5 Signs You Need to Go to a Mental Hospital

Some mental health emergencies require inpatient hospitalization. Here’s what to know about scenarios requiring a psychiatric hospital stay.

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If you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts or are in danger of harming yourself, this is a mental health emergency. Contact The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 24/7 by calling or texting 988.

Mental health struggles are extremely common. Around one in five U.S. adults has a mental health condition, and one in twenty have a serious mental illness. Sometimes, these conditions become too overwhelming to tackle alone, and emergencies can happen. Even if you are receiving some kind of mental health treatment already, you may still experience severe symptoms that can become a danger to yourself or others. This is when hospitalization in a “mental hospital” (more commonly and appropriately called a psychiatric hospital or inpatient treatment) becomes a consideration. 

“Inpatient treatment is the highest level of mental health care because it’s a controlled environment that has 24/7 nursing staff and an on-call psychiatrist to offer support in a high-acuity mental health crisis,” says Maggie Vitello, Director of Crisis Response at Charlie Health. Whether you’re facing suicidal thoughts or another mental health emergency, these hospitals provide round-the-clock care, stabilization, and short-term treatment. Here’s what you need to know about inpatient treatment at psychiatric hospitals and signs that you may need to go to a mental hospital. 

5 signs you need to go to a mental hospital

Generally speaking, the time you need hospitalization is when there’s an active risk of harming yourself or others significantly, says Vitello. This can happen due to a variety of mental health conditions. Here are five signs you may need to be admitted to a mental health hospital:

1. Suicidal thoughts with intent and a plan

Many people with mental health conditions experience passive suicidal ideation. This is when you think about dying, but don’t have an active plan or intent to end your life. Although passive suicidal thoughts should still be addressed in treatment, they don’t typically require hospitalization. 

On the other hand, if you truly intend to end your life, and you have a plan in place of how and when you’ll do it, this is a case where you should be hospitalized, Vitello says. Additionally, if someone has a past suicide attempt and is feeling suicidal again, it is important to seek assessment for inpatient treatment. 

2. Homicidal thoughts with intent and a plan

Homicidal thoughts, meaning thoughts about killing or severely hurting someone –– with actual desire, intent, and plan to do so, are a potential cause for hospitalization, Vitello says. These are different from intrusive thoughts, such as the ones associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For example, the subtype of harm OCD can result in very violent intrusive thoughts. They’re extremely disturbing because they are not what the individual actually wants to do. 

3. Acute psychosis

Although many individuals live full and functional lives with managed symptoms of psychosis, an acute episode of psychosis where you can’t perform basic daily activities or are at risk to yourself or others may require hospitalization. “This is somebody who’s not oriented to time, space, and their environment,” Vitello says. “They also have paranoid thinking and hallucinations.”

A psychotic episode could be a standalone incident, or it could be a symptom of other mental health disorders including but not limited to schizophrenia, severe depression, substance use, or bipolar disorder. If you’re experiencing psychosis, you might hear voices or see things that aren’t really there, and have trouble determining what’s real and what’s not.

Since there’s a risk of harming yourself or others when you experience psychosis, seeking professional help is crucial. Homicidal thoughts are sometimes linked to hallucinations and paranoia from unstabilized psychosis, says Vitello. Hospitalization can help stabilize the psychosis and, thus reducing the homicidal thoughts.

4. Severe mania

If someone with bipolar disorder is having a severe manic episode or are at risk of suicide, hospitalization can help. While mania doesn’t always require inpatient treatment, if there is a risk of danger to yourself or others, hospitalization may be the answer to help you get stabilized, Vitello says. In the psychiatric hospital, you can receive medication to stabilize your mania while also having care and supervision to ensure you don’t hurt yourself or others while in this state. 

5. Gravely disabled

If you are “gravely disabled,” meaning you’re unable to care for yourself in a significant way due to a severe mental health condition, this is also a case for hospitalization, says Vitello. For example, a patient may not be able to take care of their basic needs like food, safety, or overall physical health.

In this case, inpatient treatment at a psychiatric hospital will make sure you get the help you need to get back on your feet, so you can get to a point where you’re able to take care of yourself again. 

What happens when you’re admitted to a mental hospital?

First things first, admission varies by state and specific hospitals. For example, Vitello says there may be different guidelines for involuntary admission or other legal considerations. Some psychiatric hospitals may have stricter guidelines than others.

As for how you get admitted, it can happen in several ways. If you’re already under psychiatric care and your doctor decides you’re a risk to yourself or others, they may contact an inpatient center or emergency medical services to support getting you to an emergency department. Or, if you go to the ER for a mental health crisis, an ER social worker or another third party may decide if you need to be admitted, says Vitello.

Once you’re admitted, the goal is for the hospital staff to keep you safe during this short-term stay. “It’s not considered treatment as much as stabilization,” Vitello says. This can include assessing safety, confirming a diagnosis, ensuring medication compliance, and trying out different medications to find the one that works best. You will likely work with a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner for medication management, a therapist for psychotherapy (AKA talk therapy), and engage in group therapy with other patients. 

Vitello says a typical inpatient stay length is one to two weeks. After being discharged, it’s extremely important to have a safety plan in place and to continue treatment in some way to prevent the likelihood of another mental health crisis. For example, some people might enter into an intensive outpatient program (IOP) or a partial hospitalization program (PHP) to make the transition safer.

How to navigate mental health emergencies

If you are experiencing an acute mental health crisis/mental health emergency –– or if a loved one is –– it’s important to take immediate action. The goal is to ensure safety and get access to care. Never ignore any warning signs of suicide risk or harm to others. 

One path you can take is calling or texting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline. From there, you’ll get connected to a trained mental health crisis counselor in your area. They can provide advice to help stabilize you or your loved one. If they determine there is imminent danger, they may contact emergency services to come help.

Alternatively, you can go straight to your nearest emergency room. Here, you or your loved one can get evaluated. The ER hospital staff can help stabilize you and keep you safe. After the evaluation, they will determine if you need to be admitted to the hospital to stay overnight or for a longer period of time. 

Other mental health treatment options

In most cases, mental conditions do not require treatment in a psychiatric hospital. However, anyone struggling with mental health can benefit from professional help. If you don’t need 24/7 care from hospital staff but still require additional treatment, here are some other options:

Residential treatment

In residential treatment, you will also stay overnight but in a less medical-type setting. The stays may be longer than inpatient mental health treatment in a hospital. Depending on the specific facility and your unique situation, you may stay anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. You will have less intense supervision and restriction while you go through treatment and work towards healing. 

Partial hospitalization program (PHP)

In a PHP, you go to a hospital or treatment center for structured treatment. Typically, this is five to seven days a week for four to six hours a day. However, you can go home every day after treatment, and there are no overnight stays during partial hospitalization. 

Intensive outpatient program (IOP)

An IOP is a step down from a PHP, but it still involves treatment multiple days a week for several hours each day of treatment. There is a lot of structure. IOPs are often three to five days a week, with two to four hours of treatment each day. Again, there are no overnight stays. 

How Charlie Health can help

If you don’t require 24/7 care from a psychiatric hospital but need more support than once-weekly therapy, Charlie Health’s IOP may be the right fit for you. Charlie Health provides intensive outpatient treatment for people dealing with serious mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, bipolar, post-traumatic stress disorder, and more. Our expert clinicians incorporate evidence-based therapies into individual counseling, family therapy, and group sessions. With treatment, managing your mental health is possible. Fill out the form below or give us a call to start healing today.