Mental health residential treatment facilities provide a variety of services. They are found throughout the country and may house any number of patients from fewer than ten up to hundreds. Some facilities are state-run and accept indigent patients while others are costly private facilities offering spa services, deluxe accommodations and spacious grounds. Residential facilities are typically managed by physicians, nurses and mental health professionals.
Treatment Types
Residential mental health services are divided into two main categories: addiction and other mental health services. Many facilities accept both types of patients; in fact, many patients being treated for addiction have other mental health problems that need concurrent treatment. Mental health issues commonly treated in residential facilities include major depression, bipolar disorder, autism, Asperger's syndrome, schizophrenia, behavioral disorders and anxiety.
Patient Ages
Occasionally, children younger than 10 are sent to residential treatment, but most patients are teenagers or adults. Many of the teenagers and children found in residential facilities suffer from addiction disorders, behavioral disorders including conduct disorder and intermittent explosive disorder, autism, Asperger's syndrome and eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Adults found in residential facilities often have diagnoses of addiction disorders, psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder and major depression. Some patients are referred to residential treatment after failing to improve with outpatient treatment or short-term hospitalization. Others are placed into residential treatment after a suicide attempt and some are referred by the legal system after setting fires, harming others or engaging in bizarre illegal activities.
Length of Stay
The length of stay at a residential treatment facility varies. Basically, a residential stay lasts for more than a month, and often lasts for up to a year. Some stays are life-long in cases of schizophrenia or other debilitating psychotic illnesses. A person with severe autism who is unable to care for himself may remain hospitalized for most of his life. A teenager with a significant behavioral problem may stay at a facility for a period of one year or two years or until she turns 18. Facilities that treat children under 18 often have a school so education can be continued during treatment.
Program Types
Addiction-based treatment programs focus on withdrawal and sobriety. The patient spends time in group sessions and individual counseling to work on the issues underlying his substance abuse. Behavioral management programs for teens may focus on military-style discipline, explains the Federal Trade Commission. A typical adult residential program includes group therapy, individual counseling, family counseling and recreation. A patient in a mental health residential treatment facility may participate in a program in which he works through "phases," earning new rights with each phase, such as a visit or phone call from a family member. After completing the last phase, the patient is discharged. Some long-term residential facilities focus on medical management and basic care for severely psychotic patients who benefit only minimally from counseling or behavioral modification.
Advantages and Drawbacks
The Washington State Department of Health explains that residential treatment facilities provide 24-hour care. This is necessary in the acute phases of some mental illnesses and during drug detoxification. Another advantage is that the patient is removed from the environment in which he became unhealthy. This may involve a stressful family situation, an enabling spouse, a neighborhood drug dealer or a toxic relationship. The person is allowed to develop healthy coping mechanisms before she is returned to the community, increasing her odds of remaining healthy.
Drawbacks include loss of freedom, especially if the person is committed against her will. Another drawback is that the patient is removed from positive role models and supportive family members. Being surrounded by others with significant mental illnesses and behavioral problems can sometimes worsen the condition of emotionally fragile patients. Children and teenagers forced to live in residential treatment may decide not to seek psychological services when they need them as an adult.
References
- Federal Trade Commission: Considering a Private Residential Treatment Program for a Troubled Teen?
- American Residential Treatment Association: Mental Health Communities of Hope and Healing
- Washington State Department of Health: Residential Treatment Facility
- "Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing"; Mary Townsend; 2006
