Kati Morton - MFTI
Welcome back everyone. This week's topic is something that I would just like to share
with all of you. It's not necessarily a question
although, I have got some messages and some concerns about this from a lot of you and
it's information that I have that I guess I never thought that it would be of concern
and I'm not sure why. But, what I'd like to talk to you a little bit about today is inpatient treatment.
Now the reason I want to talk about it, is because I think that most of us don't really know what
that means. We're scared, we don't know what to expect, we're either forced to go
or we need to go and we want to go but we aren't sure what to do.
There is a lot that goes along. Sometimes I say "we should be seeking out treatment, you should
look for a therapist, you should go to inpatient", but I don't really tell you anything else and
I'm sorry. That's my fault. I should have been giving more information.
You know how sometimes you have information and you forget that other people don't have it,
I guess that is kind of what happened.
So, at the beginning of the actual process of inpatient, what happens is you contact
an inpatient clinic. And I know that a lot of us are scared to even make that call, but what happens
is we make the call and either the person that picks up will do what they call an 'in-take' or
they will set a time for the in-take or they'll give you the number for the person who does them.
Now, every treatment centre is different. The two that I worked at, there was one person that did them.
If you called, say I was in the office when you called and I said "Hi, it's Kati, how can I help you?"
and you said "hi, I'm looking to come to treatment dadada". I'd take down your basic information and
I'll say "Oh, I'll have Samantha give you a call and she will do the intake with you. Is their a time
that is best?". Now the intake takes about an hour and this is just getting your basic history.
They are going to want to know your name, your date of birth, when you first started your eating disorder,
how long it's been lasting, what it looks like, why are you thinking you need treatment now
What's going on, do you exercise? how much? blahblahblah, right?
And you can tell them as, I'd encourage you to tell them as much as you feel comfortable,
you can tell them as little or as much as possible, because they just want to know that they are
the right place for you.
And I think that's why being honest and telling the most will get you in a treatment centre that caters
to your needs. They are also going to get your insurance information, so then they can double
check that they can actually get it covered if you or your parents are willing to pay cash.
Okay? So that's just the bare bones at the beginning.
Now let's say we get in. They say 'yes, we have availability, can you come in two weeks or you
are on a wait list and can you come in a month and a half or whatever'. They will give you some kind of
timeline. Right now most plaes I don't think have any wait lists, but when I used to work at the
treatment centre we'd have at least 5 or 6 people on the list. So, they'll let you know.
Then, you pack for treatment. And this is something I've been hearing a lot more lately, as some of you
I know are leaving for treatment or have just gone to treatment.
How do we even pack for it? What do I need to prepare? And they'll let you know.
Cause a lot of time they have outdoor activities. Like I used to do the nature hike and Saturday mornings
we would walk for like 20 mins or so. It depends on the facility where you are at.
We were in the mountains so it was easy. We just had a little trail outside that we followed.
But, you probably need to bring your sneakers, your comfy clothes because a lot of it you are inside and
sitting in groups and stuff like that, you want to make sure you are comfortable.
But things not to bring, don't bring magazines that can be triggering, don't bring books about topics
that could be triggering. Don't bring anything that could be triggering. Okay?
A lot of people think they can sneak things in, like I'm going to sneak my lighter, I'm going to sneak my
razor blades in, all sorts of things like that.
It's not going to happen. I'm sorry. I know that it is stressful, but you are going to get help
and you can't really bring in things that are going to make it worse and they will go through everything.
I mean, the place I worked at, we had you put on a hospital robe because when you get there
you actually get weighed in and the doctor sees you and there is a bunch of stuff we have to go through.
So you take your hair down, you get in the hospital gown, we go through all your bags and everything
I mean, trust me, we will find it if you are trying to sneak it in.
I know that sounds bad, but it's one of those things we know how sneaky and tricky eating disorders are
and we will find that. So just go with the thought that you are going to get help and submit to the process.
I'm not going to try and sneak things in.
And if you are a smoker, a lot of people smoke, they will take your cigarettes and lighter and they'll keep
them and if you have to ask them at the times that you can smoke and then you can take them and
smoke and then bring them back. But some places don't even allow that. It is all dependent.
Now, that's just the basic process and then you are there and every point of your day is usually
pretty scheduled. So you are going to have to get up around 7:30 to have breakfast, 7 or 7:30.
And then you'll usually have, like the morning hike I used to do was in the in morning for 20mins
then you come back and you have a group, you have snack, you have group, you see your therapist,
you have lunch. It is all very structured.
The great thing about inpatient treatment is all the help is right there.
I know a lot of you are stressing out, we are really anxious, we're having a horrible day
I'm overwhelmed, argh! Everrybody's right there.
You have a therapist on hand all the time.
I used to work different, obviously as a therapist I had my 5 or 6 clients I saw twice a week, but on
top of that, I had hours that I worked. So let's say, I saw patient Sarah and patient Jane on Tuesdays.
But I also worked Tuesdays 9-3 in the afternoon. And I ran a group. So therapists are always there.
If you are freaking out or you are feeling overwhelmed, if you're triggered, they are right there to help you.
The dietitians are there a couple of days a week, and the doctors were always on call
and there was always a nurse there. I mean, you can't picture a better place to be when you are
having trouble. Because that's really all we want. We want support. We want care.
We actually need someone to protect us from our eating disorder.
I know that sounds silly.
Ugh, I think I might sneeze...eww, subsided, but anyway.
We need people there because our eating disorder is going to tell us "oh you can get away with that,
try to do that". I've had clients try to look things up on the internet, like calorie count in dadadad,
something that we are eating that they don't know, because they haven't had it before.
Oh, it's blocked. Oop, we can't. Or, we are in the office and 'ping' someone's on the computer
and they are trying to look up this. We are protecting you.
I know it sounds horrible and your eating disorder is going to scream. It is going to be like
"get me the hell out of here, this place is horrible, they are ruining everything! Bah!"
Yeah, we are ruining everything because the eating disorder has ruined your whole life.
A lot of times you feel left with nothing. We are passed out on the bathroom floor, we're crying
we are throwing up blood, we are so unhappy and we're gaining so much weight because we are
binging and we can't get out of the house anymore and we don't want anyone to see what we look like
we've restricted so much that we have no energy, our mood is so up and down.
But treatment is so helpful. But to be honest, inpatient is where I'd like a lot of my patients
go just to get that extra nuturing support. I see people come in so closed off, like,
F you, screw this, I hate this place, blahblahblah, they throw fits, they refuse to participate and
what do you know, about two weeks in they start opening up. They really like their therapist,
they get to see them twice a week. They get to meet with their dietitian every week and go over their
meal plan, they feel in control of their treatment because you are. You're in control.
You're eating disorder isn't. You're in control.
And it takes us a while to adjust to it, but then we start to open up.
We start to talk about things we haven't talked about before, we start to get support from other people
that are at treatment with us and gone through similar things. "Hey, I've been there and this is how it worked for me".
It is like the community we are creating here, except you get to actually talk with people.
And there is something about that one-on-one, person-to-person communication
that feels so good. And to actually know that you have someone, and actually have a whole treatment
team, there to support you, to help you. To stop your eating disorder from ruining your life
and you feeling like all is lost.
So I just encourage you and I hope, I know that this video is a little scary because I'm telling you the
nitty-gritty of what it is like when you actually go there and you make the decision to go to treatment
What it looks like, step A, B, C, D through the process. But it's okay.
We are there to support. We have people show up on our doorstep crying that they don't want to come,
there parents are there, or they are crying because they are just overwhelmed and they're glad they're
there, but they're scared. I mean, we've seen it all. You are not going to shock us.
You are sick enough. You don't have to look a certain way or act a certain way.
We know why you are there. You are there to get help and we are there to help you.
Don't worry, it's a great place. It can be really healing.
So I would just encourage you if you have been nervous and you're worried, take that first step
make that call. Do some research. There are a ton of treatment centres. I mean, I have only worked at ones
in California, but I have referred people to all over the States. So, there are a ton of treatment centres.
And if you have a question about one, let me know. "Kati, have you heard of dadada treatment centre?"
And if I have, I'll say 'yes', otherwise I'll say 'hey let me ask a couple of my friends'
cause they might know too because a lot of my girlfriends work in different clinics and everything
So, I'm here to help. Let's take that next step. I know that it's a hard one and it's a big one.
But we are here to support.
And don't forget to subscribe to my channels so when I put out other videos, or if you have
questions or comments below, when I answer them, you'll know about it.
Let's just keep on this journey towards a healthy mind and a healthy body.