People experiencing illness, with mental and emotional distress, may be admitted into hospital for inpatient psychiatric assessment and treatment.
Patients may be experiencing distress caused by the re-emergence of psychotic symptoms, which occur as part of an illness such as schizophrenia, or it may be due to suicidal thoughts, which can occur during a depressive illness. Other causes may be an overwhelming life event, such as the experience of being assaulted or the sudden death of a loved one. A change of environment can sometimes be sufficient to provide relief from symptoms as it may give a person permission to give up normal responsibilities and duties in return for taking on the role and responsibilities of a patient. The responsibilities as a patient involve participating as far as possible in the treatment and rehabilitation processes, co-operating with management plans and adhering to ward routines and policies.
A doctor or mental health professional may have several reasons for suggesting that a person would benefit from admission to hospital.
- The patient may need to have a period of close observation and assessment in order to clarify the diagnosis. This is important since many symptoms (both physical and psychological) can occur in a variety of different psychiatric and physical illnesses. These conditions may require full physical examination and various complex investigations involving blood tests and different types of X-rays, all of which can be difficult to conduct in an outpatient or clinic setting.
- There are often a complex arrays of factors associated with any episode of illness. To understand all of these factors takes time and often involves different members of a multidisciplinary team in getting to know the patient and the family or caregivers. This is often essential to enable the treatment team to identify the various factors contributing to an episode of illness. Such an approach, covering numerous aspects of a person's functioning, allows a holistic treatment plan to be developed.
- Symptoms may need stabilizing in a highly supportive environment. Families can often feel that they lack the skills to care for someone who is acutely unwell. It is important that they do not become over stressed in the process of providing care because they are vital to the recovery process of the ill person.
- A patient may require a change in treatment due to a lack of response to previous treatment. At times, this can be associated with a temporary worsening of symptoms and may best be carried out in hospital because of the high level of medical and nursing care and observation only available in such a setting.
- The hospital is also a place where new coping skills can be learnt. A patient can also learn about the possible reasons for his/her illness and how to prevent another episode. Inpatient facilities have a variety of group and individual programs available so it is beneficial to be an inpatient rather than having to travel back and forth to the hospital each day.
