Inpatient Mental Health Treatment

Inpatient mental health treatment is a level of treatment indicated for people experiencing severe mental illness that impacts their ability to function on an independent and safe basis. Twenty-four-hour supervision is required.

Criteria

• Inpatient care is needed when "an individual becomes so ill that they are at risk of hurting themselves or others," according to Mental Health America. It is also used for stabilizing patients in crisis or in need of medication adjustment.

Types

• Voluntary commitment and involuntary commitment are two types of inpatient hospitalizations. Voluntary means the patient agrees to hospitalization. Involuntary is requested by anyone who believes that a person "has a mental illness and poses a likelihood of serious harm because of the mental illness," as described by Maine's Department of Health and Human Services. This standard applies to all states.

Assessment

• An M.D. psychiatrist or other mental health professional does an assessment to determine if the patient is displaying severe symptoms of mental illness. If involuntary commitment is needed, the health care professional signs a document certifying that the patient meets the mental health standards for involuntary commitment.

Petition

• This procedure from the state of Washington is typical of all states. "If the facility staff decide that further inpatient care is necessary, they must petition the court and the commitment hearing will take place. At the court hearing the patient is present with either his/her private attorney or an appointed attorney."

Population

• Inpatient treatment is done on a live-in basis at a hospital or mental health treatment facility. This psychiatric treatment level is used for people of all ages. A parent or guardian must give consent for a child under 18 to be hospitalized. The family participates in the treatment process.

Goals

• Individualized treatment plans are developed for patients. Goals include mood and symptom stabilization and medication management. Patients hospitalized by involuntary commitment have a legal hearing to determine the length of their inpatient stay based on staff recommendations. Patients then transition to a less intensive recommended level of psychiatric treatment.