Partial Hospitalization Program?

I'm starting a partial hospitalization program tomorrow, and its terrifying. I didn't think I would feel this way, since last week I went to the ED, and then ended up in the psych ward for 5 days. I have BPII and ADHD, and I became overwhelmed by too many of life's stressors. I've tried to distract myself all day, but nothing seems to be helping.

Has anyone else done a partial hospitalization program? What was it like? Do I really need to be this stressed out about it?

From my experiences, it's not a big deal at all. Of course it's scary going in there not knowing what it's going to be like. My program was mainly educational programs all morning (anger management, wellness, stress management, etc), an hour for lunch, then a group therapy session for an hour in the PM followed by an hour wrap-up session. The whole day was 9am - 3pm. The first day of course was a little bit stressful as it was your first day on the inpatient unit... it takes a minute to get accustomed to the way the program works but everyone is usually pretty welcoming. I really wouldn't be that stressed out about it. I think once you get there you'll settle in quite nicely. Most partial progams run about the same so I would expect for yours to be similar. Let us know how it goes!! Hopefully you get a ton out of it!

I did one this summer. It was 9-3 also, and consisted of different "classes" like Anger management, recovery, family issues etc. It was pretty intense, but I have a huge folder with lots of information to look at when I need a boost. I went for 11 days.

If you work, were you able to go back to work after that was over or did you wait a while before going back?

I went back to soon apparently after being hospitalized, and I'd rather not have that happen again.

And yes, they gave me a schedule of classes i'll be going too and I know how group usually goes, I'm just paranoid.

I've found that when I'm in group sessions I tend to answer most of the questions. Mostly due to the fact that I took some psych classes, I just have trouble with the follow through.

Thisis my 3rd night taking Zyprexa and I feel pretty good. My brain doesn't want to make complete thoughts though...lol...sorry.

Is it better to go in with your goals or to make new ones while you're there? While I was hopitalized they made me make 3 goals for the year: Increase communication Skiils, increase assertiveness, and decrease perfectionalism. I don't think I can do more than that for the year.

*end rambling*

I haven't been working. In fact, I just turned down a job interview because I am not ready to go back. I work as an independent contractor and can go back when I am ready.

I honestly had no goals when I went in other than to recover as best I could.

My goals now are to improve my functioning in my home and to manage my symptoms.

I hope it goes well for you at partial. Let us know.

I was in a partial hospitalization program that began at the end of May and I left it in the first week of July because my son came home for four weeks visit before school began in the fall. I was hospitalized inpatient in May for depression. I'm bipolar II and had PTSD following a traumatic accident and two years of back to back family crises.

I made the decision last week to go back to the partial hospitalization program and also to restart individual therapy. Depression started coming back a little and I was able to identify some specific issues that I needed to work on. The PH program starts tomorrow and is 9am to 2pm, four classes at 40 minutes each and a 1 hour lunch. They provide all the transportation if you need it and they do that to make sure of attendance. That's a big deal in Phoenix. I live very far away from the site so I drive. It cuts three hours off the day for me. I am fortunate that I have a car. Some people don't.

The classes include topics such as depression, stress management, grief and loss, anxiety, relaxation, can't remember what else. The staff is good. They also have recreational activities like swimming and special lunches. The first class of the day is symptom assessment where each participant gives a rundown of their symptoms that day. The third class is process. That's where each person talks about any issues they have that day. I like this format because each person gets their individual needs met daily. To me, this is a good format.

That sounds like an excellent program. I wish mine had recreation. My recreation during partial consisted of walking the parking lot at lunch.

Well I made it though day 2, and my brain feels like it's going to explode due to massive information processing. Yesterday I got all hyped up when I left, and decided to play rockband 2 for 2 hours when I got home, watch a DVD on meditation, then go to the store, make dinner, make rice crispy treats, and then create a "bed time routine." I got to bed by 10:00, but then woke up at 1:30, and couldn't go back to sleep for 3 hours. Needless to say, I'm sooooo tired right now. Classes were pretty intense today. We did one on focus, on on setting boundaries, and one on bullying/dealing with difficult people. It's an awful lot of information to process. Then there's the frustration that the other people in the class create by going off topic, or just rambling. The therapist that leads the classes is really good at redirecting them back to the topic, but the nurse that does some of the other classes doesn't do that as well. Which makes me want to bang my head on the table, until they stop freaking talking. Personally, I think there should be different levels of classes based on IQ, but who am I to decide that...ha. I just get irritated by people who never understand anything that's told to them, and then they complain about it. Then there's the people who want to preach to you.....and I'm an atheist.

Also, I was really annoyed by my pdoc today because I told her about all the things I did yesterday, and how I was starting to learn how to meditate, and apparently she doesn't like buddhist meditation because it's passive. She wants me to do more active meditation and told me to go to lifeblissfoundation.org. She's told me to go there before, and when I did that time, I found that type to be too spiritual for me. I think she really has a problem with my lack of spirituality, which is not very rational. I've had a therapist before that had a problem with the same thing. (maybe that's a general problem living in the bible belt)

Anyways, I did come home and cry for a while because I felt too overwhelmed today, and I keep feeling guilty that i'm not at work. Not to mention I called my mom (i have no idea why) and told her about my day and how tired I was so I wasn't going to do anything tonight and go to bed early, and she told me that I should at least make dinner. I then told her I wasn't going to and she repeated herself like 3 or 4 times. All of this AFTER we had a family therapy session and the psych told her that she can NOT tell me what to do and to NOT make passive suggestions if I DO NOT ask for a suggestion. I really wish she would go to counseling, but there is nothing wrong with her (of course). I really didn't want to deal with her tonight, so I just agreed with her so she would shut up.

The doc did tell me to up my Zyprexa to 10 mg because I'm having problems sleeping, so I think I'm going to pass out now. I would like to thank everyone for their words of encouragement and I hope everyone else that is in a program now, learns as much as I have and will.

I'm not sure if this is the same thing I did--called IOP--intensive outpatient.

I started w/the day program but found that they had too much time wasted on breaks & the people were lower functioning, in that they would just sleep on the couch instead of going to group so I switched to the evening program which was 4 hrs. a night 4 nights a week. Some of the people continued to work while they did the program (which I did though I only work part-time). I did it for about 9 weeks.

Helped a lot as I had just been dxed w/bipolar 1 & they also had educational programs for family members which helped my husband a lot.

I know what you mean, QueenAccountant, about having to accommodate individuals who are at a different learning level. It does get frustrating. You know what occurred to me? On the meditation thing, that would be an excellent opportunity for you to use some of those boundry skills you are learning. When you feel you are being pulled in two different directions by your T and the class, put your foot down (gently) and say, Look, I believe this, this, and this and I don't want to approach meditation in this way, it simply doesn't appeal to me. I would rather approach it like this. It would have more meaning to me. Set that boundry. There is no reason that you would have to go along with something that was more "spiritual" than you are comfortable with.

Just a suggestion. Hang in there!!! I start today!

NARCISSISTIC

If each person had the same level of experiences and intelligence...

Is it the correct thing to be-little others because they don't meet your standards

Have you 'walked in their shoes' experienced everything, possible even close to their lifes.

Are you on such a highly established level by your own conclusion that you do not see that all things are not one in the same.

Have you thought 'who am I do judge anyone, when I have not exmained myself inside and out - to the depts of you first coming into the birth canal, and what has followed from that time on.

So you actually think that your standards of what people should be is not what they chose or have no choice of standards to meet.

Have you instead of looking at others - look into your own mirror and answer the questions they are presented with, and truly from within be able to feel the answer. Not immediately 'think you know the answer', but FEEL it.

Are not all people of human flesh, bones, skin with a brain of it's own conditons such as Bipolar, Depression, memories, up-bringing, etc....
And could you compare your diagnosis with theirs and consider they behave in the best way they know how to or can.

Has anyone been able to walk in your shoes and look at others as you do - that they may judge.

Have you ever thought that someon elses brain functions at a different speed than others. Mean things must be repeated in order to totally comprehend information.

Is it not learning by asking quetions. Is it not asking additionally questions a more indepth thinking that can make people ask a question repeatedly or did not totally understand the facts. Couldn't it also be that whatever facts are being given, if questioned Could in fact prove that the facts are incorrect. Is that not how we solve, an un-seemnigly operation.

Did not Einstein live his en-life in solving/re-solving conclusions that he thought were correct, which infact were not. So his life entailed years upon years of complicated mathmatically configurations, of which he finally discovered 1 conclusion that alloted him a Noble prize.
Yet to come to that conclusion - question after question had to be re-done, re-peacted, re-examined.

If Einstein - A Genius, had to ask and repeat... did that make him lower than, because he had to ask until he finally came to a conclusion that his lifes work had finally concluded his mathmatically answer.

If Einstein asked - to Learn, cannot he become compared to those of which you think are lower than your statues of intelligence other known to you as ignorance.

P.S. I am me, and no other, there is no other as me, I am me that no one may judge, due to the fact that they are juging me against THEIR comprehension of what is suppose to be.... Which would in fact they would become you, and not themselves 'as me and there is no other'