This prospective study compares two models of inpatient psychiatric care for adults experiencing an acute psychotic episode of moderate to severe intensity that requires admission to a closed psychiatric setting. Participants may have a history of previous psychiatric hospitalizations. After informed consent and completion of all baseline assessments, eligible participants are randomly assigned to either a small closed unit incorporating Soteria elements or a conventional closed psychiatric ward at the Jerusalem Mental Health Center. Treatment allocation remains concealed during the baseline assessment, so that participants and researchers completing the initial assessments do not know the participant's future treatment setting. Because the study is conducted under real-world emergency psychiatric conditions, random allocation may not always be feasible because of clinical urgency, bed availability, administrative constraints, or difficulty obtaining consent and completing study procedures during an acute psychotic episode. When randomization cannot be implemented, eligible participants may still be enrolled and their method of allocation will be documented. The closed unit incorporating Soteria elements provides care in a smaller setting of approximately 10 patients and emphasizes a calm and less institutional environment, supportive therapeutic relationships, shared decision-making whenever possible, personal autonomy, reduced reliance on coercive practices, and careful optimization of medication. The conventional closed ward provides standard acute inpatient psychiatric care in a larger ward setting. The primary aims are to compare the relationship between antipsychotic medication dosage and improvement in psychotic symptoms, as well as therapeutic alliance and satisfaction with care, between the two treatment settings. Secondary outcomes include personal recovery, sense of dignity, internalized stigma, adverse events and coercive interventions during hospitalization, length of stay, and other clinical and post-discharge outcomes. Psychiatric readmission within one year after discharge is included as a primary outcome. Baseline assessments are completed before treatment allocation is disclosed. At discharge and follow-up, full blinding is not always feasible because participants may reveal their treatment setting; however, outcome assessments will be conducted with partial blinding whenever possible, and the success of blinding will be documented. The primary statistical analysis will focus on participants who were randomly assigned. Additional analyses will compare randomly and non-randomly allocated participants and will include all eligible participants using statistical adjustment for relevant baseline differences and potential confounding. Sensitivity analyses restricted to the randomized sample will be conducted to assess the robustness of the findings.
To support retention at the one-year follow-up assessment, participants who attend the Jerusalem Mental Health Center in person to complete the follow-up assessments will receive 100 New Israeli Shekels (approximately 33 United States dollars) as compensation for their time and participation in the follow-up visit.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
200
A psychiatric inpatient treatment model delivered in a small closed unit incorporating Soteria principles, including a less institutional environment, intensive supportive relationships, shared decision-making, promotion of autonomy, relational safety, reduced reliance on coercion, and medication optimization.
Standard psychiatric inpatient treatment provided in a conventional closed ward, including psychiatric and nursing care, medication management, multidisciplinary treatment, structured supervision, and routine ward procedures.
Jerusalem Mental Health Center
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
RECRUITINGChange in Psychotic Symptom Severity From Admission to Discharge
Psychotic symptom severity will be assessed using the six-item Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-6) at admission and discharge. The PANSS-6 includes three positive-symptom items and three negative-symptom items. Each item is rated from 1 to 7, and total scores range from 6 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater psychotic symptom severity. Change in PANSS-6 total score from admission to discharge will be compared between the two treatment settings.
Time frame: Baseline and at discharge, up to 180 days after admission
Therapeutic Alliance With the Treatment Team Assessed by the Session Alliance Inventory
Therapeutic alliance will be assessed at discharge using the patient version of the six-item Session Alliance Inventory (SAI), adapted so that all items refer to the treatment team as a whole rather than to an individual therapist. Each item is rated on a 1-to-7 scale, with higher scores indicating a stronger perceived therapeutic alliance. The total score is calculated by summing the six items and ranges from 6 to 42.
Time frame: At discharge, up to 180 days after admission
Satisfaction With Care Assessed by the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8
Satisfaction with inpatient psychiatric care will be assessed at discharge using the eight-item Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). Each item is rated on a 1-to-4 scale. The total score is calculated by summing the eight items and ranges from 8 to 32, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction with care.
Time frame: At discharge, up to 180 days after admission
Psychiatric Readmission Within One Year After Discharge
Psychiatric readmission during the first year after discharge will be assessed as a binary outcome indicating whether the participant was readmitted to a psychiatric hospital within one year of discharge. The proportion of participants with at least one psychiatric readmission will be compared between the two treatment settings.
Time frame: 1 year after discharge
Antipsychotic Medication Dose During Hospitalization
Antipsychotic medication dosage will be assessed at baseline, on Day 14 for participants who remain hospitalized at that time, and at discharge. Antipsychotic doses will be converted to olanzapine-equivalent doses. Medication dose trajectories over time will be compared between the two treatment settings.
Time frame: Baseline, Day 14 if still hospitalized, and at discharge, up to 180 days after admission
Anxiolytic Medication Dose During Hospitalization
Anxiolytic medication dosage will be assessed at baseline, on Day 14 for participants who remain hospitalized at that time, and at discharge. Anxiolytic doses will be converted to diazepam-equivalent doses. Medication dose trajectories over time will be compared between the two treatment settings.
Time frame: Baseline, Day 14 if still hospitalized, and at discharge, up to 180 days after admission
Time to First Psychiatric Readmission Within One Year After Discharge
For participants who experience a psychiatric readmission within one year after discharge, time from discharge to the first psychiatric readmission will be measured in days. Time to first psychiatric readmission will be compared between the two treatment settings.
Time frame: From discharge through 1 year after discharge
Legal Admission Status and Changes During Hospitalization
Legal admission status will be recorded at admission and throughout hospitalization. Status will be categorized as voluntary admission or involuntary admission under a legal hospitalization order. Changes in legal status during hospitalization will be recorded, including transition from involuntary to voluntary status or from voluntary to involuntary status. The time in days from admission to the first change in legal status, as well as the direction and number of status changes, will be compared between the two treatment settings.
Time frame: Baseline through discharge, up to 180 days after admission
Adverse Events and Interventions During Hospitalization
Adverse events occurring during hospitalization will be recorded, including the date and type of each event and the intervention used in response. The number and types of adverse events and related interventions will be compared between the two treatment settings.
Time frame: From admission through discharge, up to 180 days
Change in Sense of Dignity From Admission Through One-Year Follow-Up
Sense of dignity will be assessed using the 15-item Sense of Dignity Scale. Each item is rated on a 1-to-4 scale, and the total score is calculated by summing the 15 items, with higher scores indicating a greater sense of dignity, self-worth, autonomy, and meaning. Scores will be assessed at admission, discharge, and approximately one year after discharge. Changes over time and differences between the two treatment settings will be examined.
Time frame: Baseline, at discharge up to 180 days after admission, and 1 year after discharge
Change in Self-Stigma From Admission Through One-Year Follow-Up
Self-stigma will be assessed using the 40-item Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (SSMIS). The scale comprises four 10-item subscales: awareness of public stereotypes, agreement with public stereotypes, application of stereotypes to oneself, and harm to self-esteem. Each item is rated on a 1-to-9 scale. A separate score will be calculated for each subscale, with higher scores indicating greater endorsement of the corresponding stage of self-stigma. Scores will be assessed at admission, discharge, and approximately one year after discharge. Changes over time and differences between the two treatment settings will be examined.
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Time frame: Baseline, at discharge up to 180 days after admission, and 1 year after discharge
Discharge Reason and Post-Discharge Disposition
At discharge, the reason for discharge and the participant's planned post-discharge disposition will be recorded. Post-discharge disposition will include the planned living arrangement and the planned psychiatric or psychosocial follow-up setting. The distribution of discharge reasons, residential destinations, and planned follow-up treatment settings will be compared between the two treatment groups.
Time frame: At discharge, up to 180 days after admission
Psychotic Symptom Severity at One-Year Follow-Up
Psychotic symptom severity will be assessed approximately one year after discharge using the six-item Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-6). The scale includes three positive-symptom items and three negative-symptom items. Each item is rated from 1 to 7, and total scores range from 6 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater psychotic symptom severity. PANSS-6 scores at one-year follow-up will be compared between the two treatment settings and with scores obtained at admission and discharge.
Time frame: Approximately one year after discharge
Antipsychotic Medication Dose at One-Year Follow-Up
Antipsychotic medication use and dosage will be assessed approximately one year after discharge. Antipsychotic doses will be converted to olanzapine-equivalent doses. Medication dose at one-year follow-up will be compared between the two treatment settings and with doses recorded at baseline, Day 14 for participants who remained hospitalized at that time, and discharge.
Time frame: 1 year after discharge
Personal Recovery at One-Year Follow-Up
Personal recovery will be assessed approximately one year after discharge using the 24-item Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS-24). Each item is rated on a 1-to-5 scale. Higher scores indicate a stronger subjective sense of recovery, including greater hope, goal orientation, willingness to seek help, reliance on others, and reduced domination by symptoms. Scores will be compared between the two treatment settings.
Time frame: Approximately one year after discharge
Anxiolytic Medication Dose at One-Year Follow-Up
Anxiolytic medication use and dosage will be assessed approximately one year after discharge. Anxiolytic doses will be converted to diazepam-equivalent doses. Medication dose at one-year follow-up will be compared between the two treatment settings and with doses recorded at baseline, Day 14 for participants who remained hospitalized at that time, and discharge.
Time frame: 1 year after discharge