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Review
. 2014 Apr 28:7:137-45.
doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S35061. eCollection 2014.

Discharged from a mental health admission ward: is it safe to go home? A review on the negative outcomes of psychiatric hospitalization

Alexandre Andrade Loch  1
Affiliations
Review

Discharged from a mental health admission ward: is it safe to go home? A review on the negative outcomes of psychiatric hospitalization

Alexandre Andrade Loch. Psychol Res Behav Manag. .

Abstract

Before psychiatry emerged as a medical discipline, hospitalizing individuals with mental disorders was more of a social stigmatizing act than a therapeutic act. After the birth of the mental health disciplines, psychiatric hospitalization was legitimized and has proven to be indispensable, preventing suicides and helping individuals in need. However, despite more than a century passing since this legitimization occurred, psychiatric hospitalization remains a controversial issue. There is the question of possible negative outcomes after a psychiatric admission ceases to take its protective effect, and even of whether the psychiatric admission itself is related to a negative setback after discharge. This review aims to summarize some of the most important negative outcomes after discharge from a psychiatric institution. These experiences were organized into two groups: those after a brief psychiatric hospitalization, and those after a long-stay admission. The author further suggests possible ways to minimize these adversities, emphasizing the need of awareness related to this important issue.

Keywords: rehabilitation; rehospitalization; relapse; stigma; suicide.

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