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Inpatient psychiatric hospitals require overnight stay for therapy, on average between 8-10 days. Patients may be admitted to one of two types of psychiatric hospitals: Free-standing facilities and psychiatric units within acute care hospitals.
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Partial hospitalization programs are also available for patients who are not suicidal. These programs allow patients to reside at home and commute to treatment.
The majority of inpatient psychiatric hospital admissions are voluntary, meaning a patient has recognized that he or she needs help and has sought assistance. Involuntary admissions are possible if a patient exhibits signs that he or she poses a threat to him/herself or others. This is less common and requires a legal process to continue holding a person involuntarily.
In either case, patients must meet certain criteria in order to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Otherwise, patients are referred to outpatient resources such as counseling or therapy.
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How Do You Choose the Best Psychiatric Hospital? |
Choosing a psychiatric hospital is a decision that can affect your health and the rest of your life. Unfortunately most people don’t even consider their options and simply use whichever hospital is closest or wherever they are referred. This is probably because the stigma of needing treatment for mental health is still very much alive, preventing those affected to ask questions or seek recommendations. However, with WhereToFindCare.com, you can now research your options across the country and even seek recommendations from others in the privacy of your home.
The key is to research your choices so you find a psychiatric hospital that fits your needs and provides quality care.
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1. Services – Where to seek care depends on what you need. The most common needs are treatment for psychiatric, addictive and behavioral disorders. Many psychiatric hospitals are equipped to provide all of these treatments; however some stand-alone hospitals specialize in certain treatments and should also be considered. Also, some psychiatric hospitals are unable to treat physical ailments. You will be screened during the admission process and advised on appropriate facilities capable of treating your conditions.
2. Location - In an emergency, the closest hospital to you is always the best, if not the only, option. However in cases where an extended hospital stay is expected, consider facilities close to relatives and loved ones. This will allow for more frequent visitation and perhaps assist in the recovery process. The WhereToFindCare.com psychiatric hospital search on this page allows you to locate facilities nationwide.
You can obtain a list of hospitals closest to you or a loved one by using our search tool on this page. Enter a zip code (or a provider name if you have one) and click
the search button. You are given a list of hospitals closest to you. If you choose advanced search, you can narrow down the list by providing a radius limit.
3. Quality - Quality data from user surveys are obtained in real-time from people who have been experience with a psychiatric hospital and have submitted a review on WhereToFindCare.com. The WTFC Quality Score is the percentage of people who rated the hospital on WhereToFindCare.com and said they received quality care. This experience-based satisfaction score cannot be found elsewhere today except by word of mouth. When available, Quality Scores are found in search results and on the quality tab of a hospital’s home page.
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4. Recommendations – Check the WTFC Would You Recommend score to see if others recommend a hospital.
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You can use WhereToFindCare.com to find word of mouth recommendations quickly and privately. We ask patients, visitors, and caregivers to rate providers by taking a short survey. You can read other people’s experience by going to a provider’s page on WhereToFindCare.com and clicking on the Survey Results tab. There you see how others answered survey questions, and any comments made about the provider.
Also look for CareStars™ recognition. People may have left comments on WhereToFindCare.com about exceptional caregivers at each hospital. CareStars™ comments give you a sense that the hospital employs caring individuals that will provide the service you need.
5. Consider What Each Hospital Offers - Once you’ve narrowed down your list, you should consider all the other things each facility has to offer such as amenities or special services. In your search results, click on the name of a hospital to see more information that may have been provided by the hospital including photos, video tours, amenities, description of available services, insurance accepted, contact information, beds, and much more. Not all hospitals has this information populated, so you may wish to contact the facility directly using the phone number provided.
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