ABSTRACT
No. If someone is suicidal, has extreme mania, or is psychotic, however, then hospitalization may be necessary for the person to go on medications. Close monitoring of reactions to medications and medications’ effectiveness during the first few weeks is very important, and this is difficult for suicidal, manic, or psychotic people without hospitalization. The side effects of medication could overload and disorient a suicidal person, and that person may attempt suicide. In extreme mania, a person could feel “great” and may not see the need for the drugs or not take them as directed. A psychotic person could be living in another reality where drugs are viewed as not beneficial or even as a threat to their reality. All these individuals need close, constant supervision and care in a hospital setting if they are going to get better, and to be hospitalized is usually a decision made by a psychiatrist based on the person’s needs.
