Architecture for mental health.

Abstract

The present study aims at establishing if anything has been learnt from 140 years of modern architecture when it comes to designing for inpatient mental health and to identifying how architecture can contribute to the development of low stress psychiatric units. Creative architects have generally rejected the 'classical language' of architecture. The principles of modern architecture can be applied to the design of psychiatric units. The effects of living conditions on the human mind had already been addressed in the 1920s. More recent studies have looked at links between ward design and aggression, aimed at identifying environmental stress-reducing factors. Environmental psychology studies, along with the work of 261 architects over a span of 140 years and of 32 major architectural firms, were reviewed. Aggression seems to be linked to factors such as crowding, noise, lack of privacy and the lack of stress-reducing positive distractions. Out of 261 architects, 22 (8.42%) designed hospital buildings and only five (1.91%) were involved in designing psychiatric hospitals. Out of 69 recently built modern hospitals, 18 were psychiatric hospitals (26.08%). Principles of modern architecture have been sporadically implemented in older hospital buildings, rarely in psychiatric units, more frequently in some recently built psychiatric hospitals, hopefully to create low stress environments that could speed up recovery, reduce costs, enhance staff satisfaction and recruiting.