6 tips for making your mental health rehab experience a positive one.

It is estimated that one billion people around the world struggle with some type of mental health condition, which includes illnesses such as depression, anxiety, or addiction. 1 in 4 people will be affected at some point in their lives; and almost 15% of deaths worldwide are attributable to these disorders.

What is mental health?

Mental health refers to our intellectual, developmental, and emotional well-being. A mental health illness, sometimes referred to as a disorder, can disrupt our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.

The state of our psychological health has an impact on every part of how we live. It colours our emotional outlook; affects how we look after our physical health and needs; and has an influence on all our relationships – with loved ones, friends, and colleagues.

Some of the most common illnesses include:

• Depressive disorders – such as major and clinical depression, bi-polar, post-partum, and seasonal affective disorder.
• Anxiety disorders – including generalised anxiety, panic, social, separation and agoraphobia.
• Substance abuse and addiction (drugs/alcohol).
• Behavioural and compulsive addictions.
• Disorders – ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity), PTSD (post-traumatic stress) and OCD (obsessive-compulsive).
• Eating disorders – anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating.
• Schizophrenia.

There are many more, and all of them can range from being occasionally or mildly disruptive to a person’s life, through to having a serious daily impact; and can cause individuals to self-harm, abuse substances and attempt suicide.

One of the biggest issues with mental health disorders is that they often leave the person suffering in isolation. This means too many individuals are not getting the assistance they require. Possibly because of fear, embarrassment, or they are just not aware that support is available.

Two of the key components to treating psychiatric and psychological conditions are therapy and having a safe space in which to be able to share feelings. Therapy supports people so they can unburden themselves of long held fears, emotions, and resentments, works to eliminate them, and teaches coping skills to manage ongoing or reoccurring problems.

A well-established private treatment centre, or a specialised rehab clinic, will use a combination of therapy models to treat an individual’s primary and co-occurring conditions and has the added benefit of removing an individual from their day-to-day life and all the distractions that go with it, giving them time to focus fully on their recovery.

How to make the most of your mental health rehab experience.

It can be a little overwhelming heading off to a rehab centre. Just making the decision to do something about a mental health problem is a huge first step, and one that should be congratulated.

Here are some tips so you can get the most out of your stay in treatment:

1. Make your recovery your top priority.
Your rehab experience is all about getting you well. It should be a time when you focus 100% on you. To get the most out of your stay, you need to be willing to put everything else to one side, and concentrate on your recovery.

If you give yourself the time required, with a fully committed approach, it will benefit you in the long run. You will uncover triggers, deal with any underlying trauma, and learn new skills to enable you to manage your illness going forward.

2. Remember therapy is a collaborative process.
Any therapeutic treatment is a two-way street. The more you put in, the more you will get out, and if you go into it with the completely wrong attitude, of course it is not going to work. Be honest and open with your therapist. Counselling can be an incredible experience for someone struggling with mental illness, you just need willingness and an open mind.

3. Connect with other people. Take part in group discussions, group therapy, and activities.
We know that being part of a group increases treatment outcomes. Suffering with an addiction or mental health issue, is often lonely and leads to isolation. Group therapy gives the individual an opportunity to share, and hear, from other like-minded people.

People who may have had similar, or vastly different experiences – both can be incredibly powerful, and cathartic, for numerous reasons. Solutions and outcomes are discussed, and frequently life-long friendships are formed.

4. Choose the right treatment centre for you.
Choosing the best treatment facility; for yourself, or a partner, child, sibling, or friend; is a difficult decision, there are several options available, the key is to choose the one that is right for you. Exactly like you would search for the best doctor and hospital when treating any other type of illness, you want a rehab clinic that is well-established, and delivers great care.

You want to make sure that the rehab you choose has a good team of doctors, nurses, therapists, and counsellors, who are qualified and experienced in all aspects of mental health care. That the treatment centre supports different therapeutic approaches, and that it holds a full, current, valid medical license.

Is it important to you that you have your own room? Most people like to have their own space, and somewhere to retreat if they need a little alone time. Check that the rehab centre has single-occupancy rooms.

What about outdoor facilities, a gym, yoga area, swimming pool? Can you walk around the grounds? Yes, you are going to be checking in to work on your psychological health. However, a little gentle exercise is not only good for improving our physical health, but studies have shown that working out for just 30 mins a day, can improve sleep quality, and can aid recovery from mental health conditions. Something as simple as a walk outside in the fresh air, especially if there are blue skies above, can enhance our mood, naturally raising endorphins and getting our blood pumping.

5. Acknowledge that rehab is going to be (at times) emotionally uncomfortable.

Often part of treatment, and in particular therapy, is looking at what has happened in your life to date. What has affected you, shaped you, closed you off, or hurt you. Addressing these issues and moving forward takes courage and frequently means change. Which is sometimes hard, and sometimes painful. But it is important to remember that those uncomfortable feelings are happening because you’re making positive changes.

You are going to feel emotions that you have long buried, anger, sadness, fear, grief. A rehab treatment centre is the ideal place to feel these feelings, it is a safe, controlled environment where everyone wants the best for you. You will be able to express your thoughts in a healthy way, and move forward free from old pain and resentments.

6. Trust The Process.

Mental health problems are more common than people think, but with the correct help people can and do get better. However, recovery isn’t a process that happens overnight. You will be faced with challenges, and at times you may even want to quit, don’t!

The counsellors, therapists, and all the staff, want what is best for you and know what works. Listen to what is advised, make the tough changes, let go of the idea that you can do it alone, and things will get better.

Mental health rehab clinic in Spain

Here at our luxury residential rehabilitation clinic in Ibiza, we specialise in the treatment of all forms of addiction and mental health disorders. Alcoholism, drug and prescription medicine dependency, behavioural and process addiction, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, OCD, codependency, eating disorders, and burn-out.

Our team of highly experienced professionals use a variety of treatment methodologies. We offer transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy and have a TMS machine on-site. TMS has been proven highly successful in the treatment of several psychiatric and neurological disorders, notably those struggling with depression.

For further information and details on admissions to our Rehab in Spain, please contact [email protected]