Psychiatric Hospital Vs. Residential Mental Health Center

As many as one in five Americans experience some form of mental illness in the space of a calendar year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Fortunately, most of these cases are considered mild and can be treated through counseling, therapy, medication, peer support, and self-help. 

However, a smaller subset of Americans experience serious mental illnesses (SMIs) or mental health crises that require extensive care and support to manage effectively. This support often includes mental health care provided in an inpatient setting, which may include treatment provided through either psychiatric hospitals or residential mental health treatment centers. 

But what are the similarities between psychiatric hospital vs. residential mental health center settings, and what are the most important differences?

Understanding SMIs

SMIs are defined as any mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder or combination of disorders that make it difficult or impossible for a person to function in day-to-day life, especially when it comes to major life activities like caring for oneself, sleeping, perceiving the outside world, and communicating with others. 

In 2021, NIMH reported that over 14 million American adults were estimated to be living with an SMI, or around 5.5% of all American adults. This included an estimated 7% of women, 4% of men, and 11.4% of young adults aged 18-25 years. 

SMIs encompass a wide variety of different conditions, including but not limited to:

• major depression
• schizophrenia
• bipolar disorder
• obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• panic disorder
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• borderline personality disorder

As difficult as these conditions can be to live with, they are treatable and their symptoms can be managed for a vastly improved quality of life. In fact, personalized treatment programs are widely available with different forms of care offered in a number of different settings, allowing people to access suitable care throughout their recovery journeys. 

While outpatient care is more common, people experiencing a critical mental health emergency or who need particularly intensive care and support often find that short-term inpatient programs are the best fit for their needs. And residential programs are often highly recommended as a starting point for those who need to lay a strong foundation for a long-lasting and successful mental health recovery. 

Psychiatric Hospitalization & Residential Mental Health Care: Similarities 

Residential mental health facilities and psychiatric hospitals are similar in a number of different ways.

Similarities include the following:

• They both offer intensive, 24/7 mental health treatment provided by trained and certified mental health professionals.
• Both evaluate the client’s condition and help them develop a personalized treatment pathway.
• Both rely on combinations of group treatment and individual therapy.
• Both have strict visitation and safety policies.
• Both often offer care for SMIs and co-occurring substance use disorders (i.e., dual diagnosis care).
• Both can be solutions for people experiencing, or who have recently experienced, a mental health crisis.

However, there are also many important differences between psychiatric hospitals vs. residential mental health centers. 

Psychiatric Hospitalization & Residential Mental Health Care: Differences

While both psychiatric hospitals and residential mental health centers offer inpatient care for SMIs, these programs have different focuses. 

Psychiatric hospitals are intended to treat the most severe SMI cases, especially those in which a person’s symptoms are extreme, dangerous, and require urgent or long-term attention. Accordingly, hospitalization is designed to provide a very high level of care and support in these high-intensity situations, keeping patients safe and focusing on safety and stabilization.

Residential programs, in contrast, focus on laying the groundwork for long-term recovery, personal independence, and enrichment. These programs offer a wide variety of services that can introduce new skills and mindsets with meaningful long-term benefits. People attending residential treatment centers may be invited to participate in holistic programming designed to benefit other areas of their life beyond their immediate mental health needs. 

Hospitalization programs, while they can continue long-term, tend to last only as long as necessary. Residential programs, in contrast, usually have a predefined treatment period. They also usually boast facilities that are designed to be comfortable and to feel less like a hospital or institution and more like a home or hotel. 

What To Expect In A Psychiatric Hospital

If you are admitted into a psychiatric hospital, you can expect to receive 24-hour care from highly trained mental health professionals in a secure and controlled environment. Providers at these locations will be trained to manage a wide range of different emergency situations and symptoms including symptoms of withdrawal, problems with medication, psychosis, self-harm, disease or illness, and more. 

Many people enter psychiatric hospitalization voluntarily to get help, while others enter in the midst of a serious crisis after having been brought in through the hospital emergency room or psych ward/crisis stabilization unit (CSU). However, once a patient is stabilized, even if this takes some time, there will be a change of focus toward arranging other forms of treatment and support, including transfers to inpatient treatment facilities or other forms of appropriate mental health treatment. 

Note that psychiatric hospitals are distinct from psych wards. Whereas psychiatric wards offer short-term inpatient psychiatric care for people who need immediate treatment, psychiatric hospitals may offer longer-term care for patients with severe mental illnesses who need close observation and medical attention.

What To Expect During Residential Treatment

Residential mental health treatment centers can also often provide stabilization during a crisis, though they may not have as many resources for emergencies. They also offer a focused, supportive, and comfortable setting for you to focus on your mental health and make progress in recovery. If you will be attending a residential treatment program, you can expect the following, though services may vary.

An In-Depth Intake Evaluation

Shortly after arriving at the treatment center, you will participate in an in-depth evaluation to determine your current condition in light of your past physical and mental health issues. This evaluation will help your treatment providers to develop a personalized treatment plan not only for your time in the residential program, but also for your aftercare and ongoing support. Treatment may start with stabilization services if available.

Comfortable Surroundings

Residential treatment facilities aim to be comfortable and restful places, and most take great pains to make sure that all clients have comfortable quarters (either shared or single rooms), eat regular and nutritious meals, and have access to exercise equipment, natural outdoor environments, and social recreational opportunities. 

You’ll also be able to write emails or call home, though electronics and other personal items may be restricted in order to reduce distractions for everyone and encourage a greater focus on the treatment process. 

Individual & Group Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy, is one of the foremost tools used in any mental health treatment program regardless of setting, and focuses on uncovering and addressing unwanted patterns of thought and behavior. You should expect regular therapy sessions involving you and a facilitator working one-on-one, as well as group sessions. 

Common forms of psychotherapy used in residential programs include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), exposure therapy, and more.

Medication Management

Medications are a common focus of treatment for many mental health disorders, and they may be routinely adjusted throughout a person’s recovery journey. For example, antipsychotics may be prescribed to treat conditions like schizophrenia, while antidepressants and anxiolytics may be prescribed to treat a variety of different conditions ranging from depression to anxiety disorders. 

Medication management services in inpatient settings can help with this process, working to fine-tune your medication dosages and types in order to reduce any side effects while getting the most benefit possible.

Wellness Activities

Along with other focused treatment elements, clients may be invited to participate in other on-site activities that support their personal well-being and confidence in recovery. Common examples include exercise programs, yoga, guided meditation, nature therapy, and art or other creative therapies.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment (Co-Occurring Substance Abuse Treatment)

Substance abuse and mental health disorders often develop together, with both conditions potentially able to trigger or intensify the other. Accordingly, dual diagnosis treatment programs are often hosted by residential treatment centers in order to provide effective care and support for both substance use disorders and co-occurring SMIs.

Dual diagnosis programs may offer medical detoxification and withdrawal symptom management, CBT, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), peer support, and other evidence-based treatment programming specifically designed to help aid in recovery from both conditions. 

Aftercare Coordination

With residential treatment centers’ focus on long-term recovery, it’s not surprising that these programs take time to lay out a personalized treatment plan that defines steps and goals for a person’s immediate recovery treatment as well as their continuing aftercare support long after the residential program is over. 

Common aftercare programs that may be coordinated for you before your treatment program concludes are:

• MAT options for opioid or alcohol addiction recovery
• specialized grief or trauma therapy
• continuing outpatient treatment options
• peer support groups or self-help programs
• assistance with critical medical, legal, or financial issues

About Ohio Recovery Center

If you or a loved one needs expert treatment for a substance use disorder, mental health disorder, or a combination of both conditions, Ohio Recovery Center (ORC) can help. We are a leading short-term residential mental health treatment provider with a strong focus on individualized treatment planning and proven, evidence-based treatment practices.

Our clinical, medical, and psychiatric services include step-down stabilization programs, medical detox, dual diagnosis treatment, individual and group psychotherapy, prosocial and wellness activities, aftercare, alternative treatment programming, and more, all provided in a modern treatment facility located on a beautiful 55-acre campus in Van Wert, OH.

Whether you have recently experienced a mental health problem or have been struggling for a long time, ORC’s psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, master’s-level clinicians, case managers, and other highly qualified staff can help you find a path to move forward. Call today.