In their voices: Experiences of adolescents during involuntary psychiatric hospitalization

• Published in: Children and youth services review 2021-07, Vol.126, p.106045, Article 106045
• Main Authors: Rice, Jessica L., Tan, Tony Xing, Li, Yanzheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; Community support; Coping strategies; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Inpatient care; Intensive treatment; Intervention; Involuntary; Law enforcement; Marginality; Mental illness; Patient admissions; Peer tutoring; Psychiatric hospitalization; Psychiatric hospitals; Residential institutions; Self destructive behavior; Self injury; Social support; Stigma; Suicide; Suicide ideation; Youth
• ISSN: 0190-7409; 1873-7765
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106045

•Peer support during the inpatient treatment was most empowering aspect of treatment.•Interactions with empathetic staff helped you recuperate and develop coping skills.•Law enforcement involvement in initiating psychiatric hold was counterproductive. In the United States, child and adolescent psychiatric hospitalization is an intensive treatment intervention reserved for those who are considered to be in imminent danger of self-harm or harming others. In the current study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 youth who were 13–17 years of age and were involuntarily hospitalized for suicidality on their experiences at the beginning and end of their hospitalizations. Thematic analysis revealed that the involvement of law enforcement in initiating the contact and transportation of the youth to hospitals and hospital admission contributed to the youth’s feelings of being criminalized, stigmatized, and marginalized, while peer support during the inpatient treatment was seen by the youth as the most empowering aspect of their treatment experience. Additionally, the youth’s interactions with empathetic clinical staff helped them to recuperate and to develop coping skills. Overall, our study showed that while empathetic psychiatric intervention and peer support cultivated meaningful changes in the youth’s understanding of their circumstances, law enforcement involvement in initiating psychiatric hospitalization was counterproductive. Well-structured community support and empathetic clinical practices that incorporate peer support and policies that reconsider the role of law enforcement in psychiatric holds are recommended.