So if the person can be safe in a community setting, it may actually serve them better to be there. This is an often tough assessment made by the doctors , nurses , psychologists involved. My understanding is that the topic is also a bit divided into two quite different areas - the public and the private system. So, in the public mental health system, I gather that most admissions are in fact involuntary for quite difficult conditions that need weeks of care to get someone stable for discharge to the community.
This may be someone who is experiencing psychosis as a result of their schizophrenia or bipolar disorder for example. Involuntary admissions into these wards are usually much briefer a few days rather than a few weeks and for things that are more situational rather than intrinsic.
Meaning , the person is admitted while they and the staff work to set up systems outside the hospital to support that person in the community. When you're discharged, it's important to know how to continue your treatment after you leave the hospital. Be sure to consult with your healthcare providers regarding your discharge plan. If you feel comfortable and need the help, enlist the help of friends, family , or trusted loved ones to help you follow through with your plan.
Their help can involve everything from taking you to appointments to providing a listening ear. You can also point them to tips on how to help someone with depression. Suicide risk can be particularly prominent for those who are discharged from a psychiatric hospital. A study in JAMA Psychiatry found that short-term suicide risk after being discharged by psychiatric hospital was highest for people with mental disorders characterized by prominent depressive features.
According to the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the transition from inpatient to outpatient is especially important when it comes to reducing suicide risk , and there are many steps your providers can take. Generally, it's important to have inpatient and outpatient providers work together and enlist the support of friends and family.
Results from a Danish study suggest that a follow-up home visit after discharge could be an important step in identifying and supporting people who may be at increased risk of suicide after hospitalization. Treatment for depression doesn't end with hospitalization. Steps that you can take to ensure your continued recovery include:.
Not having the structure and routine that the hospital provided can be nerve-racking. Establishing a regular routine, such as going to bed, waking up, and exercising at certain times, could be beneficial. Because depression tends to be a chronic illness , it's wise to have a plan and compile important information into one place should you ever need to be hospitalized again.
This information should include the following:. You may also have an advance directive and medical power of attorney prepared for you if you wish to give a trusted person the authority to act on your behalf in making medical decisions.
This step will ensure that your will is carried out should you become too ill to make your own decisions. Checking yourself into the hospital for depression can be a difficult decision to make, but don't let apprehension around this process prevent you from getting the help you need. There are resources that can help you along the way and there are effective treatments for depression. When you need them, be sure to enlist the help of friends and family.
Everything feels more challenging when you're dealing with depression. Get our free guide when you sign up for our newsletter. A systematic review of comparative efficacy of treatments and controls for depression. Patient-controlled hospital admission in psychiatry: A systematic review.
Nord J Psychiatry. Voluntary psychiatric hospitalization and patient-driven requests for discharge: A statutory review and analysis of implications for the capacity to consent to voluntary hospitalization. Harv Rev Psychiatry. Protecting your privacy: Understanding confidentiality.
American Psychological Association website. The hospital managers are then informed of any changes they need to make. The hospital staff might want to search the people who visit you.
This is more common in higher security hospitals and forensic unit wards. If your visitor does not want this to happen then they cannot force them. But they might not be able to see you, or the visit may be supervised. This depends on the hospital's security policies. The first time you go into hospital you may go on an acute ward.
The staff will assess you and give you treatment. There will be a mix of patients who are in hospital voluntarily and under the Mental Health Act This is a ward for people who are very unwell.
You may be put on this ward if there is a concern you might be at risk of harming yourself or others. There are more staff on this ward, so they can give more support. If you are in hospital, you may go to a rehabilitation ward to help you become more independent. It aims to prepare you for living in the community. Staff may offer you might be offered talking treatments and occupational therapy to help with developing daily living skills.
You will be offered more activity and less supervision here. Children and young people should be in a ward that is suitable for people of their age. This would usually mean a unit with specially trained staff.
The availability of specialist wards varies from area to area. You may need specialist care that local NHS services cannot give you. Your NHS may offer to transfer you to a hospital in another area.
You can have visitors if you want. Some wards have fixed visiting hours and others allow visiting at any time. Your friends or family can find out about visiting from the staff on the ward. If you have visitors, you could ask to use a private room rather than sitting in the dayroom with other people. You can ask visitors to bring things to the hospital that you might have forgotten. Your visitors may be able to bring in food and drink for you.
There may be things that visitors are not allowed to bring into the ward such as sharp items, drugs, alcohol, matches and lighters. Your visitors can get information about what they are not allowed to bring from ward staff.
You may find visits stressful, depending on how you are feeling. If this is the case, you may prefer visits to be shorter, or less often. If you do not want visitors at all, then you do not have to see anyone. Tell a nurse or your doctor if you are not happy with the visiting arrangements.
A psychiatrist will speak to you soon after you go into hospital. A psychiatrist is a specialist mental health doctor. The psychiatrist will decide what treatment you need when you are in hospital. If you are having difficulties doing everyday tasks, you may be offered help from an occupational therapist. They can help you to overcome your problems and become more independent.
This might involve cooking classes or managing bills. In some hospitals there are creative activity groups. And in some hospitals there may be animals used as part of your therapy.
Not all hospitals and wards offer activities like these. Speak to a member of staff on your ward to see if they have any activities you can take part in. The staff at the hospital should do weekly ward rounds. Ward rounds are when staff members meet with you to see how your treatment is going.
And if it needs to change. People on the ward round will be involved in your care. They might be your psychiatrist, nurse, psychologist or occupational therapist. If you have any problems with the care you are getting in hospital, then you may want to contact an advocate. An advocate is someone who does not work for the NHS and who might be able to help you with any problems with your care.
Ward staff should have details of the IMHA service that covers your ward. If you are a voluntary patient, you are not entitled to see an IMHA.
But there may be a general advocacy service in the area that can help. You can leave hospital if you want and you do not have to come back.
If you don't want to come back, it is best to tell a member of staff. You can go on your own or with visitors. If you are leaving for a while, ward staff may ask you to come back by a certain time. If you are on a locked ward, a member of staff will need to open the door for you to leave. They have to open the door for you unless you are detained under the Mental Health Act. If you try to leave but a doctor thinks you are not well enough to leave, they can keep you in hospital for up to 72 hours in an emergency.
A nurse can also do this for up to 6 hours. They should only do this if it is needed because you are very unwell. If you are detained, you cannot leave the ward unless the doctor in charge of your care agrees. This doctor is called your responsible clinician RC. If your RC is happy for you to leave the ward for a short time, this is called section 17 leave.
Or sometimes it is just called leave. You might be able to leave by yourself. If this is not possible, then the doctor who made the recommendation may ask the clinical director of the centre or a consultant psychiatrist acting on their behalf to arrange for the person to be brought to the centre by the staff. If necessary, the Gardai may be asked to help.
In this situation, the Gardai have the power to enter premises by force and may detain or restrain the patient if necessary. When you are received at an approved psychiatric centre, you must be examined by a consultant psychiatrist on the staff. You may be detained for a maximum of 24 hours in the centre for this examination. If the psychiatrist is satisfied that you are suffering from a mental disorder, they then make an admission order.
If the psychiatrist is not satisfied that you are suffering from a mental disorder, you must be released immediately. The admission order is valid for 21 days. It authorises your reception, detention and treatment in the centre for this period. A renewal order may extend this period by a further 3 months. This must be made by the consultant psychiatrist responsible and they must have examined you in the week before making the order.
A further renewal order may be made by the same psychiatrist for a period of 6 months and subsequently for 12 months at a time. There are provisions for the review of all admission orders. The HSE may apply for the involuntary admission of a child who is suffering from a mental disorder. Such an application must be made to the District Court. The court will order a psychiatric examination and may then make an order that the child be admitted to an approved centre for a maximum of 21 days, which may be extended.
Specific approval by the court is required if it is proposed to carry out psycho-surgery or electro-convulsive therapy on a child with a mental disorder. If you have a question about this topic you can contact the Citizens Information Phone Service on 07 Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm. You can also contact your local Citizens Information Centre or Request a call back from an information officer.
0コメント