Wow, those descriptions are so different from my experience in the UK. I found it largely positive but there were not so many groups or activities. I spoke to a nurse most days and saw my pdoc a couple of times a week. I was there for 4 weeks which seems to be much longer than in the US, but there were people who had been there for 6 months or longer. It wasn't a locked ward but I had to be escorted if I was leaving the ward - eventually I could leave on my own for 1/2 hour and that made me incredibly anxious - you get institutionalised very quickly. As others have said, med changes could be done more quickly and under supervision than as an outpatient. It also felt a safe place to be and that's why I agreed to go in. I hope if it comes to it for you, you will also find it to be helpful.