Different Forms of Hospitalization for Bipolar Disorder

Inpatient Hospitalization

A variety of inpatient psychiatric hospital programs exist for children. These include:

• A psychiatric unit for children in a medical hospital
• A state psychiatric hospital
• A private psychiatric hospital program

If there is an acute emergency, police generally take the youngster to the nearest psychiatric emergency screening center or to the local emergency room. Each state has its own regulations and procedures for psychiatric hospitalization. These days, patients' choices of hospital programs are limited by their insurance plans. If possible, parents should learn which programs their insurance covers if it appears hospitalization might be needed in the near future. Parents can also talk to their child's therapist, in advance, to learn more about the various programs available to get some guidance in this process.

Contrary to what people might think, psychiatric hospitalization is not available only for the wealthy. Each state has its own approach to providing help for those who cannot afford it. Keep in mind that when a child needs hospitalization, he is usually in tremendous pain and needs more help than even the world's best parents can provide at home.

Partial Hospitalization Programs

These programs, sometimes called day programs, offer an alternative to full hospitalization. They allow children to live at home but attend a therapeutic program on weekdays. In partial hospitalization programs, children are grouped with other youngsters who have psychiatric problems and who are not yet ready to return to their regular school and full social functioning. A psychiatrist oversees medication issues, and the programs are typically staffed by trained counselors. Individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, and a school component, as well as transition services, help ease the child back into a normal life. In theory, partial hospitalization is a good option. It can be an opportunity for therapists to observe what the youngster is like in a setting that is closer to real life, and it can help the child focus on examining the issues he needs to confront. It also presents a chance to adjust the child's medication in a somewhat controlled environment.

The effectiveness of this type of treatment, however, depends on a host of variables: the quality of the therapists, the frequency of their interaction with the children (individually or in groups), the ages and diagnoses of the other children in the program, the types of daily activities offered, the involvement of knowledgeable psychiatrists, and the motivation of both the child and the family. As noted earlier, one of the goals of a partial-day program is to help ease kids back into life in the real world. But if a child is highly unstable, suicidal, homicidal, dangerously out of touch with reality, or worsening in part secondary to extreme tensions within the home, full inpatient treatment may be needed.

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