title: Day hospital treatment for people with severe mental illness according to users' perspectives: what helps and what hinders recovery?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Scarce information is available about how users experience treatment at mental health day hospitals, particularly in South America.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore users' perspectives about elements of day hospital treatment that facilitate or hinder the recovery process in a mental health facility in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semi-structured individual interviews (n = 8) and focus groups (n = 4) were carried out with a convenience sample of users of a mental health day hospital program based on a formulation, testing and redevelopment of propositions approach. Results were analyzed through grounded theory techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Categories indicating recovery were: starting to do things, being able to see themselves from a new perspective, mood improvement and changes in interpersonal relationships. Aspects facilitating recovery were: activities organized by the facility, the group approach, the care provided by facility workers and the physical environment. Hindering aspects were: heterogeneity of users in terms of age, severity, diagnosis and being underestimated by staff.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Being active again was considered to be the main recovery indicator in this cultural context and participating in activities led by skilled facilitators was the most beneficial factor of the program according to the users.
authors.affiliation: a Proyecto Suma, Community Mental Health Service , Buenos Aires , Argentina.
authors.forename: Martín
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Agrest
authors.affiliation: a Proyecto Suma, Community Mental Health Service , Buenos Aires , Argentina.
authors.forename: Silvina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barruti
authors.affiliation: a Proyecto Suma, Community Mental Health Service , Buenos Aires , Argentina.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gabriel
authors.affiliation: a Proyecto Suma, Community Mental Health Service , Buenos Aires , Argentina.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zalazar
authors.affiliation: b Instituto de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina.|c Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires , Argentina.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wikinski
authors.affiliation: d Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Departamento de Salud Comunitaria, Universidad Nacional de Lanús, Lanús , Argentina , and.|e Cátedra II Salud Pública/Salud Mental, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ardila-Gómez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001118:Argentina; D005260:Female; D066296:Grounded Theory; D015285:Hospital-Patient Relations; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D020127:Recovery of Function; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Argentina; Day hospital; recovery; users’ perspective; views/attitudes of consumers