207: The Science of Psych Wards

Psychiatric hospitals & mental asylums often receive a bad rap in fiction, but is there any truth to that? This week we dive into the crazy history and science of psych wards!


CORRECTION
We mentioned that one can be admitted to a psychiatric ward via showing up at the ward itself, without prior referral.
This is very much *not* the case (as detailed in #1 of our references & further reading). In the UK one should speak to a GP, psychiatrist, or another healthcare specialist for a referral to inpatient psychiatric care.

Apologies for the error! We make an effort to an accurate & reliable source of information, and while sometimes we make mistakes, we are always open to corrections.

If you spot any points that need correcting, head to sciguys.co.uk/corrections

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References & Further Reading
Psychiatric Ward Basics
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/crisis-services/treatment-in-hospital/

History of Psychiatric Wards
https://www.nursing.upenn.edu/nhhc/nurses-institutions-caring/history-of-psychiatric-hospitals/
https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/victorian-mental-asylum
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/diseases/early.html
https://www.newscientist.com/gallery/history-of-asylums/

Effectiveness of Psychiatric Wards
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/psych-wards-arent-what-you-think-ive-seen-lives-saved-there/2017/07/21/cb92acb6-619e-11e7-a4f7-af34fc1d9d39_story.html
https://wchh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/pnp.443
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1116562/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494418303955
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/2C0B7D6D3E7EB5DC48B87BE7E7398BD4/S2056469400001376a.pdf/inpatient_rehabilitation_clinical_outcomes_and_cost_implications.pdf
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/A2D872065294E62058712243A20EA0CB/S0007125000277490a.pdf/the-psychiatric-ward-as-a-therapeutic-space-systematic-review.pdf

The Patients’ Perspective
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/crisis-services/treatment-in-hospital/
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/nov/20/treatment-nhs-psychiatric-ward-mental-health-crisis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4724788/
https://www.southernhealth.nhs.uk/our-services/a-z-list-of-services/adult-mental-health-services