Journal Article

Understanding psychiatric institutionalization: a conceptual review

Chow, Winnie S, Priebe, Stefan

2013

Overview

Background Since Goffman’s seminal work on psychiatric institutions, deinstitutionalization has become a leading term in the psychiatric debate. It described the process of closure or downsizing of large psychiatric hospitals and the establishment of alternative services in the community. Yet, there is a lack of clarity on what exactly the concept of institutionalization means in present-day psychiatry. This review aims to identify the meaning of psychiatric institutionalization since the early 1960s to present-day. Method A conceptual review of institutionalization in psychiatry was conducted. Thematic analysis was used to synthesize the findings. Results Four main themes were identified in conceptualizing institutionalization: bricks and mortar of care institutions; policy and legal frameworks regulating care; clinical responsibility and paternalism in clinician-patient relationships; and patients’ adaptive behavior to institutionalized care. Conclusions The concept of institutionalization in psychiatry reflects four distinct themes. All themes have some relevance for the contemporary debate on how psychiatric care should develop and on the role of institutional care in psychiatry.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Commitment of Mentally Ill / Deinstitutionalization / Health education / Hospitals / Hospitals, Psychiatric / Humans / Institutionalization / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Mental disorders / Mental Disorders - psychology / Mental Disorders - therapy / Mental health care / Mentally Ill Persons / Patients / Prisoners / Psychiatric hospital care / Psychiatric hospitals / Psychiatry / Psychotherapy / Research Article / Social psychiatry / Study and teaching / therapy and provision of mental health care