Stop!
Take a moment to see if your patient displays any of the listed signs or symptoms of a substance use disorder (SUD). Then learn about which treatment option could be best for them.
When to Consider Detox Treatment
The medication detoxification process can treat patients for an entire spectrum of substance use issues. Consider detox if the patient has:
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- Used alcohol, barbiturates, opiates or benzodiazepines within two days of admission
- Experienced withdrawal symptoms
- A history of seizures or delirium tremens
When to Consider Residential Treatment
When a patient needs specific support multiple times per day, needs more structure than intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) or is not able to function normally in activities of daily life (e.g., school or work), a residential treatment center (RTC) may be the best option.
Consider residential treatment if the patient has:
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- Actively used substances within three to five days of the current treatment episode
- Significant impairments in daily functioning
- Poor sleep
- Poor appetite or an eating disorder
- An inability to maintain hygiene
- Impaired ability to engage in school or work
- Legal impairments
- Family discord
- Emotional instability
- Refused to take prescribed medication(s)
- Been on the same medication for a while and is still exhibiting symptoms
- A need for medication management
- A moderate to severe lack of support
- An unlikely chance to succeed in treatment at a lower level of care
- Documented severe deterioration from baseline functioning demonstrated by recent changes in behavior(s)/psychiatric symptoms, resulting in severe functional impairment in at least three of the following areas:
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- a. Primary support
- b. Social/interpersonal
- c. Occupational/educational
- d. Health/medical compliance
- e. Ability to maintain safety for either self or others
- Recent history involving multiple treatment attempts with recidivism if the patient and facility developed and implemented a plan focused on increasing motivation, readiness for change and relapse prevention interventions
When to Consider Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
In a PHP, patients receive much of the same structure as residential care during the day as well as the opportunity to practice their skills as they transition to life outside the treatment program.
Consider PHP if the patient has:
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- Used substances within one week of the current treatment program (unless behavior has been prevented by incarceration or hospitalization)
- Medication changes or a need for medication evaluation
- An unstable home environment, family discord or a need for family therapy
- Ongoing triggers that the patient is unable to manage without staff intervention
- Documented severe deterioration from baseline functioning demonstrated by recent changes in behavior(s)/psychiatric symptoms, resulting in severe functional impairment in at least three of the following areas:
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- a. Primary support
- b. Social/interpersonal
- c. Occupational/educational
- d. Health/medical compliance
- e. Ability to maintain safety for either self or others
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- Ongoing medical issues secondary to SUD
- Acute psychiatric symptoms or cognitive deficits of moderate intensity that directly relate to a high risk of relapse
- Poor coping skills
- Inappropriate boundaries with others or is socially withdrawn
When to Consider Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Patients may benefit from daily support and a group setting in this treatment environment while returning to their home rather than living in a treatment center.
Consider IOP if the patient has:
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- Difficulty utilizing healthy coping skills
- An ability to participate in group settings
- Stepped up from an outpatient setting
- Limited treatment history
- Mild to moderate depression and/or anxiety
- Medication compliance
- Mild to moderate lack of support, but can succeed in treatment with the intensity of current treatment services
- A documented history of an inability to be managed at a lower level of care
- Not cooperated with treatment or failed to respond to treatment with a reduction in symptom frequency, duration or intensity that triggered the admission
- A high risk for admission to a higher level of care secondary to multiple recent previous treatments that resulted in unsuccessful community tenure despite intensive treatment
Know the signs and get the right help for your patient. Contact Discovery Behavioral Health today.