[Auja11007]

I assume this is where I would post this... correct me if I'm wrong.

Has anyone ever gone through a long term residential treatment program? It's something I've been considering along with going to Mayo Clinic.

After talking to Mayo and being told that they offer diagnostic testing for recommendations but not actual treatment has me leary. Has anyone went through their inpatient program?

The costs of the residential programs are mind boggling and I've been wondering if it's worth it and if anyone has gone through such a program and what was your experience like?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm on the brink of a major life changing decision but I'm trying to see all angles first.

[jjm51]

hi auja-

i would first ask are you in danger of hurting yourself right now? if yes, then get to a hospital.

if though you are looking for a long-term treatment facility due to needing help functioning/diagnosing/etc i think unfortunately it is problematic a bit.

i, too, at one time searched high and low for a long-term psych facility. i have very good insurance by the way.

here is what i found-out;

1. in the states most psych facilities are for 'acute' care. meaning a stay of a week to a few weeks. the idea is to quickly stabilize you. keep you safe. then, try and get you and often into a 'out=patient' daily program.

2. i made several calls to my insurer. bottom-line is that most long-tern facilities are more set-up for addictions. 30/60/90 day programs for rehab. i actually had one person i spoke with on my insurance plan say it's too bad you don't have a drug/alcohol addiction. argh.

3. then you have private pay facilities. these are astronomically expensive. generally not covered by insurance. in my research i was not 'sold' on these places. many are set in beautiful settings (nice) but, cater to the very very wealthy. we have one such place here up in malibu. i dug very deeply and read not so great reviews of these places to be honest. for example there is a very high-priced place in the desert out in arizona. celeb's go there. jesse jackson jr went there first for his bipolar. lasted a few weeks and then ended-up at mayo. he actually stayed there for quite a while. so, yes some places i believe that are covered by insurance will keep you in longer than a few weeks or week or days.

4. in my research the best rated psych facilities are not these private pay places. by far the top-rated places are usually hospitals attached to universities; mclean, ucla-resnick, menniger/houston!, etc. do a google search on this. you'll get 2 things on your search; legitimate sites (i.e. 'objective' articles from online well-known sites like the wall street journal/etc...and! then, you'll get a mess of links to these private pay places that are not mentioned in any of the 'legitimate' news reporting sites. basically they are advertisements for the private pay facilities. some of these places are $20k+ a month. come on. yes, massage, yoga, a lot of holistic stuff again in amazing surroundings. sounds great. but, again i read some of the reviews of these places and money is the priority here. i was actually thinking of draining my 401(k) plan to go to some. i'm glad i didn't.

5. it is a real bummer that the days of 'girl interrupted' (late 60's?) in some ways does not exist anymore. before the 80's, though not great maybe, people could stay longer in facilities generally. again, this could be good or bad. i wasn't there.

6. is there a major university near you with a well rated psych facility? mayo has a mystic about it. i even called them. i was desperate. but, i may be wrong, it's not rated in the top ten anymore for psychiatric. again, i may be wrong on that. i have been in-patient 3 times at 3 different places. ucla-resnick is by far the best of the 3 i went in. it is rated i believe #3 in the country for psych. the last place i stayed was where 'celebrity rehab' dr drew pinsky is. what a joke that was. i went in thinking i would stay a long time in a beautiful setting. well, the place was old, nasty and the care sucked.

long post! whew!

i will finish by just repeating; in my experience look for a major university that has a highly regarded/rated psych facility/program. i did meet some people while i was inpatient at ucla that were staying for over a month by the time i got there and still had not left when i left. so, i think it's possible.

i hope you get the help you are seeking.

john

ps i'll look for a link listing the top-rated psych facilities and be right back...

[jjm51]

here you go auja;

U.S. News Best Hospitals: Psychiatry

mayo beat my ucla.

just wanted to add; i really feel there is a need for smaller, kinder, 'out in the country' type of facilities with first class care/treatment. unfortunately in the states i don't think it currently exists.

keep fighting auja.things get better.

[Auja11007]

Thank you John I am BEYOND grateful for your response. I'm not in any immediate danger of self harm but do need to find treatment rather quickly.

I was considering long term because I too have been hospitalized several times all at local hospitals/institutions that gave short term assistance but in the long run I'm still back at square one.

It's good to know that information on those long term facilities. I suppose in my desperation to remove all stresses for healing they had become appealing. I hadn't thought to look at other hospitals that work with universities and that's something I'm definitely going to do.

All of my hospital stays were around 2 weeks tops and I feel more time is needed to finally get on the right track. I've got great insurance too and have been thumbing through my policy's fine print. I haven't called because mine does require pre-authorization and I wasn't sure if my inquiry call would be documented and used in the determination.

Funny you mention Girl Interrupted, I just watched that movie not too long ago and was wishing places like that were still around. (minus some of the unstructured Hollywood antics.)

Thank you!!

[Auja11007]

Originally Posted by jjm51

here you go auja;

U.S. News Best Hospitals: Psychiatry

mayo beat my ucla.

just wanted to add; i really feel there is a need for smaller, kinder, 'out in the country' type of facilities with first class care/treatment. unfortunately in the states i don't think it currently exists.

keep fighting auja.things get better.

Thank you!!

[jjm51]

k;

cool on being safe auja.

no need to thank me. thank-you for letting me share some info i have learned.

i think you could also get some 'advocates' (i.e. pdoc, therapist, family, friends) to 'fight' for you to seek a longer term stay in a good place AND have your friggin' insurance cover it.

a hospital by law will not release you if you feel like you are a danger to yourself or others. it's the law, regardless of what your insurance says.

so, just a suggestion, and i hope it is not triggering, but you might want to push the idea that you are headed for a bad place if you do not get some inpatient care at a good place. then, while there, as you know, they (the insurance company) thru the docs will try and get you out fast. again, just a suggestion, but if you honestly feel safer and needing a longer stay i wouldn't necessarily lie, or maybe i would, but again, they have to keep you in as long as you are in crisis.

you sound quite bright. i know what a struggle it is to get the help we truly need. we also know ourselves best. if you believe you need a long-term stay then do what you have to do i say. by that i mean you will need to fight to get that. again; some support from your 'team' to get that will also give you a better chance of what you are seeking i believe.

sigh.

if 'they' only knew right?

best of luck auja. i have a feeling you will get what you need.

john

[jenniy122]

It is very costly, but Timberline Knolls is a residential treatment center in Illinois outside of Chicago. I haven't been there personally (want to go, but can't afford it) but I went to their step-down outpatient partner Insight in downtown Chicago and was in groups with many of their patients and they all had nothing but good things to say about it.