I often provide some insight to clients and family members on the ins and outs of the mental health system.  Having a basic understanding of the options will help guide you or your loved one to get the help you need.  There are variances to this if the person is an adolescent or the problem is addiction and keep in mind, this is a brief overview.  

Most of the time when people enter therapy it is on an outpatient basis at a clinic, private practice, or agency setting.  A person usually attends therapy weekly for one hour, but the frequency can be increased or decreased temporarily if needed.  Sometimes, it is useful for the person to attend an outpatient therapy group weekly or monthly, as well as work with their doctor or psychiatrist to start medication.  A combination of these allows the person to live normally while getting their mental health needs met.

When outpatient care is not enough, people can be referred to a higher level of care.  This is called an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP).  Typically, a program might be 3 days a week for a half a day or evening.  Participants will get treatment from a multi-disciplinary team including nurses, therapists, and psychiatrists.  The treatment would include group and individual therapy.  

There is a similar option called a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP).  The person would receive treatment from a multi-disciplinary team, however treatment hours are more intense, most likely 4-5 days a week for several hours a day.

One of the highest levels of care is an acute care hospitalization.  The length of stay is usually 2 days to 2 weeks.  This is typically for people who are considered a danger to themselves or others, functioning at a very low level due to their mental illness, experiencing a manic episode, or psychosis.  The person would stay at the hospital during this period and be seen within 24 hours by a psychiatrist. Nurses would distribute medication like at a hospital, therapists would provide individual and group therapy during the day.  There are mental health staff  on the units 24/7 providing care and supervision.  If a person is in need of hospitalization and will not voluntarily sign in, someone can be “committed” to a hospital by a physician, psychiatric nurse practitioner, psychologist, (via PEC) or the coroner’s office (via OPC) in Louisiana.

After someone has repeated unsuccessful treatments at any of these lower levels of care an individual might require longer term treatment at a residential treatment center.  This is where a person would go and live for 30 days or longer for in depth care.  These programs are often specialized in the people and issues they treat.

There can be many frustrating barriers trying to get the help outlined here when you are dealing with insurance companies, but that’s a topic for a different day. If you don’t know where to begin, see if your company provides EAP benefits to get started.