It really depends on what's going on with you and what you find helpful. I don't know what the system is like in the UK, but here in the US, most hospitals offer little treatment beyond medication management. As a result, you spend most of your time sitting around doing absolutely nothing, left mostly on your own as long as you don't act out. They also generally don't allow cell phones or computers, so you have virtually no contact with the outside world. A few states have laws saying you have to be allowed to go outside occasionally, but in most hospitals in most states, you're not even allowed that. You literally sit and stare at the wall all day.

For some people, I guess that kind of containment is helpful. For me, it's really not. And since my depression doesn't respond to meds, it makes the hospital an entirely useless experience. I also experience the complete loss of control over my life as traumatic, so hospitalization often worsens my PTSD symptoms, sometimes for months afterward.

But your mileage may vary. It seems to vary pretty widely from person to person.