Day Hospital

Hey so my therapist recommended a residential treatment center for me to go to this summer. I was very surprised because I don't consider myself to be very severely mentally ill. I have OCD but it's much better now because of Prozac; I consider it to be mild but she says that’s not true. Most of my OCD involves praying frequently and occasionally pulling up socks and stuff like that. I also pick at my head which I don’t think is a big deal since I am not creating scabs or anything like that. What is more severe is my social anxiety. I don’t have any friends and barely talk to people outside my family. I’m always uncomfortable around people and worried I’m going to say the wrong thing but I also find I just don’t really like other people. I think I might have some mild depression as well—I’m not really into the idea of existence (on a philosophical level) and lack a lot of motivation. I spoke to the guidance counselor at my school today and she said that instead of residential, I could just switch therapists or leave school and do a 2-week day hospital program at Johns Hopkins or at Sheppard Pratt. What do people think about day hospitals/partial hospitalization? Am I really severe enough?

I guess for me it would depend on my relationship with the therapist. Do you trust her? Does she know how you are coping? Does she know what kind of support you have?

If the answer is yes, then I would at least do some research on the place she wants you to go to this summer. From what you wrote, it sounds like she thinks that you are safe but that you need a higher level of treatment to really recover, so she is suggesting that when it won't affect school, you seek that treatment.

If you don't feel like you can trust your therapist to have a good feel for what you need, then perhaps another therapist would be a good choice. That way you would have a second opinion.

Check with the hospital what kind of programs they run during the day. Do they offer DBT training or any form of group therapy? These may be helpful and keep you occupied. Then at least you can go home at the end of the day.

I would highly recommend partial hospitalization. I was in one for a few months. It helped me. I was not that severe. I was even holding down a job, while I was in the program. My peers in the program were not much different from myself, as far as functioning went.

In-patient stays, - IMHO - have much less structure/programming. Their goal is mainly just to keep you from harming yourself. Residential treatment centers tend to be for those with seriously impaired functioning or tendencies toward harmful behavior.

Ask your therapist why he/she is recommending the residential treatment center. It might help you to gain more social skills, by being immersed in the company of others round the clock. That would be a good rationale.

I did a PHP when I was first diagnosed with schizophrenia.
I was put in a PHP program with other schizophrenic people and I both hated it and loved it.

I thought it was helpful, when it was time for me to go after four months, I didn't want to leave. I made friends there and I had a good time.