Residential treatment center for OCD patients to open in Elk Grove Village
Chicago TribuneApr 21, 2017
Books on a bookshelf will be jumbled without regard to title, color or size.
It's all part of local hospital system
Though a number of residential treatment facilities already accept OCD patients, Amita leaders say their center will be somewhat unique because it will focus specifically on adult patients with OCD, using a type of therapy known as exposure and response prevention. The center also will treat patients with other anxiety and addiction issues. Amita leaders say the facility will fill a gap in care offerings in their current system as well as the state as a whole.
Those who suffer from OCD can have a variety of behaviors. Patients often repeat actions, insist events happen in a certain order and/or fixate on unwanted thoughts. About 1 out of every 100 U.S. adults suffers from OCD, though not all those cases are severe, according to the
Patients with OCD likely will stay at the center for four to six weeks, where they'll be exposed to situations that can trigger their obsessive-compulsive behavior, such as touching an object that might normally make them want to wash their hands, said
"The point is to sit with things that are uncomfortable and learn how to handle them," McGrath said. "We do it slowly and gradually."
The center's patients also will get training in mindfulness and nutrition consultations. The facility's former chapel has been transformed into a low-lit reflection room with a window looking out onto a pond. A light-filled room on the building's second floor will be used for expressive therapies, such as art and weekly improv sessions.
Therapists also will use virtual reality treatments, which include a headset, a machine that can produce specific smells and a "rumble pad" to simulate movement, to help patients. A veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, for example, might be put into a battle situation, or an addict might be placed into a simulated party filled with drugs and alcohol.
Amita leaders hope the new
The center will be an option for patients who need something in between -- more than a few hours of treatment a day but not an inpatient hospital stay.
"We are one of the largest behavioral health providers in
Across the country, residential facilities that specialize in treating OCD aren't widespread. They often have wait lists that stretch for months, said
"There is a shortage of residential care for anxiety disorders and OCD," Cassiday said. That may be partly because such centers can be tough to staff given a nationwide shortage of psychiatrists, and because residential treatment for OCD doesn't tend to pull in as much money for hospitals as actual medical procedures, she said.
Still, it can be cheaper for hospital systems to treat OCD patients in residential centers than in hospitals, because residential centers don't require as much overhead, she said.
Amita expects many of the first residential patients to come from within the system, and also is talking to patients in other parts of the country seeking treatment, Novak said. Most insurers cover such residential treatment, he said, which, without coverage would run about
Cassiday said it often can be difficult for patients to get authorization from their insurers to enter such programs.
McGrath said the treatment can be life-altering for many people and their families. He remembered one woman who didn't touch her baby for six months out of fear she'd harm him. After therapy, she finally started holding him.
Patients like her could benefit from the new residential facility, where they might make progress more quickly than if they went to just a few hours of therapy a day at the hospital.
"There's nothing more amazing than watching people get their lives back," McGrath said.
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