You may have heard about an inpatient psychiatric facility through media, friends, or your personal experiences. Inpatient psychiatric facilities provide mental health services for people with mental health disorders.
If you are dealing with a mental health disorder and need help managing its symptoms, an inpatient psychiatric facility may be right for you. If you’re unsure what types of services an inpatient psychiatric facility offers or how they’re different from other mental health treatment options, this guide will help clarify what to expect before entering one.
What is an inpatient psychiatric facility?
An inpatient psychiatric facility is a facility that treats mental health issues. An inpatient psychiatric facility is typically staffed by psychiatrists, psychologists, and other medical professionals who specialize in treating mental illness. Some facilities offer specialized treatment programs for patients with severe depression or anxiety disorders, while others offer more general treatments for people with less severe mental problems like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Types of Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities
State hospitals
These are run by the state government and provide free care to anyone who needs it. They usually have more specialized services than private hospitals, including psychiatric emergency rooms and crisis units, respite care, and intensive outpatient programs (IOPs). State hospitals are often called “psychiatric hospitals” or “state mental hospitals.” State hospitals will sometimes have an inpatient psychiatric facility along with other offerings if supported.
Private psychiatric hospitals
Private psychiatric hospitals charge fees for their services. They usually offer a wider range of treatment choices than state hospitals do. These include partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) and residential treatment facilities (RTFs).
Psychiatric facility
Psychiatric hospitals are used to treat people with mental illnesses that are acute or need close monitoring and supervision. They are highly staffed and secure, but they may not provide the comfortable environment that you or your loved one needs to recover. In addition, many psychiatric hospitals use a random room assignment policy, so you may end up rooming with someone who makes recovery difficult.
Residential treatment facility (RTF)
RTFs cater to less severe conditions and offer more flexibility for their patients than psychiatric hospitals. Often located on large properties with farms and other amenities, these facilities usually provide private rooms, which allows you to choose the person you want to live with during your stay. They also have multiple groups that can be tailored exactly for what you need—like yoga classes or art therapy—so you can effectively address all aspects of health: physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and financial.
Residential Treatment Facilities often give their clients access to outdoor areas like gardens or farms where they can exercise and practice wellness skills like mindfulness meditation or progressive muscle relaxation techniques while connecting with nature which has been shown to reduce stress levels by 25%.
Benefits of an Inpatient Psychiatric Facility
Continuous medical supervision
An inpatient psychiatric facility provides round-the-clock medical supervision and monitoring by highly skilled professionals. This can help reduce the risk of infection and ensure proper medication dosage.
Safe haven
Patients can receive immediate treatment at an inpatient psychiatric facility. These facilities have staff members trained in crisis intervention and suicide prevention who can help when a patient is having thoughts or feelings of self-harm or suicide. The staff also has access to resources such as psychiatrists who can prescribe medications to control symptoms of mental illness.
Peer support
Patients at an inpatient psychiatric facility often have the opportunity to interact with other people who are going through similar issues, which can make them feel more comfortable and supported during their stay.
Medication management
Medications for mental health issues such as depression or anxiety disorders are usually given on an ongoing basis, but those medications must be taken regularly for them to be effective. If someone experiences side effects from their medication or has difficulty remembering to take it at certain times of the day, it’s much easier for staff members at an inpatient psychiatric facility to make sure that person gets their medication on time than it would be for someone undergoing outpatient treatment at home or elsewhere.
What to look for when choosing the right facility
Local reputation
You can’t always trust what you read online, so ask family members and friends who have been through similar experiences with an inpatient psychiatric facility.
Insurance
Don’t assume that an inpatient psychiatric facility will accept your insurance plan just because they advertise as “in-network” providers. Call your insurance provider directly to confirm that a specific facility will accept your plan before booking an appointment there.
Payment options
An inpatient psychiatric facility stay can be costly and often require multiple stays over time. Make sure your chosen facility has flexible payment options so you don’t have to pay out of pocket for every visit — especially if you’re already struggling financially due to mental illness-related expenses like medication costs or therapy sessions outside of hospitalization stays.
Location
Location can be important if you want to be close to family and friends during treatment at the inpatient psychiatric facility.
Staffing
Since an inpatient psychiatric facility may have more challenges than other types of facilities, they should also have more staff members on hand at all times.
Conclusion
We hope this post has helped you to better understand the inpatient psychiatric facility and has encouraged you to take action if you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health condition. If this post was helpful, please share it with your friends and family on social media. Your support can make a big difference in helping people in need find the resources they need to live happy and healthy lives.
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GreySteps is where you will learn how to find the best senior care options for yourself or loved ones. We provide guides and resources for independent living, long-term acute care hospitals, hospice and other senior care options.