While mental illness is incredibly common, quality mental health hospitals are not as prevalent. Sadly, Louisiana is no exception, and not all mental health programs are created equal. But how do you separate the less-than-great facilities from the best mental health hospitals in Louisiana?
That’s what we’re here for. We’ll walk you through the programs that the best Louisiana mental health hospitals have to offer.
Contents
1. Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment
Sometimes, mental illness simply becomes too much to handle. In situations where you are not in immediate danger, we recommend that you enroll in our Adult Psychiatric Program. Within this treatment program, patients at the Baton Rouge Behavioral Hospital receive care from our team of addiction counselors, social workers, physicians, and other treatment staff.
A quality inpatient treatment program will include the following treatment modalities:
- Crisis Evaluation: Here, you will meet with a licensed mental health professional to discuss your mental health history and your current needs. This will be where the care staff begins shaping your unique treatment plan.
- Medical Evaluation and Management: Care staff will ensure that you are physically healthy, then evaluate your medications. In certain cases, your medications may be altered or new ones may be prescribed to help improve your mental health.
- Group Psycho-Therapy: In these sessions, you will join other people with mental illness to discuss your shared experiences with a certified counselor or therapist. This will help you identify trends in your mental illness and behavioral health to develop appropriate coping skills.
- Community Services Management: A reputable mental health hospital will work with you to keep you safe and happy after discharge. During this stage, social workers will help you find community resources that can help you safeguard your mental well-being.
- Discharge Planning: Throughout your stay, team members will help you plan ways to use the skills you learn in treatment and remain in a healthy, positive environment.
2. Crisis Care
When you experience a mental breakdown, you may not have time to wait for an opening at a long term treatment facility. In these situations, we would admit you to our Crisis Care program, where we’d keep you safe during your difficult period.
Once the danger has passed, we work with patients to evaluate their typical mental state and educate them on ways to combat mental illness symptoms. While some patients recover completely in crisis care, others may need to continue treatment at a long term treatment center before they are fully safe from their mental illness.
For this reason, you should seek care at a facility that offers both crisis care and inpatient psychiatric treatment.
3. Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Frequently, people suffering from mental illness turn to substance abuse as a means to self-medicate. These issues become intertwined, which is why the best mental health hospitals in Louisiana treat them as one issue under the umbrella of “dual diagnosis.”
In this treatment program, you will work with licensed therapists and physicians to find better coping mechanisms than drugs or alcohol. When you first enter treatment, you will undergo evaluation to determine what addiction/mental health issues you’re experiencing and how the treatment program can best help you.
At the conclusion of treatment, you may be encouraged to attend a step-down program (such as outpatient rehab or sober living) to help you protect your mental wellbeing and sobriety as you transition back into your life.
Find the Best Mental Health Hospitals in Louisiana
Finding the best psychiatric treatment can be challenging, but now you know what to look for. Mental illness is never one-size-fits-all, and you deserve treatment that is tailored to your needs.
