Residential treatment for depression is specialised care provided to people who have severe depression. An individual with severe depression might find it harder to function at work or with their loved ones. They can also have suicidal ideation and, at times, psychosis.
If you want to know more about residential treatment for depression, read along.
Why Is Residential Rehab Needed For Depression Treatment?
Residential treatment for depression is necessary for people who have severe depression. Some people who are diagnosed with depression don’t respond well to conventional treatment options such as outpatient therapy. In this case, a more intensive residential treatment may be needed to address their specific case.
How Does It Differ From Outpatient Treatment?
In outpatient treatment for depression, the client only has to come weekly or several times a week and do their clinical sessions with their therapist. Antidepressants may also be prescribed with the help of the attending psychiatrist.
The difference between that and residential treatment is that in the latter form of intervention, the client stays in a residential facility for an extended time. They will be under the supervision and guidance of mental health experts who will help the client stabilise.
Psychotherapy is still conducted, and medications will also be prescribed, but this time, it can be more intensive than its conventional form. Also, residential treatment helps clients live a structured day and receive support from experts and other clients inside the facility.
Facilities Provided By Residential Treatment Centres
Different residential treatment centres provide various facilities. A traditional one, for example, may give standard rooms, a lounge area, and an office for therapy sessions.
On the upper side, luxury rehabs offer high-end amenities like in-house pools or spas. They may also have facilities for physical activities, such as a sports-related court or a gym.
Who Can Benefit From Residential Treatment?
The people who benefit from residential treatment are those who are not responding well to standard interventions for depression. One in three of the population with depression has this case, and residential treatment may be necessary to treat their depression.
Signs That You Might Need Residential Treatment
People who have severe and persistent depression may need residential treatment. Severe and persistent means that depression makes it hard for the individual to function in their life. They could have difficulty finding the motivation and pleasure to pursue their work or passion. It may also be that they find it difficult to relate and connect with others because of it.
Symptoms Of Severe Depression
The symptoms of depression across its severity are pretty much the same. It can include sadness, frustration, irritability, anhedonia, dysfunction, feeling worthless, difficulty socialising, and poor performance at work.
However, the difference between depression and its severe form is that the symptoms can be more intense. Because of that, the dysfunction and possible suicidal ideations may also be more harmful.
Daily Functioning Challenges
People with severe depression often find themselves impaired by their overwhelming emotions. This can make it harder for them to function at work or be with others. They may find it difficult to summon the motivation to start their work, often making them feel worthless and hopeless.
Types Of Depression
Different labels for depression aim to diagnose and treat the condition with precision. It accounts for how long the individual has experienced it, how severe it is, its comorbidity with substance use, and when the person specifically experienced it.
This approach helps therapists and psychiatrists in treating people with depression, as slight modifications to the intervention can be a big help.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
People with MDD are often depressed. Most of them feel fatigued, distracted, feeling worthless, or guilty, and have suicidal ideation.
People who are diagnosed with MDD have at least one major depressive episode (at least two weeks where the individual experiences depression every day). They also don’t show signs of mania, which is an episode of being hyper with the feeling of being indestructible. This symptom or episode is often associated with bipolar disorders.
There are two types of MDD: single episode and recurrent. For single episodes, a person only experiences one episode of major depression in their entire life.
On the other hand, people with recurrent MDD may have recovered from depression but experience it again. However, the risk of experiencing a major depressive episode gets progressively lower when the recovery period is more prolonged.
On average, a major depressive episode lasts approximately six to nine months, but it can only take two weeks for mental health experts to diagnose an individual with MDD.
Clinical Depression
Clinical depression is often used as an umbrella term to label the types of depression that need clinical attention. Overall, there are seven types of depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V). There are persistent depressive disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and depressive disorder due to another medical condition.
Symptoms Of Depression
Symptoms of depression can include hopelessness, loss of interest (anhedonia), fatigue, anxiety, irritability in men, appetite changes, and fatalism.
Hopelessness: People with hopelessness believe they can’t get what they need and want even if they try. People usually try to achieve a sense of belongingness, mastery of a skill, and protection or survival from threats.
People who believe they are hopeless tend to think they are incapable of achieving those things, making them feel down and try less hard when life’s challenges come their way.
Loss of interest: During a depressive episode, the individual usually cannot enjoy the activities they previously found exciting. They might stop hanging out with friends or don’t pursue the hobbies or passion projects they were previously involved in.
It’s normal for people to change their values as they move through life. However, this isn’t the case with a depressive episode. The individual can’t find enjoyment in any activities.
Fatigue: Fatigue happens when a person’s negative emotions overwhelm them, and their body becomes tired. Fatigue and depression have a bidirectional relationship, and each of them can make the other worse.
Anxiety: It’s common for people who have depression to have anxiety as well. Being unable to function because of the overwhelming emotions can make a person apprehensive about their future.
It could also stem from the fact that challenging emotions are uncontrollable, which can make the individual fear that they will ruin what lies ahead.
Irritability in men:Men and women tend to process depression differently. While women are more inclined to acknowledge their emotions, men, on the other hand, are more likely to deny that they have it. Denial or repression can make a person irritable and angry, which may lead them to lash out at people unnecessarily.
Appetite changes: People with depression have a different reaction to their condition, which is especially true when it comes to their appetite. Some find themselves not having the appetite to eat, while the rest tend to overindulge with eating.
Fatalism: Fatalism is the belief that the future is already predetermined with failures, and they believe that there is nothing that they can do about it.
In some cases, people can find peace in letting go of the things they cannot control. However, the difference for people with depression is they believe almost everything is not within their control. That can sabotage their hope for a better future.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Some people with depression may find themselves abusing substances or having behavioural addictions just to cope with their depressive episodes.
Depression and Addiction
There’s a difference in the onset of depression and addiction in men and women. Men are more likely to be addicted first and then show signs of depression. Women, on the other hand, tend to have depression first, then substance abuse or addiction second.
People can abuse substances to alleviate and lessen the impact of a depressive episode. This approach only works in the short term but hurts the long term. They are at risk of developing an addiction to substances and are more likely to make their depression worse in the long run.
Also, substances can impair a person’s judgment, which puts them at risk of suicide, especially if they already have a plan in mind. While substances can alleviate emotions in the short term, they may not be a good solution as they neglect the root cause of the problem.
Residential Treatment
The same therapeutic modalities are used in residential treatment, but additional guidance encourages the client to live a structured day. Clients can also participate in support groups to help them rebuild their social lives.
Types Of Therapies
The types of therapies in residential treatment for depression can include cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).
CBT is the most commonly used talking therapy, and it is effective at treating mental health disorders – and depression is one of them. In this therapy, the therapists help the client identify maladaptive beliefs. Those beliefs are then kindly challenged to steer the individual to a more positive way of looking at life.
DBT is also a talking therapy that helps people process intense negative emotions. The ‘dialectical’ in DBT means understanding the inherent paradoxical nature of emotions. For example, they usually intensify if a person wants to eliminate negative emotions. Conversely, accepting and embracing those emotions tends to dissolve independently.
Lastly, ACT is an approach that helps people stop denying and accepting their emotions. A person’s negative feelings are mostly appropriate in the context of their life situation. By ignoring these emotions, they also handicap their motivation to solve their problems.
Structured Daily Routine
The facility encourages its clients to live a structured life in residential treatment. That’s because people with depression tend to have their life in disorder, which produces more depression and possibly anxiety.
By organising their life, they can regain the sense of control they have over their life.
Support Groups
It’s common for people with depression to self-isolate out of shame and guilt. The problem is that those emotions intensify and turmoil the person when they are kept hidden.
They learn to be more trusting and vulnerable in a support group, which can be an excellent antidote for shame and guilt.
What Should You Expect During Your Stay?
During the starting days, a team of medical experts and therapists will take a look at the history of your depression. They will want to know your history of depressive episodes, how long were they, and if you also have first-degree relatives who had depression as well.
They will also look out for other areas of concern, such as anxiety or substance abuse.
This assessment allows them to create a tailored treatment plan for your condition. It will determine what kind of therapy will be used and what medications will be prescribed.
They will have a schedule for you throughout the day. Typically, it includes a morning activity, which can be light exercise or other mindfulness-based activities before breakfast, followed by a therapy session. In the afternoon, lunch will be given, and they might conduct psychoeducation related to your condition.
After that, the client is free to do the activities they want. In a luxury rehab, clients are entitled to high-end amenities such as pools, spas, gaming rooms, basketball courts, etc.
How Long Does Residential Treatment Typically Last?
The duration of rehab for depression depends on its severity. It can last up to two days or two weeks.
Some therapy sessions and medications take time, which can alter your stay’s duration.
Evidence-Based Treatment
A rehab center conducts evidence-based treatment for depression. It can include psychotherapies like CBT, DBT, and ACT. Medications will also be prescribed inside if there is a need.
How Effective Is Residential Treatment for Depression?
Residential depression treatment programmes are highly effective. That’s because the treatment and care the client receives is higher, allowing them to focus on their recovery.
It starts with a tailored treatment plan based on the client’s assessment. This plan specifically addresses the client’s needs, and because of the nature of residential treatment, the client receives a higher level of care.
What Happens After Residential Treatment?
Rehab centres conduct aftercare to help their clients once they reintegrate into their homes. They will conduct checkups on how they are doing and engage clients in relapse-prevention activities.
Tools and educational resources will also be provided before they leave the centre to help them deal healthily with life and their emotions.
Get Help With Mental Health Treatment
Depression can be challenging to experience, especially if it has become severe. We at Sierra Recovery accept clients who want to receive residential treatment for their depression.
We are a luxury rehab, so you are entitled to our high-end amenities and higher care levels that allow you to focus on your recovery. Reach out to us so we can help you.
FAQs
What is the Residential Rehab Approach?
A residential rehab approach happens when a person seeking mental health treatment checks into a treatment facility and stays there for a longer duration of time. The facility is housed with medical experts, licensed therapists, and amenities to help people recover from their mental health conditions.
What is the Most Effective Treatment for Depression?
An effective treatment largely depends on the specific kind of depression that the individual has. Overall, the most commonly effective and commonly used treatments for depression are medications and psychotherapy.
How to Treat Someone with Depression?
The best thing that you can do, as a non-mental health practitioner, is to offer help and support to the person you love who’s struggling with depression. Simply listening to them talk about their problems and how they are doing in the day is already a tremendous help that you can give them.
It’s also a good idea to encourage your loved one to seek professional help, as sometimes the necessary treatment can go beyond giving advice and emotional support.
