Lived experiences of guardians of patients with maladaptive patterns of behavior confined in acute crisis intervention unit of a mental institution

Qualitative design was used in this study, specifically phenomenological method. Purposive sampling was utilized. The participants’ age, gender, religion, educational status, marital status, and economic status were not considered in choosing the participants in the study as well as the age and gender of the patient whom the participants are guarding, as long as the patients are confined at the Acute Crisis Intervention Unit of a mental institution. Interview was used for data gathering. Data was analyzed through Colaizzi’s method. The study concluded that, being a guardian of a patient with maladaptive patterns of behavior equates to being a witness of change, a witness of trials, a witness of joy and pain. Denial is inevitable, most likely because the guardians have seen the patients living a normal life, until the changes and manifestations have surfaced