Institutionalization; institutional syndrome

 INTRODUCTION

Institutionalization can either be voluntary or involuntary commitment, the process of committing someone to a facility. It is caused by many factors and the individuals who suffer from institutional syndrome can face several kinds of difficulties upon returning to the community. Lack of independence and responsibility for patients within institutions, along with the ‘depressing, and dehumanizing’ environment, can make it difficult for patients to live and work independently. Furthermore, in this assignment I will elaborate more of the atleast most common factors that contributes to clients been institutionalized, also the common features of institutionalization and its preventive measures.

 

Institutionalization

This is also referred to as an institutional syndrome, it is a condition of apathy and withdraw occurring in residents of long stay in a mental health facility as a result of rigid routine and lack of independence and patient may resist to leave because of familiar routine.

 

Causes of institutionalization

·       Lack of material resources

This causes client to make harsh moral judgement because of lack of material   resources is associated with a lower ability to cope with the effects of other harmful behavior.

·       Abandonment by the family and guardian

Living with repeated abandonment experiences creates toxic shame. The shame arises from the implied in abandonment that “you are not important or you are not valued”. This makes the patient feel like they would rather stay in a health institution where they feel wanted and cared for because family relationship has a major role to care of very patient.

 

·       Drug abuse

Clients who are admitted in a mental health facility tends to become institutionalized because of repetitively admissions due abuse of drugs in the society and this affects their performance meeting social-educational measures, considering the severity of the problems that drug abuse bring to their social environment especially their families. Hence, patient gets used to the institutional environment after been admitted for a long time. 

·       Domestic violence

Increased domestic violence often leads to homelessness as well as institutionalization by mentally ill patients into the mental health facilities. 

·       Extreme poverty

Due to the nature of the client’s mental disability, they suffer from extreme poverty because they fail to survive on their own when discharged from the institution. Hence they prefer staying in hospital due to fear of been subjected to poverty in society where they cannot meet their normal daily needs.

Features that a client who has been institutionalized may exhibit

·       Apathy

·       Lack of initiatives

·       Total submissive

·       Passive dependence

·       Low self-esteem

 

Prevent institutionalization to a client

·       Fight stigma

Most people living with mental illness have at one point, been called names and they have been illegally discriminated against with no justice. Hence, causing them to feel ashamed for something that is out their control. However, stigma can be fought against if there is proper sensitization to the general public on how to equally accept and treat the mental ill people in society regardless of their mental disability, so that they also feel equally wanted in the social environment.  

·       Encourage family support

Educate the family about the client illness and how to care for the client at home and regular visitation when admitted to the mental health facility and they should be conscious of language used when they need to communicate him/her, so that he/she will feel wanted by the family and friends at home and society at large.

 

·       Reduce idleness

This can be archived by giving the client some task to do when they are discharged, so that they are kept busy at their homes. Tasks such as engaging them in training of some less involving educational program or job and then report back on how they are coping up with the task after a curtain short period.

·       Motivation

Client motivation is very important when trying to rule out the process of institutionalization, this is done by allowing client to be acquainted to various psychosocial group therapy and engaging them into prioritization of autonomy, empowerment and respect for their services and enhance a client’s experience of mental health treatment and hope for recovery.

 

·       Short stay in the hospital

As a nurse when admitting the mentally ill clients triage should be considered so as to avoid unnecessary admission and over staying of clients in the mental health facility, as over staying into the facility leads to familiarization of the environment. Admit only serious acute conditions and discharge after they are stable and re-enforce review session whenever necessary.