Citation

Rice JL, Tan TX, Li Y. Child. Youth Serv. Rev. 2021; 126.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106045

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In the United States, child and adolescent psychiatric hospitalization is an intensive treatment intervention reserved for those who are considered to be in imminent danger of self-harm or harming others. In the current study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 youth who were 13-17 years of age and were involuntarily hospitalized for suicidality on their experiences at the beginning and end of their hospitalizations. Thematic analysis revealed that the involvement of law enforcement in initiating the contact and transportation of the youth to hospitals and hospital admission contributed to the youth's feelings of being criminalized, stigmatized, and marginalized, while peer support during the inpatient treatment was seen by the youth as the most empowering aspect of their treatment experience. Additionally, the youth's interactions with empathetic clinical staff helped them to recuperate and to develop coping skills. Overall, our study showed that while empathetic psychiatric intervention and peer support cultivated meaningful changes in the youth's understanding of their circumstances, law enforcement involvement in initiating psychiatric hospitalization was counterproductive. Well-structured community support and empathetic clinical practices that incorporate peer support and policies that reconsider the role of law enforcement in psychiatric holds are recommended. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Language: en

Keywords

Youth; Suicide ideation; Mental illness; Psychiatric hospitalization