Brief Admission for Patients with Self-Harm from the Perspective of Outpatient Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

Acknowledgments: Many thanks go to the outpatient staff in this southern Swedish region, who participated in this study and were generous in contributing their knowledge and perspective during the interviews. Also thanks to Anchor English for proofreading the paper.

Relatives' experiences of brief admission in borderline personality disorder and self‐harming behaviour

“…Increased patient responsibility and care at an early stage can thus be perceived as significant and helpful factors from the perspective of both the patient (Eckerström et al, 2020; Enoksson et al, 2021), healthcare staff (Arnold et al, 2021; Eckerström et al, 2019) and, as found in this study, relatives. Relatives in this study said that they promote the patient's ability to take responsibility for, and be observant of, early signs of deterioration, in that it is the patient who has control over enrollment and discharge, which has also emerged in other studies (Ellegaard et al, 2017; Enoksson et al, 2021; Helleman et al, 2014a, 2014b).…”

“…In addition, it is considered of great importance to avoid a deteriorating mood that can lead to the patient being exposed to risks. BA is also referred to as a tool for preventing suicide attempts (Arnold et al, 2021). The fear that the patient will hurt themselves or take their own life during a deterioration is something that recurs among relatives in this study, and access to BA therefore contributed to relief.…”

“…Patients described BA as being primarily comforting and empowering, especially given the fact that they can use it when needed (Eckerström et al, 2020); and it provides conditions to maintain valuable daily activities and relationships (Enoksson et al, 2021). Previous research has generated results that indicate that BA is effective and helpful from the perspectives of patients (Eckerström et al, 2020; Enoksson et al, 2021; Helleman, Goossens, et al, 2018) and healthcare staff (Arnold et al, 2021; Eckerström et al, 2019). To our knowledge, no previous study explores relatives' experiences of BA.…”

‘A Safe Place Where I Am Welcome to Unwind When I Choose to’—Experiences of Brief Admission by Self-Referral for Adolescents Who Self-Harm at Risk for Suicide: A Qualitative Study

“…Feeling safe was cited as a major benefit of access to BA, also among non-users. Results from studies on BA for adults have implied a similar value of the BA contract, providing safety also outside of hospital and offering a beneficial complement to ongoing outpatient care [ 15 , 18 , 40 ]. However, adolescents in this study also reflected upon BA as potentially risky, which may be compared to adults ‘feeling lost and loose’ on BA [ 18 ].…”