Eva Carlston Academy is a residential treatment facility for adolescents and teens located in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the following article, Eva Carlston compares and clarifies the differences between residential and outpatient treatments.
Rehabilitation and behavioral therapy are highly personalized journeys. Eva Carlston Academy reviews that for teens experiencing mental health challenges, embarking on the right journey is vital.
Modern care offers more choices than ever for issues with mental health. There are many types of care available to teens in these situations, from ADHD parenting resources, to fully immersive programs.
Two of the most common and popular treatments — residential and outpatient — offer unique benefits and differences beyond just the location and the length of care. Understanding those differences can have an impact on a teen’s health now and far into the future.
Teens and Mental Health
Eva Carlston Academy says that when discussing teens and mental health, this is not referring to moody or angsty high schoolers. An estimated 49.5% of American adolescents have experienced a mental health disorder.
Between 2009 and 2019, there was a 40% increase in the number of high schoolers who reported having constant feelings of hopelessness and sadness — 1 in 3 students, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And for those who have mental health conditions, it is often not reported, diagnosed, or treated.
Eva Carlston Academy reviews that a mental health condition doesn’t just mean sadness, anxiousness, or behavior of lashing out. Poor mental health can lead to destructive habits such as alcohol abuse, drug use, or risky sexual behaviors. Teens on the LGBTQI+ spectrum and as well as teens of color are especially affected by mental health issues.
But no one is immune from mental health difficulties. Eva Carlston explains that conditions can run in families, while some arise from a history of poverty, exposure to violence, or abuse.
Discrimination and bullying are often a factor, as well as conditions such as educational difficulties or poor physical health.
Teens need strong allies to overcome such mental health challenges. An effective, comprehensive treatment plan can make all the difference.
Residential Treatment
Also known as inpatient therapy, Eva Carlston Academy says that residential therapy for mental health refers to receiving a wide range of intensive care at a location where a patient will also temporarily live full-time and away from home.
It is one of the most intense and involved forms of mental health therapy. It is often used when a patient demonstrates that they may be a danger to themselves and others, have a history of violence with others, or harmed themselves, and if they need to have specific emergency care that cannot be provided at home.
Though it helps with a patient’s immediate needs, residential therapy also considers future needs and goals. Overall, residential treatment provides a higher level of care compared to other approaches.
Eva Carlston Academy reviews that with residential care, a teen experiencing mental health challenges may meet with a variety of healthcare professionals. These include doctors, people trained in mental health treatments, psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers.
Families may be involved as well through scheduled visits or family therapy sessions.
Residential therapy procedures are typically very structured. Patients may have a set daily schedule that includes set times to wake up and go to sleep, as well as eat meals.
There may be designated periods to eat, enjoy free time, have group therapy sessions, or meet one-on-one with medical professionals.
Long-term stays are not uncommon. Depending on the circumstance and the needs of the teen, patients may stay in residential treatment facilities for months.
Outpatient Treatment
At their cores, Eva Carlston Academy says that residential and outpatient treatments both work to address and treat the same wide range of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, trauma, and personality disorders.
The big difference between residential and outpatient treatment is that the latter does not include long-term overnight stays while receiving care. However, outpatient treatment is also often referred to as a partial hospitalization program.
But while it is a structured therapeutic approach, outpatient treatment does not include a patient living in a facility at all times.
Eva Carlston Academy reviews that with outpatient treatment teens usually have day programs, and some programs during evenings and weekends, to participate in and many mirror the programs used in residential therapy, including group sessions and psychiatric care.
The circumstance behind the mental health issue may dictate the level of care received as an outpatient, but in general, these are lower-risk patients. Some receiving outpatient treatments have completed residential treatment and are now on the next step of their mental health rehabilitation plan.
Some outpatient treatment protocols are more intensive than other outpatient approaches. Hours of therapy and integration of other activities vary.
However, Eva Carlston explains that there is an important similarity between residential and outpatient treatments. Both will consider the post-treatment needs of teens with mental health issues.
Post-care treatment is almost always recommended, whether it’s connecting with mental health centers where a patient lives or recommending that they regularly attend support groups.
