TY - JOUR
AU - H. W. Iversen
AU - H. Riley
AU - G. F. Lorem
A1 - 
AB - Patients with extensive hospitalization experience present challenges for mental healthcare by disrupting continuity of care across service systems. This study explores how mental healthcare services address the needs of these patients, focusing on service gaps between hospitalization and community services. By examining the underlying reasons for their reliance on hospitals, the study offers insights into the lived experiences of this marginalized group. The study aims to provide knowledge that can enhance treatment and care for patients with severe mental disorders. Using a narrative explanatory design, we interviewed 14 patients with extensive hospitalization experience. A holistic-content analysis revealed shortcomings in community services that contributed to frequent hospitalizations. These inconsistencies contributed to paternalistic treatment and collaboration issues, misaligning services with patients' needs. Patients were frequently labeled as "difficult" and placed at inappropriate levels of care, sometimes resorting to extreme measures to access the care they required. The study highlights paradoxes and contradictions between goals, policies, and service provision in mental healthcare. Patients were caught between two extremes entrenched in a struggle with services, either to gain access to support or to break free from service constraints. We argue that better access to institution-based treatment and care could provide benefits to these patients and help bridge service gap. Establishing long-term, well-staffed residential facilities would not only relieve hospitals of the burden of frequent readmissions but also enhance service integration. This would provide a much-needed middle ground, ensuring that patients receive the appropriate level of care while preventing unnecessary hospitalization.
AD - Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromso, Norway.; Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromso, Norway.; Department of Health and Care Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromso, Norway.
AN - 40153529
BT - Qual Health Res
C5 - Healthcare Disparities; Education & Workforce
CP - 6
DA - 05/2026
DO - 10.1177/10497323241309259
DP - NLM
ET - 20250328
IS - 6
JF - Qual Health Res
LA - eng
N2 - Patients with extensive hospitalization experience present challenges for mental healthcare by disrupting continuity of care across service systems. This study explores how mental healthcare services address the needs of these patients, focusing on service gaps between hospitalization and community services. By examining the underlying reasons for their reliance on hospitals, the study offers insights into the lived experiences of this marginalized group. The study aims to provide knowledge that can enhance treatment and care for patients with severe mental disorders. Using a narrative explanatory design, we interviewed 14 patients with extensive hospitalization experience. A holistic-content analysis revealed shortcomings in community services that contributed to frequent hospitalizations. These inconsistencies contributed to paternalistic treatment and collaboration issues, misaligning services with patients' needs. Patients were frequently labeled as "difficult" and placed at inappropriate levels of care, sometimes resorting to extreme measures to access the care they required. The study highlights paradoxes and contradictions between goals, policies, and service provision in mental healthcare. Patients were caught between two extremes entrenched in a struggle with services, either to gain access to support or to break free from service constraints. We argue that better access to institution-based treatment and care could provide benefits to these patients and help bridge service gap. Establishing long-term, well-staffed residential facilities would not only relieve hospitals of the burden of frequent readmissions but also enhance service integration. This would provide a much-needed middle ground, ensuring that patients receive the appropriate level of care while preventing unnecessary hospitalization.
PY - 2026
SN - 1049-7323
SP - 607
EP - 618+
ST - Paradoxes in Mental Healthcare: Exploring Service Gaps in Treatment and Care for Patients With Extensive Hospitalization Experience
T1 - Paradoxes in Mental Healthcare: Exploring Service Gaps in Treatment and Care for Patients With Extensive Hospitalization Experience
T2 - Qual Health Res
TI - Paradoxes in Mental Healthcare: Exploring Service Gaps in Treatment and Care for Patients With Extensive Hospitalization Experience
U1 - Healthcare Disparities; Education & Workforce
U3 - 10.1177/10497323241309259
VL - 36
VO - 1049-7323
Y1 - 2026
ER -