The quality of life, if you will, varies enormously in psychiatric hospitals. It may be extremely conducive to treatment and recovery in one and just this side

The quality of life, if you will, varies enormously in psychiatric hospitals. It may be extremely conducive to treatment and recovery in one and just this side of Bedlam in another. source: Personal experience helping member of wife's family who was hospitalized for disabling chronic refractory depression and intense suicidal ideation. This was about two years ago. One institution (in San Mateo County) was great, the other (in Santa Clara County) was awful. She was very lucky in being transferred to the better facility after two days in the awful one. It's not clear she'd have survived a more extended stay at the first. Slightly over a week in the second helped her enough to go back home and live safely.