Supporting a Loved One in Inpatient Mental Health Treatment

Helping a Loved One During a Residential Mental Health Program

Supporting a loved one in inpatient mental health treatment can be a challenge. You want to be there as a support, but you also understand that they need space to process things and heal. And then there are the difficult memories and topics about past behaviors (or events) that can be hard to bring up but are often crucial to address constructively.

With all this in mind, what can you do to let a loved one know that they aren’t alone in their struggle with mental illness?

If you have a friend or family member in inpatient mental health care, take time to understand the rules of the mental health department in your local hospital or dedicated mental health treatment facility.

Encourage your loved one to rest while you practice self-compassion at home and engage in family sessions when called upon. Remain positive and supportive of their team, staying in the loop on discharge plans and aftercare planning.

Catalina Behavioral Health offers residential care for anyone struggling with mental illness. We can help guide conversations around the healing journey for loved ones. Keep reading to learn more about what you can do to support your friend or family member.

How to Support a Loved One During Mental Health Rehab

Most people know how to handle having a loved one in the hospital. They interact with doctors and hospital staff, demand answers to tough questions, and sit by the bedside around the clock.

But what do you do if your loved one is in a separate mental health department in a hospital, or in a dedicated mental health treatment program such as our offerings at Catalina Behavioral Health?

These tips will help you to support a loved one with mental illness while they improve under the care and guidance of an experienced team of physicians and counselors.

Understand the Rules and Visiting Hours

Going through a mental health crisis can be extremely isolating and lonely. Make sure your loved one knows that you’re available to them and support them in their recovery. Their mental illness might make it harder for you to communicate with them effectively, but they won’t forget the people who showed up time and again.

Upon intake, make sure you ask what the rules of the inpatient mental health treatment facility are. Visiting hours may be during set times each day, only on certain days of the week, or only offered when a third party like a therapist is present. The same is true of phone calls and other forms of communication.

Encourage Rest for Mental Illness

One of the benefits of a mental health hospital or treatment program like Catalina Behavioral is that your loved one has a chance to rest. Mental illness can be extremely exhausting, trying to keep up with healthy coping skills and counselor appointments. When a person stays overnight for an extended period, they can rest easy knowing they are safe.

Studies have shown that rest is an essential part of recovering from illness and maintaining an overall sense of health. It’s crucial for both mental and physical well-being which explains why it is so key to encourage rest while in an inpatient mental health treatment center.

Practice Self-Compassion

When a loved one is having a crisis that requires residential mental healthcare, it is often because they can no longer tolerate their current situation. It is quite common and normal for you to feel guilt over the role you might have played in the outcome, but this is rarely productive or healthy for your mental health.

You need to ensure that you practice self-compassion while they are gone and take care of yourself.

This can mean engaging in hobbies that bring you joy, planning healthy meals for yourself, and reaching out to a support system, or meditation and mindfulness . Your loved one may need to go to the hospital, but that doesn’t mean you should put your life on hold while they are gone.

Don’t Project Your Worries onto Your Loved One

Supportive friends and other family members may be rightfully concerned about the progression of a person’s illness. However, it isn’t the best idea to burden your loved one with your concerns. The best thing you can do is attend appointments and communicate concerns with their treatment team.

Family and friends should also be cautious about what they share relating to their own experience of the treatment plan. If you need to vent your frustrations, do so with a trusted friend or even a new counselor. This is the best time to enroll in therapy or a support group if you need more help.

Be Supportive of Healthcare Professionals

There are times when you may not understand the rules of a general hospital or other form of mental health treatment facility. The rules may seem overly cautious, overwhelming, or unnecessary. Keep in mind that the treatment team has a lot of experience with such situations and they aim to actin the best interest of the client, as well as for other clients undergoing treatment.

If possible, make sure that your loved one trusts their therapist and other healthcare professionals in this setting. They should be open and willing to accept help, which might be impossible if you constantly criticize their team. Try to remain upbeat and optimistic about the potential help they’ll receive during a hospital or treatment center stay.

Be an Active Participant in the Discharge Plan

Once the emotional distress of the hospital or residential treatment stay is over and they are no longer a danger to themself or others, it’s time for your loved one to come home and continue with the appropriate form of outpatient support.

Those who left inpatient treatment recently still need a great deal of help. Don’t think that you’re out of the woods simply because they’re home.

Start the conversation about what the discharge plan will look like early. Take precautions if they have had recent suicidal behavior. Devise a crisis plan in case any other issues arise. Know what emergency phone numbers you should call and in what order.

If the person agrees to a safety plan, then you should keep a copy of it handy to reference along the healing journey when obstacles and challenges arise.

Connect with Catalina for Proven Inpatient Mental Health Rehab

Catalina Behavioral Health offers robust and comprehensive treatment plan outlines for your family or close friends. Our program includes residential care and intensive outpatient for a smoother transition back into day-to-day life.

From first appointments to ongoing counseling, we offer much-needed support to anyone struggling with mental illness. Our enrollment team can answer questions and verify benefits in a quick phone call today. Don’t delay seeking help for yourself or a loved one anymore!

Resources

1. Asp M. (2015). Rest: A Health-Related Phenomenon and Concept in Caring Science. Global qualitative nursing research, 2, 2333393615583663.
2. Crego, A., Yela, J. R., Riesco-Matías, P., Gómez-Martínez, M. Á., & Vicente-Arruebarrena, A. (2022). The Benefits of Self-Compassion in Mental Health Professionals: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research. Psychology research and behavior management, 15, 2599–2620.
3. Topham, E. W., Bristol, A., Luther, B., Elmore, C. E., Johnson, E., & Wallace, A. S. (2022). Caregiver Inclusion in IDEAL Discharge Teaching: Implications for Transitions From Hospital to Home. Professional case management, 27(4), 181–193.