Healing Together; A Psychiatric Center for Adolescent and Young Adults

Abstract

This master thesis focuses on designing healing spaces for adolescent and young adults with psychiatric disorders. Thanks to rapid scientific advancements, awareness of mental health issues is growing, and different types of healthcare architecture of this field are evolving in response. The focus on this specific group in this thesis arises from an identified gap in the current system, where certain problems particular to this group are not sufficiently emphasized. Theories relevant to the research are adolescent psychology, psychology in emerging adulthood and healthcare architecture design, and research methods used to carry out the research include literature review, case studies of architectural projects in different parts of the world, and interviews with psychiatrists and patients. Researches show that healing spaces for adolescent and young adults with psychiatric disorders should have the following features or qualities: access to natural lighting, connection to nature, a soothing environment in general, space that facilitates autonomy, and spaces with different levels of interactions. In addition to the common demand of people with psychiatric disorders, adolescent and young adults especially need to feel the sense of belonging, have the opportunity to stay active and express themselves, and participate in outdoor activities in a psychiatric facility. The architecture should be integrated with a variety of activity spaces of different levels of privacy, a clear navigation system, indoor indication of nature, and different types of outdoor spaces to satisfy the demand of the possible users and promote well-being. A design project of a psychiatric center for the target group located in Utby, Gothenburg is carried out according to the outcomes of the research, and a booklet summarizing the key aspects to pay special attention to healing spaces for the target group is also written to complement and further develop the project. The results of the research should offer insights for other similar projects. According to WHO's latest Mental Health Atlas published in 2024, and estimated one in eight people suffer from mental disorders, and due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, GBD (Global Burden of Diseases) estimated a substantial increase in depressive and anxiety disorders. Yet progress and support related to treating mental health problems remain insufficient, which calls for more facilities and organizations to cooperate and provide the help people need. When it comes to adolescents and young adults, statistics have proven that the percentage of people aging from 15 to 24 with depressive, bipolar, anxiety, attention deficit and hyper-active disorders are actually higher than that of all age groups (see diagram on the next page). It also shows that females are more likely to suffer from mental health issues than males. Another research in the US also shows that half of the mental disorders present in adulthood had developed by the age of 14, and three quarters appeared by the age of 24. This also calls for interventions especially during the adolescent and young adult period of life. (WHO, 2024) As science and technology develop, we are gaining more and more knowledge of neuroscience and psychology, and psychiatric problems people can face are also better studied, and more scientific treatments are provided. Specialized psychiatric hospitals and institutes have been established to provide treatments to the patients and carry out research, yet certain gaps remain: As is mentioned in the previous page, adolescents and young adults are confronting certain psychiatric issues prevalent in, or even specific to their age group, yet they are often categorized either as “older children” or “young adults” in the present medical system, an approach that may not solve their problems properly (Norouzi, 2023). There should be psychiatric facilities dedicated to their issues and provide them with guidance according to research on the psychology of the age group. The research sheds light on how the needs of adolescents and young adults with psychiatric disorders defer from adults and what kind of architectural design helps them recover better not only in treatment rooms and wards in a hospital or clinic, but more importantly, in other spaces outside a hospital. Future design projects can either refer to the results, or continue investigating according to them.