I think it depends on what kind of facility you were in. I've been in two facilities. The first was a self described mental ward. I would describe the program there as crisis management. I was involuntarily admitted after a suicide attempt. It was horrible. They monitored everything I did, from how much I slept, ate, talked or participated in their "versions" of therapy to how often I went to the bathroom. It was degrading. I've been there twice. The last place I went was also after a suicide attempt and self harm. It was called "a Behavioral Health Hospital". The program there was much more supportive. I feel like I learned a lot when I was there. I found their therapies helpful. While I was still being monitored in some ways, I didn't feel degraded. The staff there seemed to have a lot of empathy and understanding.
Our daily routine made the time go faster. We got up around 7am for breakfast, at least I did. When we came back, we had a little time to ourselves while they dispensed medications. Then, there would be a group or two before lunch at noon. Also, usually before or just after lunch, each one of us met with our inpatient Ts. Lunch was around noon. The food was pretty decent for hospital food. When we returned, we'd have about an hour and a half of free time. Afterwards, there would be another group session. Dinner was around 5pm with a group session followed by some activity like exercise, meditation, or art after, as well as a healthy snack, free time and lights out at 10pm. Each group session had a theme. Sometimes it was supportive therapy surrounding different issues. Other times it was more of an educational experience, like learning more about our medications, different coping mechanisms or how to grow and understand ourselves. In our free time, we slept, journaled, made phone calls, watched TV, did our laundry, talked with other patients and floating staff members as well as played tons of games. We also had access to soda and vending machines.
I don't know if this is what you wanted to know but I hope that it gives you an idea.