For individuals who suffer from mental health problems, including bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and PTSD, among other things, there are a variety of treatment options that can be utilized to make substantial progress. In the past, one major avenue of treatment was a stay at a mental health hospital program, where patients would stay until they were no longer seen as an immediate danger to themselves (or others).
You can see how this methodology could be problematic, as it creates an unproductive cycle of social isolation and trying to treat symptoms, rather than the root cause. This is why residential mental health treatment programs have become a more accepted path to deal with specific disorders. Here are some of the advantages of residential mental health programs…
More Individualized Programs
First of all, in residential programs, where the patient stays within treatment for a designated amount of time, regardless of the severity of their symptoms, each patient has time to undergo a more individualized program that is specifically geared around therapy goals that apply to them. The personal structure of these treatment programs make them better to address mental health problems, which derive from very specific personal experiences (such as a past traumatic event).
This is an advantage over hospitalization, which have more of a one-size-fits-all approach to their patients. As an added aside, this personalization of treatment helps create a better environment of personal responsibility.
Routines are Better Catered Towards Progress
Stays at mental health hospitals are often too temporary to build any specific habits or make lasting changes to personal behavior. Residential treatment centers, on the other hand, are a bit more of a commitment, which sets aside a large amount of time that can be dedicated towards productive changes in behavior within designated a dedicated structure and daily routine.
Better Peer Support
There is a stronger environment of community that is built at a residential treatment center, where peer-based support is built into the treatment. Peer support is a useful tool when treatment mental health issues, because it is rooted in a shared experience that can lead to a stronger understanding of what must be done to make meaningful progress.
