Unexpected outcomes of childhood psychiatric hospitalization.
This article describes an aspect of a larger study of the experiences, outcomes, and consequences of hospitalization during the years that constitute the "for-profit psychiatric hospital scandal" in Texas. Specifically, this article is concerned with patients who were children during 1985-1991. The author presents a case study of one such patient, followed by discussion of perceived outcomes as well as the long-term professional, economic, and policy sequelae of questionable psychiatric hospitalization. Questions are also raised as to the implications of applying a purely marketplace orientation to the care of society's most vulnerable individuals.
Mohr
W K
WK
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Philadelphia 19104, USA. wkmohr@pobox.upenn.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D000298:Adolescent, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006300:Health Services Misuse; D006760:Hospitalization; D016304:Hospitals, Private / Q000592:standards*; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D013781:Texas; D016896:Treatment Outcome