I stayed in a private psychiatric facility for a week when I was almost 16. It didn't hurt, but it didn't really do much that my therapy and meds were already doing for me, either. I was like you - really depressed, but not suicidal or a danger to myself or anyone. To be honest, being cooped up inside and surrounded by people who (although they were very nice) weren't exactly the most uplifting of company kind of disturbed me. It's hard to describe. I felt very claustrophobic and frightened - scared I was doomed to end up like one of the chronically dysfunctional patients who'd seemingly spent almost half their life in a psych hospital, or one of the ones who're in and out every five minutes with some sort of addiction. Or one young woman who was there, who was bubbly and cheerful to talk to, but so severely agoraphobic I heard her scream and break down when her doctor tried to make her go outside.
I think inpatient care can be very good for people with problems from their illness that need close supervision, intensive treatment and an escape from the world (eg, the suicidally depressed, addicts, people with crippling phobias, that sort of thing). But for people like you and I, I think they have the ability to make you feel even gloomier while you're there.
On the upside, though, the claustrophobia and fear of ending up like some of the patients I saw provided all sorts of motivation that I didn't fully realise until well afterwards. I was still depressed, but I was depressed and motivated... which beats the hell out of depressed and unmotivated. I slowly started changing behaviours and ways of thinking that had been making me depressed - often without even realising I was doing so until afterwards.
It took me about another year and a bit of gradual improvement before I recovered to what you could call "normal", but I did eventually get better. I think weekly sessions with your shrink would be a very good idea - they certainly helped me. How often do you see him/her at the moment? Learn to "open yourself up" as much as you possibly can, discuss everything and anything with him/her, especially things you do or think which are a part of the present problem. People often talk to their psychiatrist too much like he's a friend or a biographer and not what he is - a
shrink. He's there to analyse your situation as much as possible and to address thoughts and behaviours which are abnormal, so guide him. They're well trained... but they're not psychic.
Tell him all your unemployment and money worries, the fears you have about burdening your friends...
everything.
I can understand why the unemployment situation would make you feel much worse. I spent a lot of time off school with my depression and sitting around brooding did not help things one bit. It was a vicious cycle there for a bit... doing nothing made it worse, but I couldn't go to school because I could barely even bring myself to get out of bed some mornings. If you don't find employment soon, maybe try volunteering somewhere in the meantime, something like that. Force yourself into some distraction, if you are able to. It's a fuckload easier said than done, I know, but it is worth it.
Everyone is different. If you really think inpatient care might help, and you can find a way to fund it, go for it. What have you got to lose? Even if it proves ineffective, like for me... the ineffectiveness, ironically, might also help in some way. I think I had fixated so much on getting hospital treatment that I had closed myself up to my regular treatment a bit. When it turned out not to be the solution I had hoped for, my subconscious kind of realised "right, well - it's either therapy, possibly meds, and your own stubbornness... or it's nothing. And you don't want nothing."
*hugs* It sucks, but it can get better. Don't lose hope, do whatever you think you need, and don't feel ashamed. Let us know how things are going.
By the way... I'm in a different country. We have universal healthcare here and a completely different system, so if I seem to be assuming access to treatment and therapists that is impossible or impractical for you, I apologise. I'm not being insensitive - it's just I've never paid a cent for my shrink and barely anything for my meds so it's really hard for me to accurately put myself in your shoes. Even when the going gets tough, thankfully the Aussie government covers most of it for me anyway.