Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebicycle
I've been thinking about doing IOP, but I have some questions for you guys. Wildflowerchild25 and falcon09 gave me some advice in the check-in thread, but I don't want to spam that thread. And I apologize if this post is too long.
(1.) Are most IOPs meant for substance abuse or detox?
People have told me that I can go to IOP despite not having a substance abuse problem, which would be good for me, but my concern is that they will focus too much on substance abuse and detox. (I don't have a substance abuse problem.) However, I admittedly don't know how IOP therapy, psychiatry, etc. work.
(2.) Would PHP be more suitable if IOPs focus on substance abuse and detox?
The only problem I have with PHP is that every day is long according to what I've been reading. Basically, we're talking about 9am until 3pm or something like that. I just want a therapist to talk to everyday, and possible med changes with supervision. I like that IOPs meet everyday from like 6pm until 9pm because I don't know if I could benefit from going to PHP everyday for such long periods of time. I also don't think I am borderline needing IP.
(3.) What kind of things do you learn in IOP and PHP?
I am just curious about what they're like. I want to know what I can expect to see if either PHP or IOP matches my needs.
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My experience is limited. Here's what it was like in my area.
1. I don't think so. I think the programs are meant to serve both because they are deeply intertwined in many cases. When I went to IOP for 6 weeks it was a mixed bag. The people who primarily had substance abuse issues also struggled emotionally with trauma and other issues that patients without substance issues had. Most of the people in my group had a bipolar diagnosis. We also had one schizophrenic woman, one man with schizoaffective disorder, a bipolar hoarder and one with a mix of BPD, bipolar and gambling issues.
The focus was never on substance abuse. For each exercise the therapist would talk us through it and then encourage certain people to be sure to include thought and answers for their specific special blend of whatever brought them in.
2. PHP and IOP were basically the same in my area. The programs offered similar therapies, but went by different names. The hours for each program varied and the days of week varied depending on insurance. My program was 9-1 every day, but my insurance only allowed MWF for me. Call your insurance to see what they cover or ask the program the specifics for your insurance.
3. Mostly we learned coping skills and dug into our triggers. We shared our answers and others would chime in with encouragement, similar experiences etc. We were also educated about the symptoms and how our specific disorders manifest.
For me, the value changed depending on the therapist. They facilitated all of the discussions and I had one great one who challenged us and dug into the truth of why we were all there. She helped us all make strategic plans to deal. The other lady I had just kept everything surface level and accepted BS responses that were easy for everyone.
I saw a nurse every day for vitals and saw a pdoc every week. That helped while I was adjusting to new meds.
Overall, it was a good experience. It helped me see some of the more common patterns people with these types of experiences have. Hearing someone else's experience made it essier to recognize some of the same things in myself.
One thing was true through that you'll want to keep in mind regardless of the therapist or the other people in the group. You will get out of it what you put into it. If you hide details or just go surface level, it won't help as much as it could otherwise. I got a lot more out of it once I shed my discomfort and just let it all out. Everyone was cool and supportive. I just needed to trust that I needed to be there and that it could help if I did the work.
ETA: there was a program in my area for professionals with mental health issues. That might be a good fit for you if you have one of those as they would also cover coping skills in the workplace and issues specific to handling both. Most of the people in my group were on disability. I was working at the time I got sick and it would have been nice to include that perspective as well.