How to Support Someone After Psychiatric Hospitalization

Supporting someone after a psychiatric hospitalization can be rewarding and impactful. 

It’s also important to understand that helping someone transition from inpatient psychiatric care can be challenging. However, being equipped with the right knowledge and resources can help caregivers and loved ones feel more confident and prepared.

A solid support system plays a key role in everyone’s journey towards recovery. Here are several ideas and strategies to help you prepare and avoid burnout.

Create a Safe and Supportive Home Environment

Help set your loved one up for success by ensuring their home is comfortable, safe, and that they feel welcome. Some ideas for this include:

• Create a dedicated space where they can find a moment of calm and practice meditation or journaling. Include some cozy blankets, floor pillows, candles, coloring books, or plants.
• Get them some of their favorite foods and drinks, and cook their favorite meal.
• Remove or securely store any objects or substances that could be harmful, including medications, sharp objects, and firearms.

Offer Help Without Overstepping or Overexerting

Wanting to help is a great thing. However, when we jump in and do things for others that they can do themselves, this isn’t really helping. It can be enabling or even insulting. 

Allowing people to do what they can for themselves is empowering and helps to avoid burnout and stress caused by a lack of boundaries. Assisting with things that are challenging and during times when they are overwhelmed is a healthy way to show support. 

Encourage (but Don’t Force) Healthy Routines

Being a cheerleader for your loved one engaging in positive activities can help get the ball rolling for creating lasting changes. Creating a daily structure and healthy routines has benefits that grow over time. 

Many people struggle with creating healthy routines and habits. It’s important not to force things onto others, especially during stressful times. Stay flexible and focus on small goals and steps at first. These small changes will create positive ripple effects that may very well motivate the person to make larger changes.

Keep Communication Open and Nonjudgmental

Many people may not know what to say after their loved one is in a psychiatric hospital. Try to avoid overthinking it. Be honest about the situation and invite them to discuss their experience, such as asking what aspects of their care they found helpful. 

Be direct in conveying empathy and support. Compassion requires action, so don’t just assume the other person knows you care about what they just went through.

Use neutral language that avoids stigma towards mental health conditions, and don’t communicate judgment towards the person for their health experiences. 

Avoid toxic positivity. Being overly positive, only focusing on good things, discounting the negative, and minimizing people’s legitimate struggles is harmful. 

Respect Their Autonomy and Choices

No one likes being told what to do. This is also true for people living with mental health conditions. When people have the freedom to choose what’s right for them, it helps build buy-in and personal motivation for positive change. 

Excluding a few exceptions, patients have the legal right to give informed consent for their treatment and to participate actively in determining the nature of their care, and loved ones should respect this.

Support Ongoing Mental Health Care

The aftercare plan for people who experience a psychiatric hospitalization is a vital component of their long-term mental health recovery. 

Explore Options

Mental healthcare patients and clients, their families, and loved ones should be aware of the options available after discharge. It’s a good idea to collaborate with the patient’s hospital care team to review their recommendations for types of services and clinicians. 

Some examples of aftercare include: 

• Partial hospitalization programs (PHP) offer the most support outside of an inpatient setting and include therapy and medical monitoring.
• Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) offer at least three days of three hours of therapeutic programming.
• Crisis programs offer a level of support that’s not as much as IOP but is more support than traditional outpatient care.
• Outpatient services include meeting with a therapist and/or medication clinician, typically more frequently at first, then less frequently over time as progress is achieved. 
• Peer support programs offer connection and support from others who have also experienced mental health concerns.

We offer both a crisis program and an intensive outpatient program (IOP) at Willow Health, and provide peer support to all our patients.

Practical Support

Additionally, there are some small but significant steps you can take to foster motivation and ensure follow-through with ongoing care. 

Offer to support them with the following tasks:

• Helping them call providers to schedule appointments
• Ensuring medications have been filled and refills are available, that they are taking medications as prescribed, and to keep an eye out for side effects and talk to the treatment team about any concerns
• Setting appointment reminders, such as on their phone calendar
• Collaborating with them to plan out their week and ensure they are available and prepared to attend all scheduled appointments

You can also encourage consistency with attending appointments with their therapist and medication clinicians, and remind them of the benefits of ongoing care and support.

Whole-Person Care

Additionally, it’s a good idea to ensure they have an established primary care physician, and if not, help them find one. Primary care clinicians play a crucial role in everyone’s health, and this is especially true for people experiencing mental health concerns.

Know What to Do in a Crisis Situation

It is vital to be able to recognize and respond if a crisis situation arises again.

Additional support is available, and we strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with local support and crisis resources before a crisis happens. 

Create a plan with your loved one that includes crisis resources, which can also serve as a guide for their ongoing recovery.

Crisis Resources

• The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988, or chatting on their website (988lifeline.org)
• Identify if there are any mobile crisis units in the area, and note their contact information
• Inquire with your local police department if their officers have received Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)
• Addresses of emergency rooms or walk-in crisis centers

Professional Supports

Names and phone numbers of the person’s

• Therapist
• Psychiatrist or medication clinician
• Primary care physician
• Other healthcare clinicians

Community Supports

Names and contact information of the person’s

• Supportive family members, friends, and trusted others (such as a faith leader) 
• Yourself
• Sponsor or peer recovery program contact

Important History

• The person’s diagnosis and current medications
• Any previous suicide attempts, experiences of psychosis, or substance misuse
• Known medical conditions (i.e., asthma, heart conditions)

Coping Skills

• Known triggers and stressors 
• Skills or actions that have been helpful before

Being proactive in preparing for a crisis can save lives. 

Taking Care of Yourself as a Supporter

Don’t overestimate the importance of your own health and well-being.

Boundaries

Setting boundaries is imperative for your own sake, as well as for being an ongoing source of support to your loved one. No one person can do it all, and all caregivers need support and backup. Elicit the support of other family members and friends, or professional support like respite options. Remember, sometimes you have to take a step back so that others can stand up.

Self-Care

Taking good care of yourself may sound simple, but this can be even more challenging for those in caregiving roles. Pay attention to your own needs, and make sure you are eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, and having time for fun and relaxing.

Support

Seek out support from your community, such as your family, friends, faith group, or through a program for family and caregivers like those at NAMI.

If you find yourself having trouble setting healthy boundaries or doing your own self-care, that may be a sign that you could benefit from your own therapy. 

Takeaway

People who have experienced psychiatric hospitalization need healthy support from others. People with mental health conditions are more likely to get better when they have support in their community from friends, family, and peers. 

If you or your loved one is looking for mental healthcare for crisis support and prevention, reach out to us at Willow Health today. We offer same-day or next-day appointments with both a psychotherapist and a psychiatric medication provider, who can assess your needs and identify a plan for individualized care. 

Sources and Resources

What to Do in a Mental Health Crisis: Steps to Get Support Right Now

Being Prepared for a Crisis

Words Matter: How to Use Inclusive Language When Talking About Mental Health

Ensuring Continuity of Care: Effective Strategies for the Post-hospitalization Transition of Psychiatric Patients in a Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic

NAMI Family Support Group

SAMSHA: Find a support group for mental health, drugs, alcohol

Ensuring Continuity of Care: Effective Strategies for the Post-hospitalization Transition of Psychiatric Patients in a Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic

Relationship Between Social Support and the Quality of Life among Psychiatric Patients

Social support and recovery from mental health problems: a scoping review