There’s a growing number of patients in need of mental health care, with 2021 seeing a growth of 21.6% of U.S. adults receiving treatments. Although many are getting these treatments in the comfort of their own homes, there are still those who may choose residential facilities, and it’s never an easy decision. However, with compassionate support from clinicians and loved ones, this difficult transition can also mark the beginning of a life-changing period of stability, insight, and wellness.
In the lead-up to entering an inpatient psychiatric or dual-diagnosis treatment center, having concrete information on what to expect can make the impending move feel less intimidating. That is what this article is all about. Read on for the best practices on how to prepare and adjust when transitioning to in-house mental health care.
Packing properly for your stay
Unlike heading off to summer camp, a residential facility stay requires little in the way of personal belongings. However, packing properly remains crucial, as most programs limit what patients can bring and utilize security measures like daily room or bag checks.
Having contraband items like cigarettes, weapons, or tempting materials (such as revealing clothing around those with addictive tendencies) confiscated can increase anxiety levels. Save yourself frustration by leaving prohibited possessions at home.
Contact the facility intake coordinator to request a complete list of allowed vs. forbidden items. While rules differ across sites, most inpatient centers only permit casual, comfortable clothing and basic toiletries. If you rely on special skin or hair care products, check if these are acceptable or if onsite supplies will suffice in the short term.
Don’t forget charging cables for phones/devices if permitted, insurance cards, some form of ID, printed lists of current prescriptions, physicians’ names and numbers, emergency contacts, and the like. These aid staff in your care.
Leave behind sentimental objects without treatment value, along with valuables, more than two- or three-days’ worth of clothing changes, or distracting electronics. Games, books, stationery, and art supplies often make approved items lists if interest exists hobby-wise.
If religion or cultural touchstones bring you calm or happiness, spiritual texts, uplifting photos, prayer items, or small sentimental trinkets can ease the discomfort of unfamiliar surroundings, provided sufficient storage space exists near your bed.
Informing family, friends, employers, bill contacts
Even month-long psychiatric hospitalizations allow little contact with the outside world, while residential dual-diagnosis programs encourage focusing inward for weeks or months. To avoid unnecessary worries over disappearing from regular activities, take time before entering treatment to notify key people in your network.
Give family and friends a general sense of your treatment goals, estimated timeframe, and options for reaching you in a pinch. Convey understanding if they can’t visit frequently due to distance, childcare barriers, or discomfort in clinical settings. Foster openness around your mental health battles to allow deeper future conversations.
Additionally, inform workplace managers of the need for medical leave, perhaps utilizing FMLA policies or short-term disability insurance to protect your position. Adjust bill payment dates, pause subscriptions and memberships, arrange pet care, pause mail, or hire a house-sitter if needed.
Granting someone durable power of attorney enables them to handle financial matters and government benefits when incapacitated. Just be sure to choose principled individuals you trust to avoid exploitation.
Getting your affairs in order
Too often, patient fears and assumptions fuel anxiety pre-treatment because facilities fail to communicate properly. Once accepted into a program, use resources like intake coordinators to gain answers rather than sitting with uncertainties.
Common queries to pose include:
- What types of payment does your facility accept? Do you assist with insurance claims processing or applying for state/county mental health coverage?
- Can I voluntarily discharge against medical advice, or will I be legally compelled to stay?
- In what ways can family and friends participate in my treatment plan or visitation?
- What possessions can I have with me, and are storage lockers available onsite?
- Will my diet be restricted or customized given medical/religious needs? May I bring supplemental nutrition drinks if permitted?
- Is WiFi available? Can I access email or educational websites with approval for goal achievement?
- Are salon services like haircuts available inside or outside, or may outside providers visit me?
- What types of therapies make up the programming here, and how much daily participation is typical?
- Do all staff hold credentials and licenses in their fields? May I request a change of individual/group therapist later on if needed?
By phrasing inquiries in respectful terms focused on your own understanding, staff recognize your intention to follow facility guidance once admitted. Some degree of fear or resistance to getting help exists naturally.
Moreover, conveying your commitment to the process at hand encourages clinicians to invest deeply in your care. Hence, you need to choose a reputable mental health care provider near you that’s committed to help in the best way possible. If you’re from around the area, you can contact a reputable mental health treatment Tulare facility near you and get your affairs arranged to make the transition to in-house care more seamless.
Adjusting to in-house mental health care
While advanced preparation aids the transition process, individuals still often experience a sizeable adjustment phase upon crossing the threshold into round-the-clock clinical care. By understanding common challenges faced by newly admitted patients and deploying self-care tools proactively, the initial days and weeks in a facility can pass more smoothly than imagined.
Adapting to new rules and structure
Inpatient and residential centers maintain structured routines to help patients focus fully on treatment. But for those accustomed to acting independently, sticking to strict schedules and rules can prove testing initially.
Expect to awaken, eat meals, attend programs and therapies, take medications, and sleep at designated times. Some facilities permit little deviation while others build in free periods or recreational options.
Showing the capacity to follow directives earns patient privileges over time. Remaining open and cooperative with procedures like room or bag checks and supervised medications can quicken adjustment, too.
Rather than viewing policies as punitive, recognize that staff must prioritize safety and accountability within a vulnerable population. If particular rules chafe at first, speak privately with overseeing clinicians about your thought process and work together on realistic modifications that support your care.
Coping with group living dynamics
In addition to authority figures watching and guiding behavior, in-house treatment plunges individuals suddenly into near-constant group scenarios, too. Learning to politely engage with varied peers in communal areas, shared meals, and therapeutic sessions allows social muscles to stretch gradually.
Of course, group interactions may also reinforce why you sought intensive help initially. Cultivating social bonds is among the factors that made residential mental healthcare more effective. This is backed by the fact that individuals with stronger social ties and community connections have been shown to have a 50% higher likelihood of survival compared to those with weaker social bonds.
Also, witnessing others battle issues like yours can feel validating and reduce stigma but simultaneously emotionally taxing. Continually monitor your reactions around other patients and alert staff if feeling triggered, overwhelmed, or tempted towards harmful conduct. Protecting your progress remains vital, so don’t hesitate to request accommodations like staggered mealtimes or passes to decompress alone while following intense programming.
Establishing relationships with providers
Forming sound therapeutic bonds with clinicians proves foundational to fruitful treatment stays. However, the intimacy required to heal understandably intensifies as new patients meet doctor after doctor, recounting agonizing personal histories to virtual strangers. Early days especially might find individuals hesitating to disclose sensitive clinical details or alternatively oversharing due to manic states, prescription adjustments, or desperation for solutions.
Remind yourself frequently that the treatment team has seen it all before without shock or judgment. Their role involves assessing symptoms to tailor care plans, so withholding rarely helps in the long term. That said, if unable to establish rapport with an assigned individual or group therapist, do broach the subject of switching to an alternative. The connections facilitating the deepest breakthroughs often feel safe, understanding, and constructive rather than cold or forced.
Navigating medication changes
In many inpatient facilities, patients surrender control over prescription regimens as psychiatrists assume oversight of diagnoses and drug therapies. Given intricate biochemical balances influencing mental health, additions, discontinuations, or dosing modifications of medications commonly occur at admission. This particularly holds true when substance misuse intertwines with underlying psychiatric illness.
As layers of addiction and emotional trauma lift in treatment, the clinical team evaluates pharmaceutical necessity closely through blood tests and behavioral observations. You may switch medications entirely, resume once denied prescriptions, or trial supplementary ones like sleep, mood stabilizing, or anti-anxiety agents.
Understanding the rationale for medication decisions and communicating side effects promptly assists expert fine-tuning. Also, recognize that changes undergone inside mirror adjustments are required again upon discharge. Expect another transition phase exiting facilities.
Cultivating crucial coping habits
In the midst of such sweeping lifestyle alterations, falling back on positive coping strategies breeds stability when turmoil surrounds. Dedicate yourself fully to the process by attending groups consistently, participating verbally, journaling after sessions, and applying therapists’ suggestions to daily choices.
Creative outlets or mindfulness exercises like meditation or yoga often exist, too. You can also reduce feelings of anxiety and depression through exercising or working out. This can be a healthy distraction that can take your mind off your worries.
Peer support plays a powerful role as well. Bond with fellow patients by sharing tips for managing emotions or even simple conversations over games or meals. Respect all treatment journeys without comparison.
Recognize that every individual present wrestles with vulnerabilities, so extend compassion readily. Trade encouragement and reminders of self-worth since surrounding oneself with uplifting people markedly smooths out a stay.
On particularly trying days, draw strength by reflecting upon the courage and self-love the decision to pursue intensive treatment exemplifies. Visualize the emotionally healthy, balanced, and thriving person emerging on the other side. Healing happens even while hard work continues, so celebrate small breakthroughs even if the larger journey remains long. You’ve taken the leap and committed. Now, trust the process.
In closing
The transition into intensive mental health treatment undoubtedly proves challenging, even when proper forethought and a cooperative spirit pave the way. By leaning on compassionate counselors, engaging wholeheartedly in the therapeutic process, and deploying self-care habits early on, patients can adapt to the initial adjustment phase.
While emotional breakthroughs and healing take time and courage, approaching in-house care with realistic expectations, patience, and trust in the methods allows for steady, positive transformation.
With an extensive support network offering encouragement and a personal commitment to doing the difficult inner work, the discomfort of the present upheaval spins hope for stability ahead. Though the road may feel long and demanding, take comfort in the fact that the first brave step towards in-house treatment signifies stirring progress.
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