Higher Level of Care
When being treated in a psychiatric office, you may sometimes hear that your condition requires a “Higher Level of Care”. To help you understand what this means, we put together levels of care in mental health list. This is not a full list of care options, and is meant to be used as a generalized idea of what levels of care exist and may be available to you.
In Patient
Hospitalization
Inpatient Hospitalization is the highest level of care, which provides mental and physical stabilization during an acute episode. Inpatient care is for you, if you are in emergency situations and intend to harm yourself, need to regain nutrients or achieve a healthy intake of food, or if you need to withdraw from illicit substances or alcohol. Your multidisciplinary treatment team should create a care plan to help stabilize your symptoms, help you get through the crisis, and set up a plan for continued treatment.
A typical length of stay in inpatient varies, but the average is 3-7 days with a longer stay often required for those with an eating disorder, depending on severity. Once stable, your care team works to transition you to the appropriate level of care for the next step in your treatment.
Residential
Treatment
Residential treatment is sometimes considered for acute cases who have completed their in-patient treatment. As a patient in residential treatment, you will be required to live on campus and be treated in a supportive environment while receiving intensive treatment for an average of 30 to 90 days. Patients in residential care are medically stable and focus on building the skills needed for long-term recovery.
Partial
Hospitalization
If you are referred for partial hospitalization care (PHP), you can expect to come in for treatment five days a week typically for six hours each day. This level of care is sometimes referred to as “day treatment.” Patients will often step down from inpatient or residential to partial hospitalization, which is shown to have the best short-term and long-term clinical outcomes with reduced readmission at a future date. Local facilities may offer virtual treatment at this time.
Intensive
Outpatient
Intensive Outpatient Care (IOP) is the lowest level of care where patients come in for treatment multiple days per week for three hours each day. Patients at this level of care experience group and individual therapy, meet with psychiatrists, participate in experiential therapy, and other treatment modalities.