Admission experiences of psychiatric patients in tertiary care: An implication toward Mental Health Care Bill, 2013.
BACKGROUND
Coercion is not uncommon phenomenon among mental health service users during their admission into psychiatric hospital. Research on perceived coercion of psychiatric patients is limited from India.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate perceived coercion of psychiatric patients during admission into a tertiary care psychiatric hospital.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional descriptive survey carried out among randomly selected psychiatric patients (n= 205) at a tertiary care center. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaire.


RESULTS
Our findings revealed that participants experienced low levels of coercion during their admission process. However, a majority of the participants were threatened with commitment (71.7%) as well as they were sad (67.8%), unpleased (69.7%), confused (73.2%), and frightened (71.2%) with regard to hospitalization into a psychiatric hospital. In addition, the participants expressed higher levels of negative pressures (mean ± standard deviation, 3.76 ± 2.12). Participants those were admitted involuntarily (P> 0.001), diagnosed to be having psychotic disorders (P> 0.003), and unmarried (P> 0.04) perceived higher levels of coercion.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study showed that more formal coercion was experienced by the patients those got admitted involuntarily. On the contrary, participants with voluntary admission encountered informal coercion (negative pressures). There is an urgent need to modify the Mental Health Care (MHC) Bill so that treatment of persons with mental illness is facilitated. Family member plays an important role in providing MHC; hence, they need to be empowered.
Department of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Institute of National Importance, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Ramachandra
College of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Institute of National Importance, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Vijayalakshmi
V
Poreddi
College of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Institute of National Importance, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Rajalakshmi
R
Ramu
College of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Institute of National Importance, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Sugavana
S
Selvi
Department of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Institute of National Importance, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Sailaxmi
S
Gandhi
Department of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Institute of National Importance, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Lalitha
L
Krishnasamy
Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Institute of National Importance, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
B M
BM
Suresh
Admission experiences; coercion; mental health users; psychiatry