Understanding Acute Mental Health Care in Youth
It’s not something you can plan for as a parent or caregiver. Admitting a child or teenager into inpatient mental health care is a moment nobody can prepare for. In practice, families may feel sad, hopeful and distressed. However, reaching this point in the journey can simply mean the child’s daily needs have exceeded the capacity at home.
Acute Inpatient Treatment for Young Patients Ages 4-17
Inpatient behavioral health care for young patients is intended to be short-term treatment which focuses on crisis stabilization, assessment, diagnosis, safety monitoring and long-term planning. Inpatient treatment is like hitting a pause button to ensure emotional regulation while the clinical team helps build a long-term recovery plan to maintain at home.
Hospitalization for behavioral health problems largely results in positive patient outcomes, according to data from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Acute inpatient treatment can also help enhance a patient’s social behaviors and day-to-day functioning. It may even help improve their chances of graduating from school, avoiding criminal activity and preventing addiction relapse.
Age-appropriate mental health care
At Brentwood Behavioral, a multidisciplinary team of clinical professionals consists of psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, case managers, therapists and nutritionists. Designed with separate residential wings for children (ages 4-12) and teens (ages 13-17), our skilled staff follows strict age-appropriate health care protocols.
Education curriculum and behavioral guidelines also differ between the child group and the teen group. Mental health staff can tailor therapies, in part, based on the maturity levels and childhood development of each young patient.
Serving Mississippi, Brentwood Behavioral Healthcare is an inpatient and outpatient treatment facility for children, adolescents and adults. Here, the average length of stay for acute hospitalization is 5-14 days.
Inpatient behavioral health solutions for adolescents
One big benefit of continuous observation during inpatient treatment is that medication management during psychiatric stays is highly responsive. Doctors can adjust dosages in real-time based on how a child reacts during group therapy or recreational activities. Medication monitoring can help ensure faster stabilization for your loved one.
Conditions we treat in younger patients includes:
- Anxiety disorders
- Concentration problems
- Depression
- Dual diagnosis
- Mood disorders
- Physically threatening behavior
- Self-destructive behavior
- Social withdrawal
- Substance abuse
- Suicidal thoughts, and more.
In an emergency, don’t wait. If you believe your child is experiencing an urgent mental health crisis, call 988 or seek the nearest emergency department.
Acute hospitalization for children ages 4-12
When a youth is experiencing a mood disorder that prevents them from functioning in school, home or in the community, they may benefit from a short-term, temporary psychiatric program.
Acute hospitalization for adolescents ages 13-17
Teen treatments provide a hopeful, nurturing environment, along with empathetic mental health care. The goal of hospitalization is for every child or teen to return home (and to school) with confidence and new coping tools to support their recovery.
3 Signs Your Child May Need Crisis Intervention
Weekly counseling provides a strong foundation but sometimes outpatient therapy isn’t enough, especially in the beginning of a child’s journey. In mental health, medical intervention is needed when the child’s behaviors become an immediate danger to themselves or others, requiring constant monitoring and observation, and possibly, medication.
It’s a stressful situation for most parents to imagine but you should seek immediate crisis intervention for your child if you observe:
- Immediate threats. Suicidal ideation and self-harming needs immediate attention and assessment.
- Failed outpatient therapy. When visits with a regular therapist are no longer working or sustainable.
- Non-functional living. Outward physical aggression and inability to maintain basic, daily routines at home.
What to expect from inpatient psych treatment for kids
Once medically cleared, the patient will encounter safety protocols in pediatric mental health units, starting with a search of belongings. Staff may temporarily collect items like shoelaces, belts or drawstrings to create an environment where self-harm is prevented.
During the admissions process, primary goal is to transition the child or teen out of intense crisis mode and into some kind of more stable and structured space. After that critical period, clinical work and evaluations can begin.
An intake nurse will ask questions about the child’s immediate fears and moods to establish a clinical baseline.A predictable daily routine can naturally reduce psychiatric symptoms by removing outside stressors, helping patients feel grounded and more secure.
A dedicated inpatient treatment team can collaborate on specific parts of recovery and can include:
Psychiatrist. Directs overall treatment and medication monitoring.
Social worker. Coordinates family visits, schedules and discharge logistics.
Nurse. Specializes in mental health nursing and provides daily medical care.
Mental health tech. Offers 24/7 support during meals, hospital-based school programs and recreational activities.
A teen mental health recovery plan that works
When weighing inpatient vs. outpatient mental health options for children and teens, inpatient care can provide more structure and protection when weekly talk therapies fall short. As part of the shared inpatient experience, parents are essential to the treatment team, especially during family therapy.
Inpatient family sessions can differ from regular counseling by focusing on immediate coping strategies for parents of hospitalized children. Check-ins with psychiatrists and other inpatient clinicians help keep you connected and lay the groundwork for discharge planning and recovery at home.
Moving forward, discharge planning for young patients can act as a roadmap on the next steps to accomplish. This clinical plan might recommend step-down treatments like partial hospitalization programs (PHP) or intensive outpatient programs (IOP), for instance.
Behavioral health options like IOP can help bridge the gap between round-the-clock evaluation and living life at home and participating in hours of weekly therapy. With appropriate intervention, your children can lead more happy, balanced lives.
Contact Brentwood Behavioral Healthcare in Jackson
Call 601-258-5924 or complete the online contact form.
Brentwood Behavioral Healthcare is a residential and outpatient treatment facility for children, teens and adolescents. We help provide support for those in the Jackson area who may be struggling with mental health and substance use issues.
