Western State Hospital (WSH) is one of two state-owned psychiatric hospitals for adults in Washington and is the location of my field placement. WSH patients are referred to the hospital either through their county’s Behavioral Health Organization (BHO), the civil court system when individuals meet the criteria for involuntary treatment (i.e. Danger to self, danger to others, and or gravely disabled) or through the criminal justice system (i.e. Competency evaluation, and not guilty by reason of insanity) (Western State Hospital, n.d.).
WSH is a patient-centered hospital utilizing a progressive medical model, emphasizing the best chance for recovery is through a collaborative effort made interdisciplinary treatment team consisting of a; psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, medical doctor, pharmacist, registered nurse, and rehabilitation staff. Although, WSH emphasis collaboration, the hospital operates independently within their own system, rendering their collaboration to internal sources only making the hospital partly integrated (Crawford, 2012). Researchers Heslin and Weiss (2015) stated facilities which are partly integrated have a higher recidivism rate compared to facilities who are fully integrated, 20%
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Stress is a chemical response in our body that activates our sympathetic nervous system and inhibits the stress response system (i.e. fight, or flight response). In order to regulate this response, the sympathetic nervous system must enact with the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms us down or can result in a freeze response during a stressful or traumatic event. This interaction is important because Chris is in a constant state of distress, rendering him unable to self-regulate, and the high levels of cortisol have damaged his brain, especially in the hippocampus where emotions and memories are