The Danish researchers say that the patient-controlled hospital admissions can be helpful to manage patients’ mental illness, Science Nordic reports. In many cases of the voluntary admissions to start the treatment, the patients are getting well sooner because the hospital gives them a sense of safety and improves the quality of life.
Mental illness often becomes the unbearable burden not only for patients but for their families, too, says Trine Ellegaard from the Psychosis Research Unit at Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov. Her research based on hundreds of surveys and interviews, it shows that the patient-controlled admissions are one way to improve patient involvement in psychiatry.
According to Ellegaard,
“The staff experience better collaboration with patients. They’re not quite as ill when they come in via a patient-controlled admission. They’re in a condition where they can better explain what they want and need,”
she says. Such a move makes patients more responsible for their own illness and admission.
The researchers admit the data do not indicate that this could be a problem, head of research at Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Michael Benros insists that more research is needed. Trine Ellegaard’s study lasted between 2013 and 2016, and all patients were followed for a minimum of one year.
In fact, the patients confessed that self-admissions are a really smart step in their lives.
“My quality of life has improved because I don’t worry about whether I can be admitted when I need it. I’m really happy with that and I’m afraid that it will be closed down,”
Helene Egvang who has suffered from bipolar disorder said.
