Summary: Inpatient treatment for schizophrenia can help patients and families in a variety of ways. First and foremost, inpatient treatment for schizophrenia can help patients and families manage severe, acute episodes of psychosis while maintaining and preserving the psychological and emotional wellbeing and safety of everyone involved.
Key Points:
- The symptoms of schizophrenia can include hallucinations, i.e. seeing and hearing things that aren’t there.
- The symptoms of schizophrenia can include delusions, i.e. ideas or beliefs that are objectively false
- When a person with schizophrenia experiences an acute episode, meaning their symptoms escalate from manageable to severe, it may completely disrupt their ability to function, and behavior driven by symptoms may have a negative impact on family members
- A person with schizophrenia might not know they have schizophrenia, or have the insight to recognize the nature of their hallucinations and/or delusions.
- Inpatient treatment can help a person with schizophrenia regain control of their thoughts, emotions, and behavior in a safe and secure setting
Inpatient Treatment for Schizophrenia: Managing Psychosis, Regaining Balance
There are several things that can trigger an acute episode in people with schizophrenia:
- Discontinuing (stopping) medication
- Stress
- Sleep deprivation
- Emotional distress (breakups, loss, grief)
- Substance use
When symptoms become severe, a person with schizophrenia may lose their ability to distinguish between what’s real and what’s not real. When they lose that ability, their symptoms may change the way they think, talk, and behave. Behaviors may include:
- Incoherent speech: ideas may appear unintelligible
- Erratic emotions: feelings may shift dramatically, in unpredictable ways, in a very short time
- Hallucinations may cause them to talk to people who aren’t there
- Delusions may cause them to say things that are illogical and/or nonsensical, and may have a negative impact on family members
- Delusions may also cause extreme suspiciousness and/or paranoia, directed toward outside forces, or directed toward loved ones
For patients with no previous diagnosis of schizophrenia experiencing a first-episode psychosis, these symptoms can be confusing and frightening. They’ll also likely have a similar effect on family members or friends. Among patients already diagnosed with schizophrenia who’ve received treatment, a recurrence of severe, acute symptoms can lead to a range of emotions for them and for family members, depending on the family history, treatment history, and the frequency, intensity, and disruption associated with previous acute episodes.
This is a point when inpatient treatment for schizophrenia can help patients and families: family members may not know or understand how to help their loved one move past the acute episode, and a person with schizophrenia may not have the coping skills to effectively manage their symptoms.
Benefits of Inpatient Treatment for Schizophrenia
For a person who’s already received a diagnosis of schizophrenia and initiated treatment, the most common reason for a recurrence of severe symptoms – and the need for inpatient treatment – is a voluntary discontinuation of medication.
The most effective medication for schizophrenia is antipsychotic medication. The benefits of antipsychotic medication include:
- Reduction in hallucinations
- Reduction in delusions
- Improvements in thinking and cognition
- Increased daily function
- Reduced risk or relapse of severe symptoms
In addition, long-term adherence to antipsychotic medication can reduce premature mortality in patients with schizophrenia.
Although antipsychotic medication can lead to the same improvements in the outpatient context, i.e. when patients engage in once- or twice-weekly psychotherapy, patients in inpatient treatment can make more rapid progress toward stability, improved function, and symptom reduction.
Why?
In inpatient treatment, a person with schizophrenia receives:
- Safe and effective medication
- Around the clock, 24/7 support and care
- Full-time medical monitoring
- Full-time psychiatric monitoring
- Continuous medication management
- Daily clinical support, counseling, and treatment
- Daily support from staff who understand the needs of patients with schizophrenia
For a person with schizophrenia, the benefits of inpatient treatment include:
- Time to initiate, stabilize, and understand the benefits of antipsychotic medication
- A place to focus on healing and recovery and nothing else
- Absence of stress/pressure of daily responsibilities
- Time for patients to directly experience the benefits of antipsychotic medication
- A place to focus on healing without the need to navigate relationships with family and friends
In addition, once a person with schizophrenia achieves stability and completes a inpatient treatment program, they may be able to return to full function, and participate productively in:
- School
- Work
- Family
- Social relationships
- Social activities
These benefits for a person with schizophrenia translate directly to benefits for family members:
- Return to balanced home life
- Improved relationships
- Increased understanding of schizophrenia
- Improved quality of life
We’ll close this article with a brief overview of the treatment modalities that form the foundation of how inpatient treatment for schizophrenia helps patients and families.
Therapeutic Techniques and Modalities: Inpatient Treatment for Schizophrenia
An effective treatment plan for a person with schizophrenia in inpatient treatment should include:
Medication:
- First- or second-generation antipsychotics
Individual and family psychotherapy:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Education for mental health treatment:
- How treatment works
- The neurobiology of schizophrenia
- The neurobiology of schizophrenia treatment
In addition, patients may participate in or receive adjunct or complementary support, including expressive therapies like music/writing, mindfulness therapies like meditation and relaxation, yoga, and classes on productive communication, relationship maintenance, and conflict resolution.
The takeaway from this article – for patient and their loved ones – is that inpatient treatment for schizophrenia can help patients and families restore and repair disruption to family dynamics associated with schizophrenia, and can improve overall quality of life for patients and family members alike.
Finding Help: Resources
If you or someone you know needs professional treatment and support for schizophrenia, please contact us here at Crownview Psychiatric Institute: we can help. In addition, you can find support through the following online resources:
- The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): Find a Professional
- The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Finding Treatment
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Finding Help
- American Psychiatric Association (APA): Treatment Locator
- SAMHSA: Early Serious Mental Illness Treatment Locator
Gianna Melendez
Jodie Dahl, CpHT