The younger me had to learn that taking a longer view in treating my mental health issues was crucial to a sustainable outcome. I didn't realise until much later that this was part of the problem, so I kept getting stuck in the same old cycle.
A great misconception about treatment for most mental health disorders, especially in adolescents, is it's a quick fix. I send my child off to therapy or a treatment centre and am surprised they are not 'cured' in week four. Mental health illness is no different to most other chronic and progressive diseases; they take time to treat and manage.
After completing primary care treatment for most mental health issues, the most crucial period is the first three months after discharge; this is often overlooked as we are so desperate for a quick fix for a very complex problem. Immediately returning home or back to school can often result in the onset of triggers that led to the primary intervention in the first place.
At Lions Campus, we help support the process from treatment initiation to maintaining a sustainable recovery regime and finally reintegration into home and school. We enable our residents to regain some of their independence. With the support of peers and the residence team, this combination of support and accountability from people that are not family is designed to help people practise tools and improve resilience until it becomes a way of life. There are so many unpredictable triggers that can happen in early recovery. With very little time to ruminate on negative thought patterns and free from external pressures of previous environments our residents can focus on themselves.
We take a long view; we help bridge the gap from treatment to recovery. We have recently launched a new initiative in partnership with Yes We Can clinics in the Netherlands called Yes You Do. We offer ten weeks of intensive residential treatment at Yes We Can international, followed by a stay of three months at Lions Campus London.
The goal is to preserve the tools gained in primary care and improve the progress made. We work very closely with external consultants and specialists, which enable our young residents to have a chance at maintaining recovery and practice making healthy choices.
