Types of Treatment Programs
In this overview, you will gain a greater understanding of the various types of treatment programs that are available to assist you or a loved one in overcoming drug or alcohol addiction, eating disorders or other conditions such as dually diagnosed conditions in which there is the presence of both a mental illness and an addiction. Understanding the different types of treatment that are available and having knowledge as to how each of these treatment programs can apply to a unique situation can help you to make the best treatment choice for yourself or for someone you love.
Drug Addiction Treatment Programs
Drug addiction is a potentially deadly condition that affects millions. Treatment programs that specialize in drug addiction can provide medical treatment for chemical addiction, detoxification, counseling to encourage long term goals and personal growth and aftercare that ensures that the patient will continue along the right path to sobriety and remain clean. These programs often include dual diagnosis treatment, medical care, psychological care, social support and various other means of helping a patient to learn how to recognize the things that led them to addiction and how to avoid potentially dangerous situations in the future.
Residential Treatment Programs
Residential treatment combines various methods of therapy, psychiatric support, medical care and educational resources into daily treatment that takes place in a medically monitored environment. These programs are ideal for individuals whose addictions have led them off the beaten path and resulted in an inability to properly function and perform daily tasks without the thought of using drugs or alcohol. Residential treatment programs are one of the more invasive methods of treatment but they are also one of the most effective means of treatment provided to those who suffer from a range of addictions, eating disorders or mental illness.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment Programs
Drug or alcohol abuse, many eating disorders and various other conditions are often plagued by the pairing of a mental health condition that makes treating one condition or the other virtually useless until both conditions can be properly taken hold of. Often times, addiction results from an underlying mental illness or vice versa, the mental illness results from the use of drugs or alcohol. In either case, proper treatment is necessary in order to help the patient cope with both mental illness and with addiction, in a positive manner. Dual diagnosis treatment programs help patients do just that by providing effective counseling and psychiatric care for mental illness while also offering various methods of counseling, medical care and treatment for addiction too.
Outpatient Treatment Programs
These treatment programs allow the recovering patient to continue to live at home, attend work or school and take part in their normal daily activities while also receiving medical, social and psychiatric support from a treatment center. Outpatient treatment programs are well suited to those who willingly take part in treatment, whose risky behaviors are not a significant danger to themselves or to others and who have a strong support network through friends, family and support groups outside of treatment. This type of treatment allows the patient to get the help that they need for addiction, eating disorders or various types of mental illness in a less restricted environment that fosters both personal and social growth.
Eating Disorder Treatment Programs
Many treatment programs specialize in providing care for those who suffer from eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia. These eating disorder treatment programs utilize various methods of emotional counseling, behavioral therapy, and cognitive care as well as medical support to ensure that the patient gets the appropriate treatment to help them overcome underlying psychological issues that are typically at the root of most eating disorders. Many times, these programs are provided on an outpatient basis but for more severe cases of bulimia or anorexia, eating disorder treatment may take place in a residential facility.
Inpatient Treatment Programs
Counseling, therapy, around-the-clock care, medical monitoring and intervention come together in a secure environment to offer patients what is known as inpatient treatment. These treatment programs are ideally suited to patients who are at risk of posing a danger to themselves or to others, may not be readily willing to admit that they need help and whose actions or behaviors could lead to additional consequences that are hazardous to the patient. Inpatient treatment programs are structured to provide patients with support, reflection time and various methods of treatment that will assist in the recovery from addiction, mental illness and other conditions.