Admitting Patients to a Mental Health Facility

Abstract

Patients who seek treatment for mental disorders may be admitted to a variety of outpatient and inpatient health care facilities. Admissions begin when the patient or some person acting on his or her behalf contacts a representative of the facility in the interest of obtaining clinical care. It continues as a formal process by which information is gathered in order to obtain a complete clinical history, derive a working diagnosis and initial treatment plan, and secure a working relationship between clinician and patient. Admissions may be conducted by a series of health care professionals, but almost always center around a face-to-face interview conducted by the clinician. In some less than ideal cases (e.g., when working with the severely ill or impaired), admissions may be completed with data obtained from observation, informants’ reports, or previous records.