I’ve heard a lot of mental health professionals, particularly within inpatient settings, state that they don’t want to make patients feel too comfortable or too at home on the ward because “otherwise they won’t want to go home”. Other than this being a pale excuse to maintain horrible conditions on wards, it’s always struck me as a fundamental misunderstanding of care and need.
One only has to remember their own teenage years to recall how parental care became stifling and unwanted. Or think of physical illness, where at one time the help of parents, friends or health professionals was welcome, but once recovered the idea of being brought meals in bed, being helped to change or having people take over your responsibilities became completely undesirable and inappropriate. As Winnicott says: “special care becomes irksome once the need for it has passed” (1963, p.227).
People in hospital go in at a time of increased need, so why are we so hesitant to provide the increased care that they need?
And in what other circumstances does lack of care lead to decreased dependence? Not caring for children often leads to future dependence on the state’s healthcare, legal and mental health systems... Not caring for healthcare needs often leads to increased need for healthcare services and the state benefits system… Why would mental healthcare be any different?
Of course there will be exceptions, and situations are complex (I’m not saying “all we need is love”) but caring can be curative, and, ironically, the more you care, the more someone will want to leave the ward and return to their lives…
#mentalhealthcare #mentalhealth #care #Winnicott
