The significance of therapy in a private room to patientsin acute psychiatric wards

本研究は,全個室病棟で療養する精神疾患患者を対象に,患者自身が考える個室環境の意味を明らかにすることを目的とした｡個室に2週間以上療養し,インタビューの協力が得られた患者は7名であった｡患者にとっての個室環境の肯定的意味は,自分だけの空間を確保できることから,他者との距離の調節の場,プライバシーが保護される場,自由裁量が拡大される場であると捉えていた｡また,休養や睡眠が確保できる場,症状をコントロールできる場であるという治療的意味や,個室を自己洞察の場ととらえ,他者の影響を受けずに自分らしさを再獲得するためという意味が示された｡一方,個室環境の否定的意 味として,寂しさや不安が挙げられ,話しかけられる存在を身近に見出しにくい個室においては,わからないことや不安なことを尋ねにくく,人間関係を築くきっかけがつかみにくいことが示された｡This study sought to clarify the significance of therapy provided in a private room to hospitalized mentally ill patients, by determining through interview and observation their thoughts and feelings about such an experience. Subjects were 7 mentally ill patients resident in a ward of private rooms. Few patients requested a private room on admission and their reasons for this were considered to include admissions on an involuntary basis, for medical treatment or for custodial care, or because psychiatric status did not enable them to state an intention to have a private room. The results showed that most patients hoped for treatment in a private room regardless of whether or not they had requested it, and that the offer of using such a facility was important to them because most patients who experienced such a therapeutic environment requested it thereafter. Thus, once a patient recognized the availability of therapy in a private room and its benefits, they wanted to use it or to use it more. Patients were found to request use of a private room to preserve privacy, rest in a therapeutic environment promote circumspection, and see themselves as independent of others around, with the affirmative meaning of using a private room as "a place to preserve my privacy ", "a place to take a rest", "a place to gain insight into myself", and "a place to control my condition". Patients reported a negative meaning of "a place to feel loneliness and anxiety"