Can You Check Yourself Into a Mental Hospital for Depression?
You’ve been really struggling with your mental health lately. You think you need a high level of care, but you’re not sure what your options are. Can you check into a mental hospital for depression? And how can you tell when it’s time to take that step?
To learn more about mental health recovery options in Philadelphia, call us today or verify your insurance online. We’re excited to help you start your personal recovery journey.
Can You Check Into a Mental Hospital for Depression?
Before we go any further, let’s answer the question at the top of this post: Can you check into a mental hospital for depression? Yes, you can.
Choosing to voluntarily enter a mental hospital or another type of treatment center shows that you have hope for a brighter future, as well as the courage to ask for the help you need to achieve that goal.
Before you take that step, you want to be sure that a hospital is the right place for you. Effective health treatment can occur in several environments, including hospitals, residential facilities, and outpatient programs. To determine which type of care is the ideal starting point for you, you should consult with your doctor or another qualified professional.
Two important factors to consider when evaluating your treatment options are the type of symptoms you have been experiencing and the impact that these symptoms have had on your life.
Symptoms of Depression
Common signs of depression include:
- Dramatic swings in mood, attitude, and energy
- Pervasive sense of sadness, hopelessness, and/or emptiness
- Persistent fatigue and low motivation
- Agitation and restlessness
- Difficulty experiencing joy
- Impaired focus, concentration, and judgement
- Loss of interest in activities or topics that used to be important to you
- Change in appetite and resultant unintentional weight gain or loss
- Abnormal sleep patterns, which can include insomnia or hypersomnia
- Vivid, distressing nightmares
- Recurrent thoughts of death and dying
- Suicidal ideation
Experiencing these types of symptoms could mean that you need professional help. Now, let’s talk about how you can decide if a mental hospital is the right place to get that help.
Recommended: Types Of Depression: Signs and Symptoms
Reasons for Hospitalization
The depression symptoms that we listed above can vary in both severity and duration. Hospitalization is usually the right call for people who have been experiencing severe, persistent symptoms that are preventing them from functioning in one or more important areas of life.
If you’ve been dealing with circumstances like the following, a mental hospital may be the ideal environment for you:
- You often find it difficult or impossible to get out of bed and get on with your day.
- You struggle to summon the energy to brush your teeth, shower, or otherwise tend to your appearance and hygiene.
- You’ve missed school or work, failed to pay bills, or neglected other important responsibilities.
- Your performance in school or at work has declined considerably.
- Your thought processes and physical reactions have become noticeably slowed.
- No matter how much sleep you get, you feel physically and emotionally exhausted.
- You fear that you are at risk of self-harm or suicide.
To be admitted to a mental health hospital or another treatment environment, you will eventually need to discuss your concerns with a healthcare professional. Some mental health facilities require patients to be referred by a doctor or psychiatrist, while others accept self-referrals.
In either case, you will need to be evaluated to ensure that the treatment center you’re considering is the right fit for you.
Features of Treatment in a Mental Hospital
Your experience in a mental hospital can vary depending on a host of factors, including your treatment history, the scope and acuity of your needs, and the parameters of the hospital’s programming. Here’s a general overview of three common features of treatment:
Assessment
When you check into a mental hospital for depression, one of your first activities will likely be to complete a thorough assessment. Often, this means that a member of your treatment team will review your history, ask you some questions about the nature and severity of your symptoms, and discuss your immediate and long-term goals.
The information that’s gathered during this assessment will help your team determine which medications and therapies may be right for you.
Medication
When you get help for depression in a mental hospital, you will likely receive one or more prescription medications to alleviate your symptoms. Examples of meds that are frequently incorporated into depression treatment include:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as paroxetine (Paxil), fluoxetine (Prozac), and sertraline (Zoloft)
- Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta)
- Atypical antidepressants such as bupropion (Wellbutrin) and trazodone (Desyrel)
Therapies
The therapeutic component of treatment for depression can include a variety of approaches, such as those offered at New Mind Wellness in Philadelphia. These services range from the following:
- Individual psychotherapy
- Psychiatry
- Group therapy
- Family therapy and support sessions
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Holistic therapies
- Experiential therapies
In addition to these, New Mind Wellness offers advanced services like Genetic Testing and EMDR Therapy, which may be particularly beneficial if your struggles with depression are associated with untreated trauma
Benefits of Checking into a Mental Hospital for Depression
We’ve discussed if you can check yourself into a mental hospital for depression (reminder: yes, you can), and we’ve also addressed if you should take this step (it depends on a range of personal factors).
Now, we’re going to approach this topic from one more angle. What are the benefits of checking yourself into a mental hospital? Answers to this question include:
- Safe environment: While you’re in a mental hospital, you will be in a safe space that offers round-the-clock care and supervision. You’ll be temporarily shielded from the stresses and pressures of daily life, so you can focus your full attention on your treatment.
- Treatment team: Treatment in mental hospitals typically takes a team approach. This means that you’ll benefit from the training, experiences, and insights of a multidisciplinary group of professionals.
- Personalized services: Your treatment team should develop a customized plan for you, based on the information they gather during your assessment. They should also continue to monitor your progress, so they can make any necessary modifications throughout your time in the hospital.
- Shared support: Severe depression can be isolating, and isolation can cause your symptoms to intensify. In treatment, you can discover the benefits of sharing support with other patients who have been living with similar challenges.
- Discharge planning: Before your time in treatment comes to an end, you should receive a detailed discharge plan to guide your continued progress. This plan may include information about professional services and community-based resources that can support you in the weeks and months to come.
Find Depression Treatment in Philadelphia
New Mind Wellness offers multiple levels of outpatient care for adults whose lives have been disrupted by depression and other mental health concerns.
The continuum of care at our depression treatment center in Philadelphia, PA, includes a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and an outpatient program (OP).
If you are stepping down from an inpatient program or seeking alternatives to hospitalization for depression, New Mind Wellness could be the ideal place for you. To learn more head over to our admissions page or call us today to begin your journey!
Begin Healing at Our Mental Health Rehab in Philadelphia
If you are ready to take the first step towards a healthier mind, contact us today. You will be connected with someone who can help guide you through our simple and straightforward admissions process. Learn more about our mental health programs in Philadelphia and begin your journey towards lasting wellness.
