When you’re looking for mental health help, it can sometimes be difficult to determine which services and treatment environment are right for you. Challenges can include differentiating between a psych ward vs. a mental hospital, as well as understanding the features and benefits of the different levels of care that treatment centers provide.

If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health, discover the steps you can take to start healing. Call us today or visit our admissions page to learn more!

What Is a Psych Ward?

A psych ward (which is short for psychiatric ward) is a specialized unit within a general medical hospital.

This type of unit typically provides short-term care for patients who have been experiencing particularly acute symptoms or who are in the midst of a mental health crisis. The general goal of treatment in a psych ward is usually to help patients achieve stabilization.

Though psychiatric units still exist, the term psych ward isn’t used very often anymore. 

This term became popularized at a time when mental health treatment was far more rudimentary than it is now. For many people today, referring to a mental health unit as a psych ward evokes images of involuntary commitment, locked rooms, and protocols that often prioritized control over compassion and quality care.

This is not meant to imply that modern psychiatric units offer substandard care. Instead, it simply emphasizes the significance of using modern terminology that reflects the great strides that hospital-based psychiatric units have made through the decades.

What Is a Mental Hospital?

A mental hospital is a facility that is dedicated to treating people who have mental and behavioral health concerns. Other common terms for mental hospitals are mental health hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and mental health treatment centers.

Two key differences between a psych ward vs. a mental hospital are scope of services and continuum of care. 

As we noted in the previous section, a psych ward will typically provide short-term, stabilization-focused care. Mental hospitals, on the other hand, may provide myriad therapies and related services at multiple levels of care.

Levels of Care

There is no standardized list of services or programming options that a facility must provide in order to be considered a mental hospital. Some mental hospitals only offer one level of care, while others offer several or all of the options listed below.

Inpatient Treatment

The purpose of inpatient treatment at a mental hospital is similar to the goal of psych wards. 

At this level, patient safety and stabilization are key areas of focus. Once the patient’s symptoms have returned to the sub-acute level, and they no longer pose a threat to themselves or others, they can transfer to a less restrictive level of care or possibly return home.

Residential Care

Residential care in a mental health hospital may be the ideal option for patients who need round-the-clock supervision, but whose symptoms are not severe enough to warrant inpatient treatment.

Features that separate residential care from inpatient treatment include:

• Residential programs typically offer a longer length of stay, with patients remaining in treatment for weeks or even months.
• At the residential level, patients will likely participate in an array of therapies, which may be provided via individual, group, and family sessions. They may also take part in therapeutic leisure or recreational activities.
• Instead of focusing solely on stabilization, residential programming can help patients learn how to better manage their symptoms and make the lifestyle changes that will support their continued recovery.

After completing residential care at a mental health hospital vs a psych ward, many patients transfer into one of the outpatient levels listed below, where they can receive step-down support and prepare for a successful transition out of treatment.

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

Partial hospitalization programs typically include full days of treatment five days per week. In the evenings and on weekends, patients may return to their home or to a supported residence.

As in a residential program, PHPs often offer a variety of therapeutic activities, educational opportunities, and related support services. In many PHPs, participants may also have medication management services included in their treatment plan if needed.

A good candidate for a PHP is someone who can benefit from more intensive, structured services than they can receive at lower levels of care, but who doesn’t need round-the-clock supervision. This can include patients who are stepping down from a residential or inpatient program, as well as those who have not previously been in treatment.

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)

At the intensive outpatient level, participants usually attend treatment for a few hours per day, two to five days per week. Some IOP patients are able to work part-time, take classes, do volunteer work, and otherwise engage in a full, productive lifestyle during non-treatment hours. 

This balance of additional independence and structured clinical care can help patients learn how to apply their mental health skills and strategies in real-world environments, knowing they will be able to process their experiences and receive focused feedback during their next IOP session.

Group therapy is often the main type of treatment at the IOP levels, but many mental health hospitals also offer a range of additional therapies and support services at this level.

Outpatient Services

At the outpatient level, patients have the greatest degree of flexibility while still maintaining a connection to clinical services. Outpatient care may involve individual or group therapy, with sessions often scheduled on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis.

Outpatient treatment can be an excellent source of long-term support, helping patients maintain and build on the progress they made while in a higher level of care.

Learn More About Mental Health Treatment in Atlanta

If you have been looking for quality mental health treatment for yourself or a family member, Valor Behavioral Health is here for you.

Our mental health treatment center in Atlanta, GA, offers personalized services at the PHP, IOP, and outpatient levels, with separate age-appropriate programs for adolescents and adults. For adult patients who need additional support, we also partner with several trusted and vetted transitional living facilities in the area. 

To learn more about how we can help you or your loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.