like sleeping in total darkness than you'll love it however if you have a room mate that doesn't like the dark or has had a negative experience in the dark then you are able to compromise and leave the bathroom light on and close the curtain to the bathroom. There are many things that you'll have to adapt to and get used to. As for the phone calls when you are having your risk evaluation they will ask you to write down the names and numbers of people you would like to contact while you are in the center. The woman the assessed me said that I would be able to call friends but most of the nurses on the unit do not allow any calls other than to family so my advice would be to mark your friends as your family so you will be able to contact them. That was my experience , others may have been different but over all I came out stronger and more positive, there were two instances after the fact that I did self harm but nothing like I had before. Another thing to be prepared for is that they are very strong with medications, when I went in I was only on 25 mg and when I came out i was on 35 mg. Be prepared for many things and don't cause unnecessary trouble.