What Are Mental Health Residential Facilities

Introduction

Mental health residential facilities are hospitals which act as homes for mentally challenged individuals. There are different types of mental health residential facilities – some are private (these are run by a private organisation or individual) while others are public (run by the government). There are also special mental health residential facilities for people who have a criminal record. Such facilities have more security than others. There are a lot of misconceptions regarding mental health residential facilities. This article aims to bust all the myths that are related to mental health residential facilities and also to educate readers on the true nature and purpose of such hospitals.

History

Many people feel that mental health residential facilities are some kind of hell where patients are tied and tortured. We must all thank the movies for leading us to think in such a way. In fact, mental health residential facilities are tranquil places which aim to help patients to live in a stress free atmosphere. Stress is among the leading causes of mental disorders and thus mental hospitals focus most on creating an environment with minimum stress. Mental health residential facilities are equipped with play grounds and play rooms for patients. It is an established fact that engaging in recreational activities is beneficial for mental health. Thus, metal hospitals concentrate on bringing about improvement in the mental health of the patients by encouraging them to pursue hobbies like gardening, drawing, painting etc.

Features

Quite a lot of people argue that it is unethical to keep mentally challenged individuals in secluded environments. These arguments do not hold much substance. First of all, mental health residential facilities do not quarantine patients unless absolutely necessary. Only patients who display excessively violent behaviour are quarantined. This is done to ensure the safety of other patients and staff. Patients who display acceptable behaviour (non violent) move about relatively freely and interact with each other. Visitors are allowed to visit patients during visiting hours. The staff of mental health residential facilities is specifically trained to display a high amount of patience and tolerance. If mentally challenged people live in society, they will often be ridiculed – not all are sensitive to the problems of the mentally ill; children do not understand the gravity of the situation and often make fun of mentally retarded individuals. This behaviour whether intentional or unintentional, causes deterioration in mental health. Also, people who are mentally ill become a liability for their families. They prevent their family members from leading a normal lifestyle – someone always needs to stay back to take care of the mentally challenged individual. This triggers a negative emotional response among family members and subsequently increases the chances of physical or mental abuse. Patients who suffer from severe bouts of anxiety and depression are like an emotional epidemic. Mental health residential facilities help patients to recuperate from a number of mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorders etc and endeavour to make them fit to survive in society.

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