Four Signs you Should Seek Help

Close-up of worried man at homeHave you ever wondered if you should go to the hospital for your depression? Maybe you’ve seen things online about inpatient treatment, but don’t know if you would qualify. Or maybe your friends and family have started to be more concerned about your mental health recently.

If you’re wondering when you should go to the hospital for depression, we have compiled the following list which can be used as a guideline for seeking inpatient or intensive outpatient care. If you have any of the following symptoms, please seek help in a hospital setting.

If you’re still not sure whether to seek help after reading, you can call our admissions department for a no-cost mental health screening 24/7. Just call 801-264-6000.

Inpatient hospitalization admission criteria

Insurance will cover inpatient hospitalization for depression if the person is self-harming or experiencing passive or active suicidal ideation.

Self-harm

If a person is actively harming themselves – cutting, biting, scratching, or otherwise causing pain to their person – they are appropriate for inpatient hospitalization.

Suicidal ideation

There are two types of suicidal ideation, both of which are dangerous and warrant inpatient treatment: active and passive.

Active suicidal ideation is thoughts of ending your life running through your mind, and having a plan to do so. Passive suicidal ideation is not necessarily wanting to take your own life, but thoughts such as “I wish I would get cancer” or “I wish I could just fall asleep and not wake up.”

Anyone experiencing either of these symptoms can be admitted to an inpatient hospital stay. If you are experiencing these symptoms now, call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to the nearest hospital for treatment.

What if you’re not suicidal, but you wish it could all just end? You wish you could just fade away, and not exist anymore. These thoughts come to your mind as a result of hopelessness. A lack of hope, not being able to see a light at the end of the tunnel, or feeling like things will never get better are side effects of depression, and depression treatment can greatly reduce these feelings. You can receive a free mental health assessment, just call 801-264-6000 to schedule.

Intensive Outpatient or Partial Hospitalization Admission Criteria

If someone has any of the following symptoms of depression, an intensive outpatient program or partial hospitalization program may be appropriate.

  1. Significant weight loss: During times of situational depression – losing a loved one, losing a job, moving or other stressors – it is common to lose up to 15 pounds over the course of 1 to 3 months as you adjust. If your weight declines more rapidly or more severely, you should seek help from a professional.
  2. Cannot complete daily functioning: If you are struggling to complete daily tasks like eating, hygiene, and fulfilling other essential responsibilities, this is a sign that your depression symptoms have gotten too severe, and professionals can help you cope.
  3. Loss of control: One concerning symptom of depression that warrants medical attention is feeling a loss of control over your own feelings or actions. Have you noticed that recently you’ve been taking more risks, driving dangerously, or lashing out at family members? These could be signs you’re feeling out of control.
  4. Mental “fog” – cognitive processing or function is reduced: If you are experiencing reduced mental capacity to think and reason, (you might think of this as a ‘mental fog’), difficulty making decisions, memory problems, poor judgement, poor problem solving skills and executive functioning problems such as problems with budgeting, planning, and scheduling, treatment for depression can help.

Outpatient therapy criteria

  1. Feeling helpless and hopeless. Maybe you notice a difference in function, such as not having the energy to go to work or school.
  2. No pleasure in formerly pleasurable activities
  3. Feeling worthless, isolating, self care and hygiene is suffering.
  4. Hearing comments that people are worried about you.
  5. An increase in anxious thoughts
  6. An inability to regulate emotions

Seek help from a professional. You can call our assessment office 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to schedule a free, no-obligation mental health assessment. Getting an assessment can help you know if you’re in danger and if you need to be hospitalized temporarily to recover and stabilize, or if you can seek out the help of an outpatient therapist, perhaps at a counseling center. Just call 801-264-6000.