Inpatient Psychiatric Questions and Tips

Last week, PatientsLikeMe released a new report highlighting patient experiences and tips regarding how to make the most of inpatient psychiatric treatment. PatientsLikeMe.com is an online community for people with significant, life-changing conditions that emphasizes the sharing of health care data and information publicly. It is thought by sharing such information with one another and for research purposes, we can learn more about health and mental health concerns, more quickly and in a real population than could otherwise be done.

Inpatient psychiatric treatment is not all that common (most people who get treatment for a mental health concern [or "mood condition," as they call it] do so in an outpatient setting). But because it’s fairly uncommon, there are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about it. So I found the tips and questions the report contains potentially valuable for someone considering inpatient care.

The report summarizes patients’ positive experiences with hospitalization from discussions participating patients in their mood conditions community. The report highlights four areas patients who are considering inpatient treatment should be aware of, and recommends a set of questions that helps a patient answer pertinent questions in each of these areas. Remember, these are patients’ own recommendations — people who’ve actually gone through the experience.

这份报告强调了四个方面，是那些在考虑接受住院治疗的病人应该注意的，推荐的这些问题帮助病人回答每个方面的相关问题。这些问题来自病人们自己的推荐——那些真的已经有过此类经历的人。（前文提到是那些有正性的住院体验的病人。）

1. Set clear expectations/goals

设定清晰的期望/目标

Of the patients who reported having a positive inpatient experience, many say they found it helpful to define what they hoped to achieve during hospitalization.

• What is the goal for my time in inpatient therapy?我在住院治疗这段时间里的目标是什么？
• Am I here to be stabilized and then immediately released? To learn skills? To take a break?我是要来让自己稳定一下然后立即出院？还是来学习技巧？或者是休息一下？
• Do I need my medication adjusted? If so, do I have a list of the medications I’m taking and their side effects?我需要调整药物吗？如果是，我有没有列出我在服的药物和它们的副作用的清单？
• What criteria will I need to meet to be released?要出院时，我需要达到什么标准？

2. Develop new coping skills

发展新的应对技巧

This is also a major theme among those who have had a positive inpatient experience, with specific dialogue regarding learning new coping skills during their hospitalization and strategies for dealing with stress and other triggers later on.

• What types of therapy (individual and group, art and music, etc.) are available to me?我可以获得何种治疗（个体治疗还是团体治疗，艺术治疗还是音乐治疗，等）？
• Are there any tools to help me remember what I’m learning (e.g., journals, worksheets, etc.)?有没有什么工具可以帮我记住我在学什么（比如日记、工作表等）？
• What new skills can I practice while I’m in inpatient therapy?我在接受住院治疗时，需要练习何种新技能？
• How will the new skills I learn help me in the real world?我学习的新技能，在真实世界里对我会有什么帮助？

3. Coordinate care with your outside therapist/health care team

与你的院外治疗师/健康照料团队协作

During and after hospitalization, coordination of care with their own personal psychiatrist, therapist or doctor was another contributing factor to a positive experience for patients. For those patients who didn’t have that relationship prior to hospitalization, many reported developing therapeutic relationships during their stay that continued after their release.

• Will my current therapist see me while I’m getting inpatient care? If not, will the hospital contact my therapist to coordinate care?当我住院的时候，我现在的治疗师会见我吗？如果不，医院会联系我的治疗师来协作吗？
• Can I develop a new relationship that will continue after discharge?我是否能发展出新的关系，而它在我被允许出院之后还能继续？

4. Create a transition plan

创建过渡计划

Patients say planning your transition back to the stresses of every day life is just as important as your actual time in the hospital. Successful planning for this transition may reduce the need for future hospitalization. Many members recommend making a schedule of how you will spend your days at home to provide structure as you move from your inpatient program back to everyday life.

• What kind of support will be in place when I leave? Support groups? Intensive outpatient programs?我出院的时候，有何种支援可以取代之？有支持性团体吗？或者是高强度的院外病人项目？
• What will my schedule look like when I return home?当我返家的时候，我的时间表会是什么样？
• How will I explain my absence to family, friends and colleagues?我会怎么跟家人、朋友和同事解释那段时间里我不见了？

Want to learn more or be a part of future patient research efforts? Check out PatientsLikeMe.