Psychiatric Hospitalization: Average is an Idea, Not a Person

Over the next several posts I hope to cover some common experiences during an inpatient psychiatric admission.

However, every person is different, their story is different, and what they need from an inpatient hospital is different. So while some experiences are common, there is no such thing as an "average patient".

Still, I've found that, in general, there is a flow through hospital care that one can learn from.

For the remainder of the series on psychiatric hospitalization, I'll write in generalities about what frequently happens as a person moves through the psychiatric hospitalization process. Furthermore, I'll assume that the patient receiving treatment is able to engage meaningfully with the team, and therefore play a large part in developing their care plan.

This is not every patient who is admitted. By definition, hospitalization is the highest level of psychiatric care, and some patients arrive very sick and have very complex needs.

But still, every educational journey needs to start somewhere, and I'm hoping the overview will be helpful.