Hospitalization:

Psychiatric hospitalization (also known as inpatient treatment) is necessary when a Marine is evaluated for suicide risk and found to be at high enough risk for self-harm that it would be unsafe to treat them as an outpatient. Inpatient treatment is usually done in a locked ward, where the patient can be contained for their own safety, and monitored 24/7 by specially-trained staff an appropriate level (one-on-one, line of sight, or safety checks at prescribed intervals) depending on the level of risk determined by their mental health provider. Further, their behavior can be assessed in more detail and in a more continuous and controlled manner to see if they are truly depressed, mentally ill, suicidal, or manipulative. More intensive, daily therapy is also available in the inpatient environment than in outpatient services. However, such services are also exceptionally expensive, and so are generally reserved for c ases where outpatient services are unlikely to be enough to keep them from harming themselves, or in cases where a suicide attempt or gesture has just occurred and further evaluation, treatment, and monitoring are advised, at least overnight, to ensure their ability to be treated safely on an outpatient basis.