Why Go to the Psychiatric Hospital? The Experiences of People Living with Mental Disorders Hospitalized Multiple Times in One Year: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Recent trends in public psychiatry have resulted in increasingly shorter hospital stays. In parallel, a number of patients seem to require frequent rehospitalization. Several studies have examined the subject of rehospitalization in psychiatry from a quantitative point of view, but little qualitative literature exists on patients' experiences. Objectives: This qualitative study, conducted in a Swiss university hospital, explores the lived experiences of patients who are hospitalized multiple times within a year. Methods: Using criterion-based purposive sampling, we conducted 20 semi-structured interviews. Results: Our findings show that patients explain their return to the hospital either by external factors, such as social and housing difficulties, or by their state of suffering and the sense of security that the hospital can offer them. From their perspective, hospitalizations are not always failures but can also meet a specific need for safety and stabilization. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of better understanding the needs of frequently hospitalized patients to optimize their care, while also emphasizing the value of exploring their lived experiences through qualitative research.