Can someone explain state hospital care to me

[ksola]

Basically, without going into too much detail, I recently found out a person I had worked with who decided to stop using our services also stopped receiving inpatient treatment from the local psych hospital and was moved to a state hospital.

I tried googling for more information, but still need some clarity. What does this say about her progression? Am I safe to assume its not good?

I worked pretty closely with her and as much as I try, I can't help but feel her leaving us was a big L. She was getting worse and worse and we weren't effective. Sometimes I think we didn't do our part in nipping it in the bud, because after her first admittance she was never the same. Now hearing this, well I guess I just want to know to what extent it would have gotten and what does this say about her future and potential to ever go back to the person that she was? (Just for info, from the time she started to decline to now, it's been over two years)

[amoLucia]

It may just be a financial thing. Esp if long term in-pt care is needed.

Please don't knock State Institution hospitalization. Some very dedicated staff work for State under some very trying circumstances.

Some pts do improve and some don't even when in the best of private facilities. Just don't assume.

Keep her in your thoughts & best wishes.

[ksola]

Thank you for your response. She definitely has all my best wishes.. As for financial, I'm not sure that would be the case for her situation.

I guess maybe I shouldn't have put care in the title. I was more curious about the population. As in, what does this say about the population she now falls under. (I haven't seen her in almost a year so all my knowledge about her status comes from this new information I just received.)

I definitely would never knock the staff or even the facility. I believe that most people who are drawn to psych are in it because they truly care and that they are doing their best in what are often very difficult situations. Psych doesn't come with a lot of answers. That's why I love it, it's a puzzle. Sometimes you only get little tid bits of information and you have to figure out all the things it could possibly suggest.

So I guess that's why I'm asking. I know next to nothing about state hospitals. I have no frame of reference for using this information to gain insight on her current situation, so anything you can give me would be helpful.

[amoLucia]

Diagnoses are the same for all psych pts be they in a private or state institution. Sounds like your pt began her decline despite her treatment when you knew her. And that happens. And there can be improvement.

There are high-level functioning pts in all facilities. And treatment is treatment. Meds, Groups, counseling, etc.

As I said, financial concerns could be the reason and you would not have any 'priviledged' knowledge of her finances or insurance, do you? Not guessing or ASSUMING!

[ksola]

No privileged information, no. But plenty of background. If you're really curious why I am confident that wouldn't be an issue you can PM me. I don't want to put too much information on here.

[Flo., BSN, RN]

Generally, the state hospital handles more treatment-resistant conditions. In my state, only the state hospital is allowed to give medication against a person's will. So if someone is refusing meds and clearly needs it, they have to be transferred to the state hospital. As you can imagine, it has a long wait list.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

In IL, we have no state hospitals any longer. Everyone was deinstitutionalized many years ago. When they were open, they handled the criminally insane, treatment resistant, hard to manage and hard to place individuals.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

What is a big L?

[ksola]

Thank you for the direct answers. This is the type of information I was looking for-- not a condescending run around, because like I said I don't know much. It would make sense that she would be considered "treatment-resistant." More sense than it being for financial reasons.

I've heard that many states are trying to close down state hospitals (this was just about the only information I actually found) but there still seems to be a need for them in some circumstances. I guess I was wondering what the circumstances would be.

[nursinginterest, ADN, RN]

I work in a State hospital usually someone is placed in a civil state psych facility if they have a court ordered retention. Some of my patients are voluntary and are transferred there when they can't be stabilized within a period of 3months to a year at a private facility. Other state hospitals are forensic for like the criminally insane but even those patients can be transferred to a civil hospital prior to discharge if recommended by their psychiatrist, the forensic committee and the court system