Treatment FAQ

what to expect in inpatient depression treatment like

by Dasia Lubowitz Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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An inpatient treatment program for depression will provide round the clock care, medication management, nutrition therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and group therapy in a nurturing environment, enabling you to safely re-engage with others and with the pleasures life has to offer.

Full Answer

What happens in inpatient treatment for depression?

The goal of inpatient treatment for depression is to equip patients with the coping skills and strategies they need to live a normal life. Along with individual and group therapy, medications such as antidepressants are often conservatively prescribed to resolve any chemical imbalances that may be causing depression to trigger within the body.

What happens when you receive inpatient psychiatric treatment?

While receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment, it’s important to note that you may see others who have struggles that are similar to, less intense than, or more intense than your own. Though it may be distressing, over time, it can show you how others manage their chronic or acute mental illnesses.

When should you go to a hospital for depression?

If you're experiencing severe depression symptoms, having thoughts of harming yourself or others, or your treatment just isn't helping, you may consider checking yourself into a hospital. Although this can be a frightening thought, you may find it less intimidating if you know what to expect from the process. When You Should Go to a Hospital

How can a depression treatment center help you?

A depression treatment center offers space away from life’s stressors, so you can focus on getting better. If you are or a loved one is in need of help with your depression, Promises Behavioral Health has a facility that’s right for you. Call us today at 844.875.5609 for a free, confidential consultation.

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What can I expect at a mental hospital?

Other things to expect during your stay: You'll attend group and one-on-one care sessions each day. In between treatment and other activities, you must keep your own space tidy. You'll have down time — games, puzzles, and supervised outdoor space are all part of your care.

What happens in an inpatient?

The goal of the inpatient program is to decrease the intensity of depression, reduce the risk for suicide, improve coping skills, adjust medication, or incorporate other treatments. These are part of your treatment plan, which you and your team will openly discuss and revise.

Can depression make you hospitalized?

Most depression -- over 90% -- is treated on an outpatient basis. But, in cases of severe depression or treatment-resistant depression, some people need to stay in the hospital for a short time. You might seek hospitalization yourself. Or you could be hospitalized under a doctor's order.

What are the five stages of mental health recovery?

Although there are five proper stages (Pre-Contemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance), they can also be separated into “early,” “middle,” and “late” stages.

Can you keep your phone in the psych ward?

On voluntary psychiatric units, patients can occasionally retain access to electronic devices such as smartphones or computers and, if unit policies restrict Internet access, these patients may ask to leave the hospital.

How long do you stay in a mental hospital?

Some people only stay a day or two. Others may stay for 2–3 weeks or longer. People who haven't been in a psychiatric ward before sometimes worry they may never be able to leave. That never happens these days.

Can a suicidal patient leave the hospital?

In fact, in many cases today, patients are discharged before they feel they are ready to go home, while they are still feeling somewhat overwhelmed and suicidal. If you enter the hospital on a voluntary basis, you are typically free to leave the hospital once your level of suicidality has decreased.

What is the major reason for hospitalization for depressed patients?

A threat of suicide is the most common reason for hospitalization, but it may not be enough to justify hospitalization. A mental health professional will need to evaluate your friend or loved one to determine if they're an immediate threat to themselves or others before agreeing to commit them to the hospital.

Can I go to the hospital if I'm suicidal?

October 10, 2017 - When someone is actively suicidal, we often tell them to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call 911, or go to the local Emergency Room. These are all correct responses, but they are also scary, big steps for someone in a mental health crisis to take.

What does mental health recovery look like?

Health: Overcoming or managing one's disease(s) or symptoms and making informed, healthy choices that support physical and emotional well-being. Home: Have a stable and safe place to live. Purpose: Engage in meaningful daily activities, such as a job or school, volunteering, caring for your family, or being creative.

What is Stage 4 mental illness?

By Stage 4, the combination of extreme, prolonged and persistent symptoms and impairment often results in development of other health conditions and has the potential to turn into a crisis event like unemployment, hospitalization, homelessness or even incarceration.

How do I accept my mental illness?

Five Tips to Accept a Mental Health ProblemDevelop an awareness of the mental health problem and beliefs that support it. ... Create a positive sense of self in the face of a mental health problem. ... Engage in activities that support acceptance. ... Focus on relationships that promote acceptance.More items...•

What is the goal of inpatient treatment for depression?

The goal of inpatient treatment for depression is to equip patients with the coping skills and strategies they need to live a normal life. Tweet This.

How does clinical depression affect you?

Those who suffer from clinical depression often feel unable to function on a daily basis. Getting out of bed feels difficult, and they lose all joy and interest in life. Everything about how they act, think and feel is colored by depression when clinical depression is present.

Why do people need inpatient treatment?

Reasons for Inpatient Depression Treatment. Many people who suffer from depression find help through medication and counseling alone. But in cases where depression is so severe that the patient poses a physical threat to themselves or others, inpatient depression treatment is often the first line of treatment.

How many people have depression?

According to statistics, more than 16 million Americans struggle with some form of clinical depression. 1 For some, depression comes in the form of a mild, chronic condition known as dysthymia, while others may encounter a major depressive episode brought on by continued or acute stress. However, chronic depression can become severe for many – ...

Can depression be severe?

However, chronic depression can become severe for many – and clinical depression can become debilitating for many. In the most serious cases of depression, the ability to function on a daily basis can be compromised, causing decision-making, social interaction and even holding a job virtually impossible. 2.

Is it difficult to be objective in depression?

It’s difficult to be objective while in the throes of depression. Many people don’t realize how serious the issue is and don’t seek the treatment they need. Without the proper treatment, depression keeps the person struggling in a downward spiral.

Is depression a disability?

In fact, depression is one of the leading causes of work-related disability in the United States. In serious cases of depression, physical well-being may also be compromised by suicide, violence or chemical drug addictions – all of which require the resources, expertise and time involved in inpatient depression treatment in order to heal.

What is the goal of an inpatient treatment program?

The goal of the inpatient program is to decrease the intensity of depression, reduce the risk for suicide, improve coping skills, adjust medication, or incorporate other treatments.

What kind of therapists are on the inpatient floor?

Your therapist will tell you that a team of professionals on the inpatient floor will likely include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, nutritionists, recreational therapists, music and art therapists —and if you're a child or teenager, school teachers and pediatricians too.

What to pack for an inpatient stay?

If your inpatient stay is planned, you can pack a bag of comfortable clothing ahead of time, but avoid belts, strings, shoelaces, and other potentially self-harming accessories. Another good thing is to make a list of all the medications you take, as well as all the professionals who work with you.

What is an inpatient unit?

The inpatient unit looks more like a college dorm than a hospital floor. The unit generally has single or double rooms for patients and group/individual therapy rooms, as well as common areas for eating and relaxing—and offices for staff and clinicians.

Why is depression not a result of laziness?

Or poor parenting, if your child needs inpatient care. Suicidal thinking doesn’t happen because you're selfish. Or aren't smart enough to know how to fix things in life.

How long does a child stay in a hospital?

For children and teenagers, stays are typically about eight days, but that, too, can be shorter or longer. Treatment will be unique to your needs, so don't use your time spent inpatient as a measurement of success or failure.

Is psychiatric hospitalization meaningful?

But if you do, inpatient psychiatric hospitalization can be a meaningful treatment. Yes, you read that correctly. Meaningful. Inpatient hospitalization for psychiatric illness has come a long way from straight-jackets, rubber rooms, and metal beds. A long way from wicked nurses or frightening procedures.

What is inpatient treatment for depression?

An inpatient treatment program for depression will include a range of therapeutic modalities customized to each person and their particular needs, providing skills and techniques to identify triggers, manage behaviors, and break the cycle . Contrary to popular belief, depression doesn’t just cause sadness.

What are the first steps to depression treatment?

Suicidal thoughts. Recognizing these signs and symptoms is an important step toward getting the care you need. First steps for depression treatment usually involved involve a visit to a mental health counselor for behavioral therapy or to a psychiatrist for antidepressant medication.

Why do people seek to self-soothe?

You’re struggling with gambling, shopping, or overeating. Depression is uncomfortable, and substance abuse is just one way that people seek to self-soothe. Other people develop compulsive behaviors that may be a little bit easier to hide from others or to justify to themselves.

What does it mean when someone says "depressed"?

Some people throw around words like “depressed” and “depressing” when what they really mean is “bummed out” or “disappointed.”. This can be confusing for those who don’t understand that depression is a real mental health condition that involves much more than momentary feelings of disappointment or sadness.

What is family therapy?

Individual, group, and family therapies help participants learn symptom management and communication skills and strategies that lead to personal healing and repaired relationships. You lack motivation to leave home or engage with others.

Does depression always show up in everyone?

Depression doesn’t always show up the same way in everyone, but according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), typically, symptoms of depression include some combination of the following: Recognizing these signs and symptoms is an important step toward getting the care you need.

Can family members understand depression?

On the other hand, family members and partners may not fully understand depression and will unknowingly put on additional pressure for the depressed person to “snap out of it.”. This can then lead to further feelings of guilt, anger, and resentment, causing fights, arguments, and misunderstandings that erode the relationship.

What happens if you wait too long to get depression treatment?

The longer someone waits to get necessary depression treatment, the greater the risks become . And those risks are wide-reaching—affecting their physical well-being, their psychological and emotional resiliency, their career, their relationships, and their connection to daily life. To name only a few of the many possible consequences ...

What is immersive depression treatment?

And being in an immersive inpatient depression treatment setting can help your fresh treatment and lifestyle to really settle in before you return to life outside of those walls. At that point, you’ll have a complete after-care plan that you can feel confident will keep you moving in the right direction of recovery.

What are the symptoms of a loss of interest in the things and activities you used to enjoy?

Lost interest in the things and activities you used to enjoy. Low energy or fatigue. Difficulty concentrating and making decisions . Thoughts or feelings of worthlessness or guilt. Changes in your sleep: insomnia or oversleeping. Changes in your appetite and weight in either direction . Thoughts of suicide or death in general .

What are the consequences of untreated depression?

To name only a few of the many possible consequences of untreated depression: the risk of suicide increases, the risk of substance abuse increases, risky behaviors become more likely, and physical illness may become more likely and more serious too if the immune system is compromised.

Can depression be treated?

Unfortunately, too many people who have depression don’t get the treatment they really need— the treatment that could turn their lives around. Maybe they haven’t been diagnosed or can’t wrap their minds around the possibility that they could be mentally under the weather.

Is mental health a struggle?

Dealing with regular life, work, and relationships is a struggle. It makes sense for all of us to keep a pulse on our mental and behavioral health just as we regularly do for our physical health. If you think you are experiencing limiting symptoms of depression, it’s time to make your mental health an urgent priority.

Is inpatient treatment good for depression?

The Benefits of Inpatient Depression Treatment. Depression does not look like any one expression, type of person, symptom, nor is it as simple as a bad day or rough life. Depression has the potential to show up in as many ways as there are people. So, there’s no preemptive way to determine that you don’t have depression or ...

How to help someone with depression?

Steps that you can take to ensure your continued recovery include: 5 . Taking care of yourself by eating well, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep. Being gentle with yourself and realizing that you, like everyone else, are a work-in-progress.

What to do after discharge from hospital?

After you are discharged from the hospital, your doctor may recommend a day-treatment program. This type of program will provide you with many of the benefits that you received during your hospitalization, such as psychotherapy and other services, but you may return home at night and on the weekends.

What to do if hospital releases you?

If you experience any problems with getting the hospital to release you, you should contact your state's protection and advocacy agency. While you are at the hospital, you also have the right to... Be completely informed about all tests and treatments you will be receiving, including the risks and benefits.

What to do after discharge?

After You're Discharged. Continuing Your Recovery. Crisis Plan of Action. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

What should be included in a crisis plan of action?

This plan should include the following: Your doctor's name and contact information. Contact information for trusted friends, family, or support group members.

How long do you have to wait to be released from a hospital?

If you are not a danger to anyone, the hospital must release you within two to seven days of your formal request, depending on the laws in your particular state. 3 .

The Most Dangerous Warning Sign: Thoughts of Self-Harm or Suicidality

If you or someone you care about is experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicidality, they need help urgently. If a person is acting on these thoughts, such as cutting or mutilating, or attempting suicide, emergency services should be initiated.

Inpatient vs. Outpatient Mental Health Treatment

To understand when inpatient treatment is necessary for depression, you have to understand the distinctions between inpatient and outpatient depression treatment. It is impossible to say that one is better than the other—instead, the individual has to decide which option is right for them.

How PCH Combines the Best of Inpatient and Outpatient Depression Treatment

PCH understands that some individuals struggling with depression may benefit more from inpatient treatment while others may require outpatient treatment. To combine the benefits of both, we offer outpatient depression treatment with supportive housing.

Should I voluntarily check myself into a mental health hospital?

Most treatments for mental health issues are voluntary, which means you are the one who chooses to seek help. This can include going to the hospital when you recognize you need extra care.

If I voluntarily admit myself to a psychiatric hospital, can I leave whenever I want?

Voluntarily admitting yourself to a mental health hospital doesn’t mean you can just check out whenever you want. Depending on your situation, you and your treatment team will decide together the best time for you to leave the hospital. Or, if you want to leave the hospital early, you can request an early discharge.

What to pack when you go to a mental health hospital

Every hospital has different rules about what you can bring with you for your stay. If you’re able to plan ahead, most hospitals publish a list online of what you should and shouldn’t bring. You can also call the hospital to ask what’s best to pack.

What happens after you leave a mental health hospital?

Just because you’re leaving the hospital doesn’t mean your mental health treatment will end. The goal of a hospital stay is to keep you safe and help you arrange ongoing mental health treatment outside of the hospital. Voluntary stays in the hospital tend to be short, on average between 3 and 10 days .

The bottom line

If you’re experiencing a mental health crisis and could benefit from 24/7 support, you might consider voluntarily checking yourself into a mental health hospital. While you’re there, the goal is a short stay to make sure you’re safe and to set you up with a plan for ongoing care.

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