Effective mental health treatment can occur at many levels, including both inpatient care and outpatient services. Understanding the features and benefits of inpatient vs. outpatient mental health care can help you find the treatment that’s right for you.
What is Inpatient Mental Health Care?
The defining feature of inpatient mental health care is that patients reside at the hospital or center where they are receiving treatment.
Common criteria that may qualify a person for inpatient care include:
- Severe symptoms
- Diminished functioning in one or more important areas of life
- Require round-the-clock monitoring
- Need full days of care and multiple forms of therapy
- Cannot be better served at a lower level
Types of inpatient treatment
Though people sometimes describe all programming with a residential component as inpatient treatment, this term can actually describe two distinct levels of care:
- Inpatient treatment: True inpatient care is typically a short-term experience for people who have been experiencing debilitating symptoms. At this level, the general aim is usually to help patients achieve the level of stabilization that will allow them to step down to a less restrictive environment. Length of stay in an inpatient program is often in the 7-10 day range.
- Residential treatment: Residential programs usually offer a longer length of stay, so that patients have time to address the impact of their mental health struggles and learn to manage their symptoms. Residential treatment is also more likely to include opportunities such as holistic, recreational, and experiential therapies.
Benefits of inpatient treatment
Patients who receive care at the inpatient or residential level may benefit from features such as:
- Safe environment: Inpatient programs provide temporary respite from the pressures of day-to-day life. Within this safe and highly supportive environment, patients can focus their full attention on their treatment and their health, without having to worry about going to work, paying bills, or addressing other external stressors.
- Round-the-clock care: The symptoms of complex mental illnesses don’t only occur during traditional working hours. In inpatient or residential programs, patients benefit from 24/7 access to care.
- Multiple therapies: Inpatient and residential programs usually feature full days of care, with a range of therapies, skills-development sessions, and other support services. The scope of care often includes individual, group, and family sessions; modalities such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT); and focused treatment for co-occurring mental or behavioral health concerns.
What is Outpatient Mental Health Care?
As with inpatient treatment, outpatient mental health care can also refer to more than one program. The commonality among these programs is that none of them require patients to remain at the center when they are not receiving care.
Some patients transfer into an outpatient level for step-down support after completing an inpatient program, while others enter treatment directly at one of the levels listed below.
Types of outpatient treatment
Listed from most to fewest hours of care per week, the three levels of outpatient treatment are:
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP): Most PHPs offer five or six hours of care, which usually include multiple types of therapy, five days per week. In the evenings and on the weekends, patients may return to their homes or, in some cases, to a sober living house or other supported residence.
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP): Treatment at the IOP level usually consists of two or three hours of care per day, with patients attending sessions two to five days per week. Group therapy is often the main method of treatment in IOPs, but many centers also offer a variety of other services.
- Outpatient treatment: Outpatient treatment typically consists of either individual or group therapy sessions. This level of care offers the greatest flexibility, as patients may attend treatment on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis.
Benefits of outpatient treatment
The beneficial features of outpatient care include:
- Step-down support: While patients can make substantial progress at the inpatient and residential levels, many can benefit from continued support as they transition back into their workplaces and communities.
- Schedule flexibility: IOPs and outpatient treatment both offer considerable scheduling flexibility, allowing patients to work, attend school, take part in volunteer activities, and otherwise engage in a full, independent lifestyle when not attending sessions.
- Supported living: Some PHPs and IOPs offer a supported living option for patients who need a safe place to stay while they are enrolled in the program. Supported living residences offer various forms of structure and security, which may include on-site house managers, drug testing and requirements to either work or attend school.
Inpatient vs Outpatient Care: The Differences
In addition to their residential requirements, other differences between inpatient vs. outpatient mental health care include:
- Patient profile: Inpatient and residential programs are designed for individuals who have more severe symptoms or complex needs, while the outpatient levels serve patients who are either stepping down from one of these levels or whose needs aren’t intense enough to warrant round-the-clock services.
- Weekly hours of care: At the inpatient, residential, and PHP levels, patients may receive five or six hours of therapy per day, five to seven days per week. In an IOP, a patient’s time in treatment may range from three to 15 hours each week, while those in an outpatient program may spend one to four hours in sessions each month.
- Scope of services: Inpatient and residential programs usually provide the widest range of therapies and support services, followed by PHPs. In these levels, patients may take part in several different sessions each day. At the IOP and outpatient level, a typical treatment day may only involve individual or group therapy sessions.
- Length of stay: At the inpatient and residential levels, patients don’t usually remain in treatment for more than a month, with many being discharged after just a week or two. Patients in PHPs and IOPs often remain in these programs for six weeks or longer, while those in outpatient treatment may continue to attend sessions for years.
Inpatient vs Outpatient: Which is Right for You?
The decision to enter treatment at the inpatient or outpatient level should be based on a thorough assessment of several factors, including:
- The degree of dysfunction that you have experienced as a result of your symptoms
- The impact that this dysfunction has had on your life
- If you have previously been in treatment – and, if so, how well you responded to the care you received
- The quality of your personal support network, which can include having a safe and supportive place to live when you’re not in treatment
- Your access to transportation to and from the treatment center
- If you can step away from your personal and professional responsibilities for an extended period
- The recommendation of the professional who conducts your intake assessment
- Your ability to pay for treatment, either out of pocket or with insurance
Contact Renewal Health Group to Begin Treatment Today
The Renewal Health Group network offers a full continuum of mental and behavioral health services at three locations in Southern California and Arizona.
Our team can work closely with you to assess the full scope of your needs, help you evaluate your inpatient vs. outpatient mental health treatment options, and develop a customized plan that can put you on the path toward a much healthier future.
To learn more or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
Published: 4/9/2025
