Long-Term Outpatient Addiction Treatment from a Psychiatrist Led Team

Addiction is one of the issues a psychiatrist can help with. This problem is the compulsive use of a harmful substance. Drug abuse can affect your behavior, learning, and even memory. The right health team can help improve your symptoms. If you want to know how a psychiatrist-led team can help with long-term outpatient addiction treatment, here are the details.

Long-term outpatient drug addiction treatment

A psychiatrist can lead a team that provides long-term drug addiction treatment. This type of team is often set in a non-hospital venue. It provides care for patients 24 hours a day. The treatment often starts with many days of detox. The team will supervise this phase.

Then, intense treatment and pre-aftercare procedures will follow. This will happen for 90 to 120 days. This drug therapy is suitable for patients with serious drug abuse problems. The issues may have been going on for years. Part of the program is helping the patient return to society. The psychiatrist plays a huge part in making this happen.

Patients who are going through this program end up improving their functioning. These individuals have a better chance of returning to school or work. While some recover from drug abuse, others do not. It is important to address this matter by motivating the patients. That way, the patients stay involved and active in their recovery. Facilities must be ready to accommodate patients who have relapsed.

TCs (therapeutic communities)

These are long-term drug addiction treatment facilities in residential areas. TCs focus on helping patients recover and encouraging them to make lifestyle changes. These facilities also motivate patients to abstain from using drugs. TCs know that relapsing is always possible, and chronic drug use is often a disorder. The psychiatrist and the team see each patient’s recovery as an ongoing process.

What long-term outpatient drug addiction treatment offers

The psychiatrist leads a team of dedicated health care providers. They all aim to provide lasting care. This can help the patient achieve full recovery. The team understands that the method helps patients with serious drug-related issues.

That is why the team also motivates the patients to make necessary changes. The patient must give up harmful substances. Doing so can lead to full recovery. The psychiatrist will lead the drug addiction treatment team. The health care team will focus on the following:

• Developing lasting healthy relationships with other patients during recovery
• Developing coping mechanisms in recovering patients
• Helping patients function again in society
• Letting patients understand the underlying issues connected to their drug abuse
• Helping patients reconnect with family and friends
• Reducing drug cravings by balancing the brain chemistry
• Helping users remain healthy

The psychiatrist will strive to help teach the patient life skills. These new skills will allow them to transfer from long-term care to an independent program. The team can encourage the formation of new friendships. The patients can then work together toward full recovery. This allows the psychiatrist and the treatment team to have a more systemic strategy.