Receiving Treatment

Life has to be pretty rough to consider going to a residential treatment center for mental health. I had been at a partial hospitalization day program for my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for six weeks. While I was making progress, when I would leave, my evenings were consumed with school and compulsions. I was referred to residential treatment, where I’d be living at the center and have support around the clock.

Residential treatment isn’t typical inpatient. It does not resemble a hospital in the slightest. Imagine mixing a hotel and college dorms and that is what residential treatment looks like. Freedoms are limited (the hardest thing is not having a phone), but when you’re struggling to the point of needing residential care, giving up your phone doesn’t seem like as big of a deal.

Residential is such a life changing experience that I can’t hope to sum it up in one post. For the entire stay you are pushed to challenge your fears and do things you’ve never done before. You find similarities among the peers who are there with you, offering support and encouragement to each other. In the future I will have posts about certain aspects of my two month stay in residential, where I was able to get my life back and start enjoying living. I still face challenges, but I now have the tools and support to fight against my OCD and persevere.