(ThyBlackMan.com) Do you have reason to believe that you need to spend time in a mental health treatment facility? Are you concerned about the health and well-being of a loved one, such as your spouse or child?
It goes without saying that nobody wants to visit a inpatient mental health treatment facility, but it’s often the first step to a better future.
It doesn’t matter if you’re seeking mental health treatment in Southern California, New York City, or somewhere in between, it’s critical that you know how to choose the right facility. This can go a long way in making for the best possible experience.
Before we talk about the steps for finding the perfect treatment facility, there’s one thing you need to know: you’re not alone.
Check out this statistic shared by the National Institute of Mental Health:
Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (51.5 million in 2019). Mental illnesses include many different conditions that vary in degree of severity, ranging from mild to moderate to severe. Two broad categories can be used to describe these conditions: Any Mental Illness (AMI) and Serious Mental Illness (SMI).
Regardless of your severity, you’re not the only one in your shoes. There are tens of millions of people dealing with issues just like yours.
Now, let’s review the steps you can take to find the perfect mental health treatment facility:
- Keep an Open Mind
Don’t go into the process with any preconceived notions. Doing so is likely to slow you down from making a decision, and that’s not what you need at this time.
Keep an open mind as you compare three to five treatment facilities. As you take notes and dig deeper, you’ll come to find that one or two stands out from the crowd. You can then make your final choice from there.
- Call and Visit in Person
The first thing you should do is call the treatment facility to request more information. They can point you in the right direction, answer your questions, and provide you with the details as to what comes next.
And of course, if you have the ability to visit in person before committing to the facility, that’s also a good idea. This gives you the opportunity to see the facility for yourself, which will help you understand what it has to offer.
Tip: you can learn a lot about a particular facility by reading about it online, including reviews shared by former residents.
- Ask Questions
We touched on this a bit above, and it’s worth mentioning again.
The more questions you ask of a treatment facility, the easier it becomes to fully understand what they have to offer. Some of the many questions you can ask include:
- What makes your treatment facility different from the rest?
- Can you explain the details of the programs that you have available at this time?
- How many residents do you treat at the same time?
- What is the cost of receiving treatment at your facility?
- What is your completion rate?
When you ask questions like these, you’ll be surprised at how much information you can collect. This makes it easier to compare one facility to the next.
- Don’t Delay
Even though you want to find the perfect treatment facility, you can’t afford to delay. You need to take action as quickly as possible, as this will put you on the right path to making a full recovery.
There are many reasons people delay in seeking mental health treatment, including but not limited to:
- The fear of the unknown
- The belief that there’s nothing really wrong
- The belief that they can treat the issue on their own
You have a lot going on in your life, but don’t let that stop you. When you find the right treatment facility, you’ll know it. And at that point, you can take action.
Final Thoughts on Choosing the Right Facility
Maybe your depression has become too much for you to handle. Perhaps your anxiety level is through the roof and it’s taking you to a dark place.
Regardless of the condition you’re dealing with, there are steps you can take to find relief. Use the information above to find the perfect mental health treatment facility. Once you’re getting the help you need, you’ll feel better about your future.
Staff Writer; Alexandra Arcand
