There’s a lot of stigma around substance use and mental health. Because of the stigma, there’s a lot of people that need help that aren’t getting the help that they need out of fear of judgement or being ridiculed. However, there’s no shame in needing help. We all need help. Before we dive into which treatment could be right for you, let’s figure out if you need treatment.
When To Know You Need Treatment
Regarding your mental health, do you find your mental health to be debilitating? Issues that you’re having getting in the way of your everyday life? Affecting your job, social life, and relationships? Isolating? Seeing or hearing things that aren’t there? You most likely need help.
Regarding substance use, do you find yourself using this substance quite frequently? Constantly craving this substance? Withdrawing from this substance when you go days without it? Prioritizing this drug over your job or personal relationships? Funding this addiction even when you can’t afford it? You most likely need help.
Different Types of Treatment
Before we figure out which treatment you need, let’s dive into the different types of treatment. There’s in-patient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient. The different types of treatment are based on the kind of care you need based on the severity of the problem you’re facing. In-patient treatment is more emergent. In-patient treatment is for people that need immediate care due to their life being in danger or their problem is so severe or debilitating that they need to be monitored closely. In-patient is when you’re in a locked facility with other patients with similar issues where you’re seen by social workers, doctors, psychiatrists, etc. and you’re given medication to help with your problem and you’re being monitored 24 hours for your safety. People are typically in-patient for anywhere between 3 to 7 days (it’s on a case by case basis determined by your doctor). For substance abuse, depending on the drug you consumed, withdrawal can be fatal, so you’d need to be monitored closely. After in-patient treatment is completed, you have the option of moving onto partial hospitalization or outpatient treatment.
Partial hospitalization (PHP) is a form of treatment that falls between in-patient and outpatient. It’s an intensive treatment program that offers a high level of support that involves therapy, medication management, and groups. Similar to in-patient, but the difference is having the ability to return home after groups because you don’t need to be monitored as closely as in-patient. Groups and treatment typically is 5 days a week, allowing you to practice the skills you learn in group to apply to the real world. After being in PHP, you could step down to outpatient.
Outpatient is a type of treatment similar to PHP, but the difference is groups and treatment are typically 3 days a week rather than 5. Still involves medication management, groups, therapy, etc. but you have the ability to go home to practice your group skills at home. Because it’s less days than PHP, it is recommended that you seek therapy, or attend other groups like AA/NA (only if you use substances).
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