A New Approach to Testing Patients in Acute Psychiatric Hospitals

Abstract

First, patients in these settings often present with what are known as high severity problems, such as suicidal thoughts and behaviors, acute substance use disorders, and psychosis. In conjunction with these issues, it is not uncommon for patients to be admitted into acute psychiatric hospitals involuntarily. Amidst such high severity, complex difficulties it can become extremely challenging for individuals to accurately report on their own behavioral and emotional challenges, leading self-report surveys to be limited in their utility. As a result, acquiring valid data that can be used to quantify the degree of their pathology and progress in treatment has been challenging.