When one or more behavioral health challenges have impaired a person’s ability to function in a healthy and productive manner, inpatient care may be the optimal treatment environment. The inpatient setting allows patients to step away from the stresses and distractions of everyday life so they can focus on their well-being.
Inpatient care is typically a short-term experience, with the goal of helping patients achieve the level of stabilization that will allow them to return home or transition to a less intensive level of care.
Depending upon the nature and severity of each patient’s struggles, inpatient behavioral healthcare may include the following elements:
- Thorough biopsychosocial assessment
- Meeting with psychiatrist to determine need for medication
- Medication management services if needed
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Experiential therapies
- Family therapy and related support services
- Age-appropriate programming for adolescents and adults
- Detailed discharge planning
In addition to the specific services that are included in each patient’s personalized treatment plan, inpatient care also offers the following general benefits:
- Multidisciplinary treatment teams
- Round-the-clock monitoring and supervision
- Safe, secure, and highly structured environment
As patients near the completion of their inpatient program, they may be referred to less intensive levels of care, such as a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), or traditional outpatient services, to support their continued progress.