Help for mental illness builds
Research into health effects of our surroundings spurs facilities that feel residential
Residents of the Taube Pavilion in Mountain View, California, wake up in private rooms with views of the wooded Santa Cruz Mountains, have breakfast in airy communal spaces and can hang out in landscaped courtyards throughout the day.
It may sound like a resort, but the Taube Pavilion is a $98 million mental health facility that opened in June as part of El Camino Hospital. Designed by WRNS Studio, the 56,000-square-foot building is one in a new wave of facilities that are chipping away at outdated institutional models.
For decades, psychiatric hospitals were grim settings where patients were crowded into common rooms by day and dorms at night.
But new research into the health effects of our surroundings is spurring the development of facilities that feel more residential, with welcoming entrances, smaller living units within larger buildings and a variety of gathering spaces.
Windows provide views of greenery, landscapes decorate walls, and outdoor areas give patients and staff access to fresh air and sunlight.
The new approach, promoted as healing and therapeutic, has produced environments that are more calming and supportive. And it feels particularly timely, given the surge in mental health issues created by the pandemic.
Even before the pandemic, the number of Americans affected by mental illness was at a new high. One in five adults was experiencing depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress or some other malady, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. The rates were significantly higher for adolescents (about 50%) and young adults (about 30%).
Nearly a year into the pandemic, more people are suffering. Young adults and Black and Latino people of all ages are reporting increased levels of anxiety, depression and substance abuse, according to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Demand for treatment has soared, and the construction of mental health facilities has been outpacing that of other specialty hospitals. Last year, 40% of the specialty hospitals under construction were psychiatric hospitals and behavioral health centers, according to the American Society for Health Care Engineering.
Research specific to mental health care settings is also coming into play. Studies have shown that reducing crowding by providing private rooms and multiple communal spaces may lessen patient and employee stress and aggression. Lowering noise — eliminating unnecessary beeping of medical equipment, for example — can also help.
If patients are less stressed, they may make faster and more lasting progress during treatment, experts say.
Exposure to nature has been shown to lower cortisol levels, a measure of stress. Adding healing gardens and other greenery can help soothe agitated patients and give staff a place to decompress.
Codes and guidelines fine-tuned over many years have sought to eliminate room features that patients have used to harm themselves and others. Window glazing is made of polycarbonate compounds to reduce breaking. Doors are hung on quick-release hinges to allow staff to enter a room if a patient is barricaded in.