Table 2:

Themes and representative quotations

Theme	Representative quotations
Environment	“I feel like there should be kind of a better place for people like me. Something like a block that you could at least walk around with your sitter […] It almost feels like I’m in prison in a way.” “I fixed my room up. I decorated. I used what I had for color and made some colorful things in here, and everybody loves it [laughs] – that has seen it.”
Interactions	“You’re alone probably 23 hours of the day for weeks, in this little room and it’s […] not healthy.” “I’ve had some great sitters. Some that I want to fill out [award nominations] for, because they’ve just been so helpful in kind of pulling me out of – not out of the darkness, necessarily, but just being able to distract me from it.”
Communication	“My nurse told me that she was going to try and find my care team […] to see if they have any updates, and it’s been hours. […] And I hate feeling like I don’t know what’s going on.” “I feel like I haven’t really been fully listened to in terms of what I’m open to and what my […] options are for what happens next. I’ve been completely left in the dark about the future.”
Autonomy and Respect	“I don’t like the approach of people being paternalistic and sort of like […] just change now or we’re going to drug you. Because everybody’s got a story.” “There are so many ways to hurt yourself everywhere no matter where you go. But I guess patients are not treated like we’re human.”
Community Mental Healthcare	“I have a team, I have a case manager, I have a therapist, I have a doctor, I have a person that works with me from the Howard Center. I have a lot of support, but just try making relationships with those people so you can trust them helps.” “In the community, in general, it feels like it’s—there’s no shame in mental health. There’s no shame in being mentally ill. And I think a lot of people think that there is. And that breaks my heart. If you need help, get help.”