A college student with severe depression was recently admitted to the psychiatric ward of a local hospital. The family is concerned about the student finishing the college term

Question

Which is the best information for the nurse to give regarding how long psychiatric patients are typically hospita-lized? a. A relatively short inpatient stay is fol-lowed by outpatient treatment.
b. A long inpatient hospitalization is normal for the majority of patients.
c. Patients with emotional or behavioral problems generally are not hospitalized.
d. Most are automatically placed in a long-term care facility.

Answer 1

A
Patients who have emotional and behavioral problems, such as depression, violent behavior, and eating disorders, often require special counseling and treatment in psychiatric facilities. Hospita-lization involves relatively short stays with the purpose of stabilizing patients before transfer to outpatient treatment centers. A long inpatient hospitalization, not hospitalized, or placed in a long-term facility are not correct for the typical hospitalization of psychiatric patients.