Depression is a very difficult disease to treat. The hopelessness and despair that are among its most prominent symptoms tend to interfere with a patient’s ability to follow through with a treatment plan or to even decide it would be worthwhile to seek out treatment at all. For people who aren’t making good progress while in outpatient care, there are more intensive options that may work. Sometimes Inpatient Depression Treatment Centers can help people who simply don’t do well living at home and attending counseling sessions.
Going to Inpatient Depression Treatment Centers can be particularly helpful for people who have a lot going on in their home life that makes it difficult to care for themselves. This is especially true for patients who may have family members who don’t even understand that depression is a disease, and who may be nagging them to “toughen up” or “get over it.” Patients with this disease tend to be excessively critical of themselves, so exposure to a steady stream of criticism from someone else can do a great deal to undermine any progress that can be made in therapy sessions. Moving to a dedicated treatment facility can provide a safe space for recovery to begin.
Inpatient Depression Treatment Centers are also a good choice for people who need additional support. If a patient has reached the point where he or she often won’t bother to get out of bed at all, it is better to be in a setting where there are other people around who know exactly what is going on. This can also make it easier for professionals to see how well a particular treatment approach is working. In some patients, it may also be worthwhile to be able to monitor for reactions to medication. For example, a bipolar patient who is being treated for a severe bout of depression may be pushed into mania by the depression medications. Careful monitoring is also helpful when there are other disorders complicating the situation, like OCD.
Most people are better off working on their symptoms in their home environment, because they can get support from friends and family there. For those who don’t do well with this approach, though, Inpatient Depression Treatment Centers like The Houston OCD Program are a highly effective alternative.
