OPI Participants Enjoy Outing to Los Angeles Natural History Museum

During the month of May, Optimum Performance Institute participants took a special trip back to the past as they visited the Los Angeles Natural History Museum!

Participants got a chance to see ancient dinosaur bones, thousands of gemstones, stuffed animals including a large polar bear, interesting insects and so much more.

The favorite exhibit among participants was definitely the Butterfly Pavilion exhibit where participants witnessed 53 different butterflies and moth species free-flying and interacting with an array of plant life!

Overall, the outing was a huge success full of memorable experiences and fun for all who attended.

Sharing experiences with your peers can act as a bonding ritual. Social interaction is vital to the success of our patients because isolation is all too often a side effect of the disorders many are coping with. With people ages 18 to 25 accounting for the majority of those having serious suicidal thoughts, at 6 percent, and the highest rate of mental illness at 30 percent, per SAMHSA, social isolation is the last thing these individuals need.

The National Institute of Mental Health reports that suicide is actually the third leading cause of death among teens and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24. You may very well find that some of the people you meet here become friends for life. Likewise, others might be mere stepping stones — lessons in disguise — to help you get from where you are to where you need to be.

Social interaction also allows for a comfortable amount of competition in your life that serves to make you try harder to persevere and achieve goals. Those suffering from depression or anxiety-based disorders will see improvements in both their mood and their abilities due to the emphasis we place on social activity during inpatient care. Likewise, many with these disorders have difficulty viewing life from any point of view foreign to their own; interacting with others like themselves helps to open their minds to the many ways the world can be viewed.

Instilling structure into the lives of those we treat is just as important. From birth, structure is something that is necessary to develop a healthy and thriving pattern of behavior for the rest of one’s life. When it’s absent, children often fall into the wrong peer groups and act out in unfavorable ways — all in attempts to seek the attention and discipline they aren’t getting at home.

Patient, a UK-based medical website, states that a lack of parental structure and discipline places children at an increased risk for cognitive and social developmental problems. Often, great improvements are seen in the lives of those with ADHD, BPD, and bipolar disorder due to the concepts these patients learn regarding how to maintain order in their lives. Those with obsessive-compulsive disorder often benefit from the same because many cases of OCD stem from a feeling that one is not in control.

During your stay here, you will be taught a number of important skills that will aid you in tackling life post-inpatient treatment. You’ll have the ability to complete your education, seek employment, and take advantage of comprehensive therapy that will give you a generous boost toward coping with life’s stressors and managing interpersonal relationships. From our art and film clubs to a group for nature lovers who like to hike, you will have plenty of activities to occupy your time that enrich your quality of life, as well as teaching you healthy ways to seek out such experiences after treatment.

From the Dinosaur Hall to the Discovery Center, the Los Angeles Natural History Museum is one of the county’s more prominent historical attractions and one of the most popular and well-liked activities among OPI patients too. We’re different from other treatment centers. It’s never too late to change and become the person you want to be, and at OPI, we can help you to do just that. Call today to speak to one of our courteous representatives and hear what you’re capable of when you become part of the OPI team.