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Routine is crucial in the improvement of one’s mental health. Hence, there’s no question that professionals have established daily routines in psychiatric hospitals.
What makes up the day for people who have mental conditions?
If they’re lucky enough to function and suffer from minor conditions that don’t require hospitalization, their days can be comparable to ordinary people’s. They wake up and do their morning rituals, and some may proceed to school or work. For these individuals, their conditions aren’t as pressing as the others. They may be reminded of these when their symptoms act up, but these can often be similar to passing thoughts that don’t weigh their minds.
On the other hand, some people suffer from grave conditions. Unlike those mentioned before, these require hospitalization, which causes them to change their routines. These facilities require them to follow a relatively stringent routine to regulate and manage their mental conditions.
Psychiatric Hospitals And How They Differ In The Past
In the book Asylum Scandals by Patricia Lubeck, readers are introduced to glimpses of how so-called professionals took care of the mentally ill centuries ago. Instead of legal and science-backed treatments they might’ve imagined to happen, psychiatric hospitals then commonly abused and traumatized these individuals. They were forced to endure extreme physical conditions that promised remedies for their illnesses. This is why daily routines in psychiatric hospitals then were inexistent because patients were typically vegetative and forced to recuperate in bed.
Daily routines in psychiatric hospitals are now established and planned to maximize patients’ recovery. When hospitalized, patients are promised a short-term stay with appropriate treatment options. Once stabilized, they can go home, where they can continue their treatment or medications.
There is a massive distinction between hospitalization then and now. A factor contributing to this is the progress and development of legalized and effective yet non-evasive treatments that don’t harm or put people under extreme circumstances.
There is also a difference in how these establishments are built, with hospitals now more equipped with people and equipment. They’re now designed with separate units that provide different services and treatments, allowing for more in-depth and purposeful recovery.
What Are The Daily Routines In Psychiatric Hospitals Like?
Patients’ daily routines in psychiatric hospitals vary depending on their conditions and the treatments they’re supposed to undergo. However, one thing is certain: these are now more organized and less damaging than they must’ve been. With these buildings becoming more sterile in appearance and offering services, one may expect more human routines to live by.
This is perhaps why more individuals are willingly admitting themselves in. Instead of suffering, these establishments become a beacon of hope and a break from their day-to-day stressors.
Daily routines in psychiatric hospitals are set and medically formulated to help regulate patient’s conditions. These aren’t randomly drawn or set. Rather, they’re scheduled and planned around treatment or therapy sessions. A stay in psychiatric hospitals may also vary depending on how quickly the patient is recovering. This may last from a week to a month, depending on progress and obedience.
Morning Routines
Typically, the daily routines in psychiatric hospitals start with breakfast, where most patients may be called out of their rooms to share meals in an open space. But for extreme conditions, they may be asked to stay within the comfort and safety of their rooms. Once they’ve eaten their breakfast, they may be given free time to get some air and sunlight, or they can also freely take showers.
Daily routines in psychiatric hospitals may change occasionally, especially if patients become dissatisfied with their days. Instead of forcing them to follow a strict pattern like prisoners, some may be free to establish their own. Life within these walls can be exhausting as much as it becomes predictable. However, with the medical field being more scientific and empathetic in their treatments, such suffocation won’t be tolerated or ignored throughout their hospitalizations.
Therapy or Treatment
What comes after their morning routines is the attendance in necessary therapy or treatment sessions. These will also vary depending on the illness or condition one is experiencing. This is where most patients’ daily routines in psychiatric hospitals become separate and distinctive. Instead of following a specific pattern and stuffing every patient in a single room, they will be dispersed into different rooms or sections of the hospital.
This ensures that everyone is getting the ample attention and guidance they need. This is also one of the reasons why patients believe that they’re seen and genuinely being helped. Therapies or treatments in today’s establishments are less violent and more cognitive. Instead of sticking tubes and rods into their bodies, medical professionals probe within their minds in hopes of understanding them better. Once the practical and medicinal segments are done, patients can enjoy the rest of their day.
This means they can either spend it to rest or explore new places they might’ve never been to within the hospitals’ walls. A healthy sleeping pattern must be developed if they go with the latter. After all, most of the recovery happens whenever people are asleep.
While there are differences between the daily routines in psychiatric hospitals then and now, it can’t be denied how vastly distinct these can be.
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