When someone you love is facing a mental health disorder, it can feel overwhelming and terrifying all at once. Days might feel unpredictable, worries might be flooding your mind, and you may find yourself desperately searching for a way to help them feel stable again. Rest assured there are options available.
However, if you fear for your loved one’s safety – for example, if they are displaying self-harm behaviors, sinister thoughts, or an inability to take care of themselves – there are immediate treatment options you must consider. Mental hospitals, formally called psychiatric hospitals, are a type of inpatient treatment facility that offer intensive, urgent care to help people through moments of crises.
And for those who are struggling with severe mental health disorders, but are seeking a program focused on long-term recovery and growth, there are other residential treatment options available.
Let’s explore what mental hospitals are, what they are like, and what alternatives are out there for people with mental health disorders.
What is a mental hospital?
A mental hospital, also known as a psychiatric hospital, is a medical facility designed to treat people experiencing severe mental health symptoms and crises. These hospitals provide a safe, structured environment and round-the-clock supervision for individuals who need immediate stabilization and cannot safely manage symptoms on their own.
Generally speaking, psychiatric hospitals are best for individuals who are at risk of harming themselves or others, who require immediate, medically-driven intervention, or who cannot keep up with the demands of daily life due to their mental health struggles. Mental hospitals are not long-term treatment programs or living environments; they offer a temporary care option to get someone back to safety, then help to make a plan for aftercare.
Key features of a mental hospital include, but are not limited to:
- Secure units to ensure safety of patients
- 24/7 care, support, and supervision
- Medication-assisted treatment
- Group and individual therapy
- Structured daily schedules, with meals, therapy, recreation, and rest
What are mental hospitals like?
The thought of going to a mental hospital or psychiatric ward can feel scary; many of us do not know much about them beyond what television shows. In reality, though, these facilities are extremely safe and supportive. Mental hospitals are designed to be an environment where people can get away from the stress of everyday life and recover in an environment literally built for their security.
What does this mean? When you walk through the doors, you might see locked units, soft corners, secured areas, and several restrictions to keep patients safe. People usually need to leave personal belongings at entry, as well, to be stored safely by hospital staff.
Psychiatric hospitals are typically clinically and medically focused. They operate much like hospital units, with continuous monitoring and protocols, as well as structured treatment routines. The goal of these hospitals is crisis stabilization and risk reduction. However, this does not mean that they lack compassionate care. The best mental hospitals offer caring and calming environments, lean into therapeutic practices, and offer round-the-clock support to reduce stress and harm among patients.
Here’s a look at what you might find in mental hospitals today:
- Structured day-to-day routines
With mental hospitals offering relatively short stays and programs, schedules tend to be tight. Every day has structure to ensure key treatment activities are completed and that patients are kept on a predictable routine. Predictability adds a sense of stability, which can aid in recovery.
This daily schedule usually consists of waking up, eating three meals, participating in supervised group activities, completing therapy sessions, and having quiet time. Some programs may offer recreational therapies like art, movement, or mindfulness. Depending on patient cases, some offer dedicated visiting hours. However, patients tend to have very little personal freedom, which can lead to boredom at times.
- 24/7 support and monitoring
Mental hospitals offer a specialized, multidisciplinary care team that’s trained to treat mental health disorders. Patients meet regularly with psychiatrists, nurses, therapists, social workers, and other mental health specialists. These clinicians will also check-in frequently to monitor symptoms and ensure safety.
- Medication-assisted treatment
Mental hospitals offer access to an array of clinical treatment for mental health. This typically involves medication management in combination with therapy, counseling, and supervised activities.
- Discharge and aftercare planning
Usually in short-term inpatient settings, such as psychiatric hospitals, there is a big focus on planning for aftercare. Before leaving, patients work closely with staff to make a plan for maintenance. This might involve going to outpatient therapy, following up with doctors on medications, or entering a longer-term residential treatment program to improve their mental health.
What are alternatives to psychiatric hospitals?
There are many situations in which a psychiatric hospital is not the best course of action for someone struggling. For example, what about people who are not in crisis or displaying emergency symptoms? What about people who need longer-term residential support, because their current environment is not conducive to their healing? And how about the individuals who have already completed a short-term hospital stay? What options do they have?
These circumstances are where residential mental health treatment programs come into play. Residential treatment facilities offer long-term, evidence-based therapy for people with chronic mental health symptoms. They tend to be more comfortable in their settings than the average mental hospital. Furthermore, they offer more personal freedom, life skills development, and emotional support to facilitate a lasting recovery.
Here’s a look at an incredible alternative to mental hospitals—residential treatment:
- Personalized, evidence-based treatment
At residential mental health treatment centers (like Turnbridge), every journey begins with a personalized clinical assessment to understand an individual’s needs, symptoms, and goals. From there, clinicians build a treatment plan tailored to that person. This treatment plan may include evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), trauma-informed therapy, mindfulness and meditation, and other methods that are proven to support mental health.
- Long-term care
Where psychiatric hospitals offer short-term care for stabilization (lasting a few days to a couple of weeks), residential treatment programs last for several months or more. This is to ensure that residents are fully prepared for life after treatment, and that they build the foundations for long-term success.
- A supportive recovery community
While psychiatric hospitals can feel isolating for some, residential treatment programs are aimed at building community. Residents are surrounded by other people, of similar age, gender, and experiences, who truly understand what they are going through. Through community events, recreational activities, and group therapy sessions, people can share coping skills, validate one another’s feelings, hold each other accountable, and build meaningful connections that last long after treatment.
- Comfortable, calming, and beautiful environments
Residential treatment facilities are unlike hospitals in that they allow individuals to live in comfortable, warm, and home-like settings. At Turnbridge, for example, the residences are thoughtfully designed spaces where clients can feel safe, grounded, and more at ease as they focus on their mental health. They have access to gyms, libraries, recreation rooms, and more—personal freedoms that help to give them peace and normalcy, while staying safe on campus.
- Life skills for long-term recovery
Similar to mental hospitals, planning for aftercare is important in residential programs. Clients must feel ready to take on their next chapter of life, with accessible resources, skills, and support in their back pockets. At Turnbridge, we start preparing for life after treatment on day one. Residents gain practical and emotional skills that future-proof their treatment, by:
- Building healthy routines and self-care habits
- Learning emotional regulation and coping strategies
- Improving communication and relationship skills
- Understanding nutrition and meal planning
- Engaging in movement every day, to help heal the body and emphasize routine
- Continuing their academics or preparing for careers
- Practicing time management and organization
These skills empower clients to maintain their progress and thrive long after treatment ends. However, our clinical staff also helps residents prepare by connecting them with doctors, educators, job or volunteer opportunities, sober living homes, and outpatient therapy options after graduation.
Learn more about Turnbridge residential treatment for mental health
Now that you know more about what happens in a mental hospital, and what happens in residential treatment, you can make an informed choice regarding your loved one’s next steps. However, if you still feel uncertain, do not hesitate to call Turnbridge for guidance and information.
Turnbridge is a recognized mental health treatment provider for young men, young women, and teens battling substance use and mental health disorders. Treatment for our clients is always personalized and evidence-based, and care is delivered in a serene, safe, and supportive setting. Our approach is not solely to treat symptoms, but to provide whole-person care. This means residents’ needs are met from all angles: physical health, mental health, emotional resilience, life skills, relationship building, and real-world functioning.
At Turnbridge, our goal is to empower individuals to become stronger, healthier, and more independent versions of themselves—and, ultimately, to build a meaningful life they love. Learn more by visiting us online or calling 877-581-1793 today.