I am considering going to one of these for my severe depression. For anyone with experience, do you just do the stuff the inpatient people do except just go home at night?

[regretful]

It generally depends on the day treatment program. I went to one, but only lasted a day as it was poorly organized, poorly attended (there were four of us there), and poorly administered. However, what they were trying to do was run it like a day hospital just as you have written. Maybe my expectations were too high...

I can't enter the program until May 8th! What am I supposed to do in the meantime? This really sucks . . .

[paynful]

The waiting is horrible. I'm sorry I don't have suggestions, but thank you for posting about it. I didn't even know such programs existed. If there was one around my area, I would've liked to look into it.

[regretful]

When I was discharged from the hospital, I had to wait nearly 60 days for a psychiatry appointment - trouble was that I only had a one week supply of meds...Can you get on a cancellation list? Just a thought...Sorry that you have to go through this.

Originally Posted by regretful

When I was discharged from the hospital, I had to wait nearly 60 days for a psychiatry appointment - trouble was that I only had a one week supply of meds...Can you get on a cancellation list? Just a thought...Sorry that you have to go through this.

Cancellation list is a good idea, thanks.

[littlemiss44]

Ya its just like the hospital but you get to go home. Some programs are better than others. It can be very helpful. I would do it but I work pt. I'd do it.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

[live2ski66]

I'm looking at a program that is MWF 1-4pm. I found it by googling intensive outpatient psychiatric care. I also checked with my PDoc for suggestions. My program is $380/day. The best of the best is supposed to be McLean Hospital at Harvard University. They have a great website with tons of info. If I remember correctly their outpatient program ran M-F 9-4 and was in the neighborhood of$500/day. My intent was to go to Harvard Medical, but my outlaw dad is very ill and I'm helping my outlaw mom in exchange for room and board. As far as I can tell there is no central database for psychiatric facilities. Good luck with your search!

Originally Posted by live2ski66

I'm looking at a program that is MWF 1-4pm. I found it by googling intensive outpatient psychiatric care. I also checked with my PDoc for suggestions. My program is $380/day. The best of the best is supposed to be McLean Hospital at Harvard University. They have a great website with tons of info. If I remember correctly their outpatient program ran M-F 9-4 and was in the neighborhood of$500/day. My intent was to go to Harvard Medical, but my outlaw dad is very ill and I'm helping my outlaw mom in exchange for room and board. As far as I can tell there is no central database for psychiatric facilities. Good luck with your search!

I have found a place to go that's about an hour away. It's Theda Care in Menasha, Wisconsin. It's the closest that I know of.

[live2ski66]

Newgal, glad you found a place relatively close. I was living 5hrs away before I moved in with the outlaws. We have great skiing in Aspen, but horrible mental health resources.
Good luck in the program and please keep us posted.

[Grey Matter]

I have been in partial-hospitalization twice in my life. Once at 18, once at 20.

Sadly, I cannot be speaking for all programs. I happened to be very lucky and landed in an amazing program that took my then insurance.

An outline of my day there.

8am - Sign in. Take morning meds if you have any.

8:30am- 9am- Morning group. The day would be outlined. We'd be told what groups were being offered. We also discussed how we were feeling that morning and gave support to those who were struggling. We also had breakfast.

9am to 10am - Groups OR individual therapy. We had three offered in rotation throughout the day. Art, depression, anxiety, music therapy, etc.

10am-11am- Groups OR individual therapy. You have to see your therapist for individual everyday.

11am-12pm- Lunch. We were typically allowed to leave for lunch, but we had to sign in and out. If you were late, or took off, you faced discipline or being expelled from the program. Discipline was really seeing the head therapist to talk about why you decided to leave, etc. They try really hard not to remove people from the program. We were also allowed to smoke now.

12pm-1pm Sign in at 12. After, meds if you had them. Then you had a choice of therapy, group, or "quiet time" where you could journal/draw/do work from your therapist like DBT worksheets and the like.

1pm-2pm Group, see the NP or the psychiatrist to talk over meds/refills/adjustments, or individual. ALSO you have a consular. It baffled me as this person really only spoke to use about our insurance payments and the like.

2pm-3pm mandatory reflection group. List goals for the next day. Vent any issues we had with anyone during the day. Express individuals concerns.

3pm-4pm this is when we were just free to socialize. We got to go smoke with a nurse present.

4pm- Sign out. We had to sign a sheet that stated we will not hurt ourselves or others. That if we felt the urge to self harm, had suicidal thoughts, psychosis, that we would call our assigned psychiatric nurses. Then you signed it.

In the morning you sign the same sheet to say you kept your promise. If you didn't, you're not in trouble. You will be given the chance for extended therapy.

now, for transportation, the state had to offer all patients a cab home. You'd usually be buddied up with someone. If not, someone came to pick you up (family/friend). We were NOT allowed to drive ourselves.

Now, again, this was just an overview of my program. I found it truly helpful and healing. I hope yours is the same.

[Nammu]

Some are geared towards lower functioning people and teach more living skills others are for living with MI and teach DBT or CBT skills. Where I live they have them at night too. Usually the day time groups are for those not working and evenings for those that work. Some are time limited other are open ended. The better ones usually do not accept medicare or Medicaid.

I'm glad you found one not too far away.

Now I can't get in the program until Monday, May 12. I don't even know if I want to go anymore. It seems like nothing will help my severe depression.

[Verity81]

I was in a day hospital programme for just over 4 weeks after I had been inpatient for 6 days. I found it was a lot more structured than inpatient. Therapy groups, individual sessions with psychologist, mindfulness groups, relaxation etc etc. I found it very helpful and they sorted out therapy for me to continue with when I left. All in all its worth a go, I was scared at first but soon I didn't want to leave! lol

[sph123]

I was in a day treatment program for 21 days and mine was similar to Grey Matter's schedule.

I had been in talk-therapy for about ten years but nothing helped as much as a day treatment program. It took a while to sink in, but they really focused on CBT. I know the wait is frustrating, but if there is anyway your physician can get you bumped up the priority list I would pursue it. I know that people in the in-patient program had first priority to the out-patient, as that was required.

I have been back in "talk-therapy" for a few years but it's not helping. In fact, I recently told my psychiatrist (and therapist) that I want to go back to doing structured CBT. I think my psychiatrist was a bit frustrated that I wanted to have some "immediate results" but when you are crying every single day -- I don't want to wait years for therapy to work.

[MissUnity]

Ive never been in inpatient, I did a day program, it was kinda nice being with other people in similar situations….THe programming where I was at was a little superficial.

[bluetriangle]

Originally Posted by newgal2

I am considering going to one of these for my severe depression. For anyone with experience, do you just do the stuff the inpatient people do except just go home at night?

I've done the day program, but have not been inpatient, so I can't compare. My day program (I was there 6 weeks) was days full of all types of helpful workshops like CBT, DBT, art therapy, … It was like mental health camp. It was really good.

I see from your other post that you have to wait until May to start. Maybe what you can do in the meantime is create your own crude program. Maybe ask them for their daily schedule and try to create it by going to the gym, signing up for an art class, reading about CBT, seeing your therapist, …

Hang in there!

Thanks for your replies everyone. I don't think I'm going to the day program. I just don't have it in me, that's how bad the depression is. Just going to hope my pdoc can find the right med(s) for me or that it will run its course and lift on its own

[live2ski66]

Hi Newgal2 I'm so sorry to here you are not going to the day program. I haven't started mine, but I believe it will help. I am a firm believer in pharmaceuticals, but I'm starting to believe that intensive therapy and meds have a better chance of helping me beat my depression than each individually. Talk to your PDoc about it. It may give you a better idea. Good luck!