On the Fence: Exploring Barriers to Residential Mental Health Treatment

The idea of residential care can be highly intimidating. Representations of inpatient hospitalization and psych wards in popular culture are often filled with terrifying images of acute psychiatric crisis, authoritarian clinicians, and paternalistic medical practices. The chaos, loss of agency, and dehumanization commonly portrayed in television shows and films create an image that is anything but inviting to those in emotional distress. The reality, however, is far different. Private residential mental health programs like Bridges to Recovery are designed to create a warm, inviting space in which each client is treated with dignity and respect. At Bridges, our compassionate team of expert mental health professionals engage you in a collaborative, interdisciplinary healing process designed to meet your unique needs and nurture mind, body, and soul. In contrast to the stereotypically cold, harsh hospital environment, our beautiful Los Angeles-area facilities offer all the comforts of home in serene settings complete with private chefs, gyms, gracious living spaces, and peaceful gardens and patios for private reflection. Because all clients enter treatment voluntarily, you can be sure that you are surrounded by others who are dedicated to recovery and are also seeking profound personal transformation.

Many people believe that their situation is not severe enough to warrant residential treatment, even as they are unable to find relief from suffering in outpatient environments. This line of thinking is often related to the belief that residential care is a frightening place reserved for only the “worst” cases, something you wouldn’t subject yourself to unless absolutely necessary. As a result, you may set arbitrary guidelines for yourself that depend on a complete dwindling of function; if your bipolar disorder makes you cheat on your spouse, if your depression turns into suicidal ideation, if your alcohol addiction causes you to lose your job, then you’ll try residential care. In reality, people come to residential treatment with a wide range of experiences, histories, and symptom severities. What they share is not a particular stage of mental illness, but a commitment to engaging in an intensive therapeutic experience that will alleviate emotional and behavioral distress and allow them to live a richer, more authentic life. Earlier treatment not only prevents serious damage to your health, your relationships, and your professional life, it also leads to better outcomes for most mental health disorders, increasing your chances of recovery. Delaying residential care until you feel you have no other option only subjects you to unnecessary suffering and puts your well-being at risk.

Parents often struggle with the decision to seek residential mental health treatment, particularly if they are the primary caretaker to their children. While childcare is a very real and legitimate concern, it is also often one that can be addressed with thoughtful planning. The deeper barrier many parents face is the belief that their children will be negatively affected by their absence during treatment. In reality, caring for your mental health is a critical part of ensuring your children will have a stable, healthy childhood, and a temporary absence for residential treatment can give you the ability to be truly present and emotionally equipped to care for both yourself and your family when you return home. Residential care also doesn’t mean that you can’t be involved in your children’s lives; at Bridges to Recovery, we encourage contact with your family throughout your stay through phone, email, and Skype, as well as visits as appropriate.

In a culture that prizes professional and financial success, it can be difficult to make life changes that involve potentially compromising your work, particularly if you are the primary breadwinner. What often goes unspoken, however, is that it is not treatment that threatens your success, but your illness; without addressing your mental health disorder, you are left vulnerable to deepening levels of distress that can impair your ability to function socially and professionally. Prioritizing your psychological well-being is critical to ensuring that you can continue to perform in the workplace while enhancing your overall quality of life. Furthermore, regardless of the leave policies offered by your individual employer, federal legislation, including the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), provides special protections for people suffering from mental health disorders and can allow you the time to seek residential care without compromising your job.