What Is Psychiatric Rehabilitation?

Psychiatric rehabilitation may help get life skills back on track after treatment for mental illness. The treatment of mental health disorders usually includes two aspects: the actual treatment itself, and psychiatric rehabilitation. Treatment focuses on reducing associated illness of patient like in case of a person with fever, the goal of treatment is to bring down the body temperature.

Unlike cases of physical illnesses where medication or surgery may provide a complete cure, mental disorders require medication along with other forms of treatment. The type of treatment administered to the patient depends on their diagnosis, the severity of the illness, as well as their physical and emotional state. A person may need a combination of some of these forms of treatment: medication, therapy, counselling, hospitalization, brain stimulation treatments, and mental health rehabilitation. Often, the lines demarcating treatment and mental rehabilitation may be blurred.

Mental health rehabilitation is an aspect of treatment that focuses on helping the person return to an optimal level of functioning and to achieve life goals. This is brought about by providing medical, psychological and social input. There is no strict boundary between treatment and mental rehabilitation.

Not all persons with mental illness require rehabilitation for mental illness. For many patients, medication or a combination of medication and therapy is sufficient to help them get back to a functional life. For others, rehabilitation for mental illness may be an essential final part of the treatment cycle.

Why is Rehab for Mental Illness necessary?

People with severe and chronic psychiatric illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may be mentally disabled by their condition and may require psychosocial rehabilitation to pick up basic skills. In case of disorders such as mental retardation, a process of rehabilitation of psychiatric patients is followed to help patients learn skills necessary for daily functioning.

The process of rehabilitation of psychiatric patients aims to help the patient develop the social and intellectual skills required to integrate with mainstream society. This helps the person find a meaningful role for themselves, at home and at work. Rehabilitation supports the patient by providing opportunities, preventing stigma and discrimination.

Who should undergo and what are the expected results

A psychiatric rehabilitation centre is intended for long-term mentally ill patients. Poor mental health is expected to deprive a person with the necessary set of skills to be fully functional, contributory, and supportive of a community. Also, one has to live with the stigma that comes with having the health problem, and this may only further force the patient to retreat and disassociate from others.

The different signs and symptoms of mental health can also increase the risk of discord, conflict, and ineffective communication in the group where the patients belong. A person with a mental health problem is more likely to:

• Withdraw from society and lose interest in others
• Lose the ability to concentrate or understand himself and others
• Have a disconnection between himself and the environment
• Develop an illogical way of thinking
• Promote unusual, imaginary, and exaggerated beliefs
• Feel a sense of distrust and suspicion toward others
• The success of the rehab significantly varies from one person to another as many factors come into play. One of these is the patient’s receptiveness or openness to newer or modified skills, as well as the chance to get back to society.

Nevertheless, patients can expect to understand

• They will be respected.
• They will develop a new sense of belief in their capacity to grow and learn.
• They will experience personal growth through continuous support and learning.
• The services or resources they need to recover quickly and effectively will be accessible.
• They will work alongside a diverse team that can address different areas of their needs and challenges.
• The will learn to make their own decisions and in the process, become empowered individuals.
• They can build their own support group in the community, including their family members, with the help of their psychosocial rehabilitation team.

They will experience growth in various areas of their lives.

Admission Process

A committee comprising of mental health professionals meet during each admission and discharge. This committee assesses clinical conditions and decides on admission to a program or readiness for a discharge

• Pre-admission assessment
• Preadmission assessment includes
• Assessment of the clinical condition
• Assessment of the family condition

The clinical assessment is done by a team consisting of a clinical psychologist, the psychiatrist, and the medical officer. The family assessment is done by a social worker. Based on the findings, the persons will be hospitalized for treatment. Once the person shows symptomatic improvement, he/she will be discharged for rehabilitation

Post Admission Assessment

Post-admission assessment consists of:

• Detailed client history taking
• Disability assessment
• Mental status examination.
• Formulation of an individualized rehabilitation plan

Plan Implementation

The primary focus is on the development of psychosocial and vocational skills development. Besides skills training, other interventions followed are:

• Medication management
• Counselling
• Occupational therapy
• Creative therapies using drama, dance, and art
• Yoga
• Psychoeducation
• Vocational training

Review

• Patient progress is monitored every quarter. If needed, the psychosocial rehabilitation plan is also altered based on review outcomes.
• Caregivers are briefed about patient condition.
• All mental health professionals are involved in this exercise.
• If the resident is ready for discharge, the discharge protocol is followed.

Follow Up

Follow up is an important component of the rehabilitation psychology programme. At the time of discharge, caregivers are provided orientation about the needs and importance of follow up and in consultation with them, a follow-up schedule is drawn by the professionals.

Follow up reminders are sent before the scheduled date and if a person fails to come for follow up for two consecutive days, a key worker makes a home visit to interact with family members and to provide the necessary support that will ensure follow up.

Doing catheterization by self is a possibility; however, getting it done in the presence of medical personnel who have the expertise can be the most comfortable process that provides a feeling of peace to the minds of the patients. This is considered to be one of the recommended and best possible processes to avoid any form of discomfort and injury during the procedure.

Care24 can provide in-home services and can help in easing the process of urinary catheterization a home with the most professional help in the medical sector. Care24 can provide the same comfort at homes without the patient having to actually travel places or face any injury while self-implement the catheter. Any individual who has the need of either male or female catheterization at their homes, a simple call will help to get a representative nurse to reach the doorsteps in the shortest possible time.

The nurses are efficient in safely executing the process of urethral catheterization. They also serve the patients with the best possible information and guide them with the knowledge towards that maintenance of the catheter. A simple call to Care24 will enable the professional nurse to reach out to the customer’s place and take care of all the needs for the catheterization.