When and How to Find Residential Psychiatric Help for Mental Disorders or Addiction
It is true that all of us face challenges in our lives at some stage or another, and often these times can be extremely difficult to get through. Most of us, however, get through it and come out relatively unscathed on the other side. For those who have a mental or emotional disorder, however, it could be virtually impossible to recover without psychiatric help.
A psychiatric professional can help a person to determine their level of care needed, help them deal with a crisis, and provide them with the tools to manage their symptoms. Psychiatrists can also prescribe medication that can help to manage the condition and provide counselling to get to the root cause of the problem. In some cases, people suffering from particular disorders cannot provide adequate self-care, and in these cases acute treatment is necessary. Often, this can only be done successfully in a residential inpatient facility where constant psychiatric and medical care is provided to keep the patient safe.
Outpatient programmes may help for some people, but those who present a danger to themselves or those around them are better off at a facility that provides residential inpatient programmes. At a residential centre, psychiatric help is provided around the clock. There are a variety of counselling options available, and residential programmes vary in duration, depending on the severity of the disorder and the progress made ??? they can vary from a few weeks to months, or even years. At a residential facility, the patient is housed and monitored at all times while they receive treatment, and observation and counselling is provided in order to provide them with skills and tools to manage their illness.
When to Seek Residential Psychiatric Help
There are no firm guidelines about when to seek help, but generally speaking, people who become a danger to themselves or others can benefit from a residential programme. Patients will usually enter these facilities in an acute crisis situation that cannot be managed by the patient or those around them, or with outpatient treatment programmes. Frequently, these patients are referred to residential treatment after a period of hospitalisation following suicide attempts, self-harm or other volatile situations that present a danger to themselves or others. These patients are more often than not suffering from psychosis or mania which requires additional supervision and specialised psychiatric help and treatment. Other reasons to seek residential treatment include the following:
- Unsuccessful outpatient treatment that has not alleviated distress and dysfunction.
- If the person doesn???t have access to support structures or resources to help manage the condition.
- When there is ambiguity when it comes to proper diagnoses of the condition.
- Dangerous levels of substance abuse.
- Behaviour that can cause harm to self or others.
- Self-destructive behaviours such as refusing to eat.
Choosing a Residential Facility
It is important that a facility is chosen that can meet the needs of the patient and provide the treatment required for them to make progress. Facilities have different goals and specialise in different treatment programmes and/or disorders, and it is vital that the treatment facility chosen is suited to the disorder and the patient in order to get the most favourable outcome. The treatment setting can have a huge influence on how successful the recovery programme will be and how the patient reacts to it, and the individual needs of the patient will dictate which type of psychiatric help is needed and which facility will provide the best results. The most popular residential facilities are often small, with an intimate setting where patients can feel relaxed and supported. Specific amenities can also help the patient to make more progress and the milieu, and staff have to support the programme aimed at the patients.
What to Look For
- Accreditation: No mental health or recovery programme is valid without an accreditation by the relevant boards and bodies. It is essential that they provide you with proof of their accreditation in order to be verified as a valid healthcare provider. In South Africa, there are different healthcare bodies and it is vital that they are registered with institutions such as the SA Department of Health, the SA Department of Social Services, and the Boards of Healthcare Funders.
- Accredited health professionals: The therapists, nurses, aids, psychiatrists, nutritionists, psychologists, and medical doctors all have to be accredited with the SA Department of Health. This means that they will have the recognised qualifications and experience to provide the psychiatric help that the patient needs.
- Access to specialised care: The capabilities of these facilities vary widely, and it is often necessary to seek the opinion of a professional healthcare professional or psychiatrist to make a recommendation in this regard. Psychiatric facilities specialise in the treatment of certain conditions and having access to a residential programme that specialises in the treatment of the relevant mental health condition can improve chances of recovery.
- Mandatory counselling: While medication does help a lot, it is still necessary for it to be combined with individual and/or group counselling sessions with professional therapists and psychologists. While medication can certainly reduce the severity of certain symptoms and behaviours, the root causes of mental disorders are best addressed in combination with counselling.
If you are looking for psychiatric help for yourself or a loved one, contact our team at Beethoven Recovery Centre. Our mental health care facility is small and intimate, and provides the ideal environment for recovery and healing. Give us a call today!