Service users’ experiences of involuntary hospital admission under the Mental Health Act 2001 in the Republic of Ireland

摘要

Objective: The objective of the study was to explore theexperiences of individuals admitted to the hospital involuntarilyunder the Mental Health Act 2001 in the Republic ofIreland.Methods: In this qualitative descriptive study, 50 individualswho had been involuntarily admitted to a hospital underwentface-to-face semistructured interviews approximately threemonths after revocation of the involuntary admission order.Data were analyzed by using an inductive thematic process.Results: Participants reported mixed experiences over thecourse of the admission, with both positive and challengingaspects. Participants reported feeling coerced, disempowered,and unsupported at various stages of theadmission and highlighted the long-term deleterious impacton their psychological well-being. However, participantsalso described encounters with individuals who endeavoredto initiate a collaborative, informative, and compassionateapproach. Four key themes emerged consistently acrossthe trajectory of participants’ involuntary admission experiences:feeling trapped and coerced, feeling disengagedand unsupported, admission-induced distress, and personcenteredencounters.Conclusions: This qualitative study of service users’ viewsacross the entire trajectory of their involuntary admissionidentified a number of factors that should be addressed toreduce the negative impact of involuntary admission. Amultifaceted strategy could include ongoing education andtraining of all stakeholders in the principles and practices ofperson-centered care, repeated provision of accessible informationand emotional support to service users during allstages of involuntary admission, and a shift in culture to onethat minimizes the traumatic impact of forced detention onindividuals’ psychological well-being.