What Is Residential Treatment for Mental Health?

Mike Richins

Mental health issues are prevailing in many houses around the globe. And certain conditions are so severe that it’s not possible to treat them without residential changes. Thankfully, many residential treatment programs are available nowadays. In young adults, such programs did work like a  blessing.

So, what is the residential treatment for mental health? Residential treatment provides clients with 24/7 care, peer-based treatment and top-notch mental health treatment at a residential facility. This is different from inpatient mental treatment because your mental improvement is ensured through medication and therapy together.

However, such facilities are costly. Besides, there needs to be a thorough checkup before choosing the right one. Some of the programs might not offer service for your particular disease. Wanna know more? Keep reading then!

What Is Residential Treatment for Mental Health?

Residential treatment for mental health means residing in a facilitated residence to get all kinds of mental health treatments possible. It is different from inpatient treatment facilities in hospitals.

In a hospital, psychiatric patients don’t get the facility of peer-based therapy sessions. Without therapies of such endeavour, it’s not possible to treat the illness from the core. Moreover, it’s crucial for a mental patient at times to change the triggering surroundings which the hospitals can’t ensure.

Hence, the first and foremost duty of the staff-in-concern of residential treatment is to provide a homely and non-triggering environment to the mental patients. Moreover, this doesn’t come at the cost of sacrificing the quality of the mental care medical facilities.

In other words, the care of such holistic treatment programs is by far the most intensive for mental health. You will get staff around the clock. The doctors that are highly qualified will come and check your psychiatric condition daily.

Moreover, you will get companions who will share the same goal as you. The management will help you to collaborate on both therapies and medications. This is something you won’t get in hospitals.

What Are The Privileges of Mental Health Residential Treatment?

Let’s look at some of the privileges you can get from mental health residential treatment:

24/7 Care

The residential treatment focuses on taking care of the patient all day long. They won’t let you unsupervised for a second if you need it. There are certain mental conditions that are threatening. You are guaranteed to get intensive care if your condition is like that.

Change of Surroundings

Environment plays a vital role in the recovery of mental patients. Even the built environment can be handy! Hence it’s important that the client gets changed surroundings.

However, in most cases of psychotherapy, the environment or the triggers still remain the same. Even if the process takes place in an office. Hence, residential mental health treatment ensures this change to their clients.

Moreover, such programs emphasize developing environment-oriented habits for the patients. This helps the client get used to the surroundings by forgetting about the dreadful past

Following Treatment And Providing Support

The residential treatment is peer-based. You will find many individuals with the same or almost similar problems as your own as your companions. This is a big help considering the dimension of the disease.

During your treatment, it’s always great to find people who can feel what you’re going through. No matter what others say, as long as they aren’t in your shoes, they won’t get your dilemma.

Moreover, following your treatment, you will find a group of same-minded individuals who were with you all along the process. This is highly influential in the recovery period.

Helpful Modalities of Therapy

In a residential treatment program, you’re offered the following types of therapies all in one place:

• CBT: Changes in thinking patterns are the goal of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Additionally, behavioural changes are usually involved.
• DBT: Dialectical Behavior Therapy seeks to benefit social relationships and to teach people stress management, emotional regulation, and living in the moment.
• MAT: Medication-Assisted Treatment is a holistic and integrated approach to treating substance use disorders that combines medications, counselling, and other therapeutic techniques.

You can also get medication management services from such programs which are really beneficial for pharmacovigilance.

Is Residential Treatment Suitable for You?

This type of treatment facility is helpful in most psychiatric conditions because environmental effects are minimal. However, there are certain disorders, that require this type of treatment more than any such as:

• Depression
• Dual diagnosis
• Anxiety
• Mood disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Personality disorders
• Eating disorders
• PTSD
• Drug Misuse and Addiction

All these illnesses are given intensive attention in residential treatment facilities. If you are suffering from any of these, then residential treatment should be your first priority.

Things to Know Before Deciding Residential Treatment for Mental Health

It may be appropriate to choose residential treatment when

• a mental health diagnosis is unclear
• crisis intervention is being offered
• persistent psychiatric symptoms are being treated intensively
• substance abuse is being addressed.

Never forget to research all the possible options before selecting this type of facility. Residential treatment for mental health is not inexpensive and it’s ideal for serious mental patients.

Hence, if you are in a situation where all the other doors seem to be closed, then this resort should be utilized. However, if you process your thoughts in a positive manner, you might find that this is actually the best psychosocial care you can get in terms of social, empathetic, and professional assistance.

Judging A Residential Treatment Program for Mental Health

It’s not a joke to seek residential treatment. Hence, utmost priority should be given to choosing the best possible residential treatment. Your needs come first than anything else. That’s why follow these steps to judge a facility:

• Consult your mental clinician who prescribed your residential treatment.
• Don’t leave any stone unturned while gathering information about the residential treatment program.
• Thoroughly check their license if possible.
• Organizations like CARF and JCAHO offer accreditation to residential programs. Check if your preferred program is on their list or not.
• Visit the facility physically.
• If you get any gut feelings, just shift delete that program from your list.
• Ask everything you want to know to the director. It’s best if you take a family member with you for further inquiry.
• Don’t choose any facility that doesn’t approve of family-integrated treatment facilities.
• Check the qualifications of all the doctors involved in the program.
• Also, check how many staff are there to support all the patients.
• Ask about the therapies they use on their patients and check if they’re suitable for you or not.
• Don’t forget to take reviews from the previous patients and their families of this facility.
• Last but not least, ask about the costings and insurance policy of the facility.

Mental Health Residential Treatment Programs: Activities

There are different types of activities that are part of the residential treatment programs for mental health. Let’s check them out:

Group Sessions

You will be put in a session together with your peers. Here issues like rage management, coping skills etc will be discussed.

Individual Sessions

This usually takes place every week where a dedicated, professional, and highly qualified therapist or counsellor will address all your issues.

Family Sessions

If any facility doesn’t offer such sessions, then it’s a big NO. Here, the mental patient gets to talk in front of the family members, expressing some unexplored facts for both parties.

Aesthetic Activities

Outdoor physical activities are a big part of mental well-being. Hence, residential programs arrange such activities and other recreations for the clients.

Psychological Therapies

The cognitive thought process is checked closely here. Besides, neuropsychological screenings are also conducted to ensure the best possible mental treatment.

Delivery-Specific Residential Treatment

Residential treatment programs arrange treatment for women with mental disorders post-delivery.

Residential Treatment  for Children

Based on the symptoms, residential treatment facilities provide treatment for children with mental disorders in a segregated unit.

FAQs

Let’s look at some of the frequently asked questions and their answers on this topic:

Q. Can mental illness be treated at home?

Ans. Without professional help, most mental illnesses won't get better if treated on your own at home.

Q. What is the most effective treatment for mental illness?

Ans. Evidence-based psychological treatments are highly effective for mental illness.

Final Thoughts

Housing conditions have a great impact on the mental health of individuals. However, the clients that seek residential treatment aren’t necessarily suffering from house-related issues always. Many diseases demand residential treatments and we should respect that demand.

Moreover, mental sicknesses are sensitive. So holistic approaches should be prioritized over inpatient treatments. It helps the patient to think that he or she is normal. This attitude is very much the first thing the staff of the residential treatment try to bring.