Addiction and mental health care: choosing the right place for treatment.
September is recovery month. A time to celebrate the success stories of individuals in recovery, showing that recovery is possible and sustainable, and to reduce the stigma and misconceptions around addiction and mental illness, encouraging more people to seek help without fear of judgment.
It is also a chance to highlight the critical role that treatment and recovery support services play in helping individuals with mental and substance use disorders.
Selecting the best treatment facility; for yourself, a family member or loved one; can feel a little daunting, there are lots of options available, the key is choosing the one that is right for you.
At our mental health and addiction treatment clinic, we often hear questions about the difference between a retreat and a rehab. While both serve as spaces for healing, they cater to different needs and outcomes.
Here we look at some of the main differences.
What is a retreat?
A retreat is typically designed for relaxation, self-reflection, and wellness enhancement. People attend voluntarily to step away from daily stressors and concentrate on rejuvenating their mind and body. The length of stay varies, often lasting from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the nature of the retreat. These programmes are usually held in peaceful, secluded, natural environments designed to promote relaxation.
The focus centres on personal well-being, stress management, and mindfulness, rather than addressing medical conditions like addiction or mental health disorders. Participants engage in activities such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness practices, and programmes aimed at enhancing overall well-being.
Retreats are attended by individuals who want to improve their general mental and physical health, but who are not necessarily dealing with substance abuse or mental health disorders.The staff and employees at a retreat, whilst qualified in their areas of expertise, yoga, nutrition, fitness, mindfulness practices, are generally not licenced medical practitioners; and retreats do not usually have medical professionals on-site, 24-hours a day.
What is a rehab (rehabilitation centre)?
A rehab facility, like Ibiza Calm, is focused on treating individuals struggling with addiction or mental health disorders. Our specialist programmes are often necessary for people to reclaim their lives from substance abuse or manage mental health challenges. Treatment is more structured, typically lasting a minimum of 30 days, sometimes more, depending on the severity of the condition and the individual’s progress.
The primary goal is recovery from substance and process addiction or managing mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and bipolar. Our rehab programmes involve detoxification and medication management (when required). We have a team on-site 24/7 led by our medical director, Dr Manuel Rodriguez.
Therapy (both individual and group) and counselling is a large part of the programme, and we use a variety of evidence-based therapeutic modalities. The day-to-day running of the clinic is undertaken by our clinical manager Lluc Acero Martínez (psychologist and therapist) and assistant manager Ilaria Lenti (psychologist).
In addition, we incorporate holistic methods such as mindfulness practices, art therapy, and physical wellness.
Our clinic provides a calm, therapeutic environment to promote healing. Located on a serene and picturesque private estate, in the north of Ibiza, it is a place to recover and renew. Whilst our luxury residential rehab may resemble a retreat in its upscale amenities, the primary focus is always medical and therapeutic treatment.
In essence, while a retreat focuses on general wellness and personal growth, rehab is designed for individuals battling addictions or severe mental health issues who need professional, structured support to achieve recovery. Our rehab offers the best medical and professional services, in an environment that emphasises comfort, privacy, and personalised care in a luxurious setting.
Mental health and addiction rehab clinic in Spain.
At Ibiza Calm we have a team of highly professional and experienced doctors, nurses, therapists, counsellors, and wellness experts. We treat a range of psychological conditions, behavioural and substance addiction, and emotional, process, and mood disorders.
Some of the most commonly presented mental health conditions include:
Alcoholism
Alcoholism, medically referred to as alcohol use disorder (AUD), is the excessive and repeated use of alcohol in a compulsive and addictive way. Alcohol is a toxic and psychoactive substance which can cause physical and psychological dependency, and a medical detox is often required.
Drug addiction and prescription medicine dependency
Whether it is to illicit street drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, or prescription medication, drug addiction is painful, debilitating and can be deadly without treatment. The dependency caused by certain substances means that often a medically supervised, physical and psychological withdrawal is necessary.
Anxiety disorders
Anxiety disorders can be crippling for the sufferer. They can range from mildly annoying, through to severe and life-altering. There are several types of anxiety disorders, including, generalised, social, and separation anxiety, panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and phobias.
Bipolar and depression
Mood disorders – including depression (such as major depressive disorder) which is characterised by a constant feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and a loss of interest, which destroys the ability to act and live normally and engage in everyday activities. Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings. These include highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression). Substance-induced mood disorder, depression due to the impact of medicine, drug abuse, and alcoholism.
Our on-site psychiatrist is available to prescribe any necessary medications, with a full team of experts to manage and monitor progress.
In addition to the addictions and disorders discussed above, the rehab centre also treats –
For further information regarding any of our programmes, and details on admissions to our Spanish rehab centre, please contact sharon@ibizacalm.com
