Most inpatient treatment for post traumatic stress requires a patient to remain in the treatment center at all times for the program’s full length. They are provided treatment, including medications and any other care deemed appropriate during their stay. The nature of the treatment provided is left to the discretion of the healthcare professionals, including the doctors at the facility. Having said that, studies show that Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is one of the best treatment options available for someone being treated for post traumatic stress in an inpatient facility. This is the case for both short and long term treatment options. According to the Mayo Clinic, most PTS cases involve exposure to an event that involved “the actual or possible threat of death, violence or serious injury.” CBT for is usually conducted in a trauma-based manner, treating past experiences as the center of what needs to be addressed.
Post traumatic stress inpatient treatment can take many forms, but one very common approach involves allowing the patient to have some freedom from their every day stress and strain. This can sometimes mean avoiding contact with friends, family and coworkers. This is the case for a number of reasons, including allowing the patient to focus on the treatment at hand as opposed to feeling pressurized to maintain their pre-existing, and often troubled, daily activities and appearances.
All patients are different, and therefore the length of their treatment will depend upon very specific, personal circumstances. This will be determined by the team of professionals running the post traumatic stress treatment at the inpatient facility. Longer stays usually indicate a more intractable problem, and the necessity of more time away from every day stresses and strains, so as to allow the patient to benefit as much as possible from the treatment.
