Mental Health Special Theaters: The purpose of these theaters is to take the patients out of the hospital environment for some time, make them feel like they are in normal life, and help improve their mental health.

Mental Health Special Theaters: The first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word hospital is the sound of machines, medicines, the worry of treatment, and a stressful environment. But did you know that there is a country in the world where special theaters have been built inside hospitals? The purpose of these theaters is to temporarily remove patients from the hospital environment, give them a sense of normal life, and help improve their mental health. So let's find out which country is building special theaters to improve mental health and how treatment is conducted there.

In which country are special theatres being built to improve mental health?

In Britain, special theaters called MediCinema have been created within hospitals to improve the mental health of patients. In these theaters, children and adults can enjoy new films, temporarily forgetting their pain, stress, and the hospital environment. Currently, nine such MediCinema theaters are operating in various hospitals across Britain. Doctors and nurses determine who can attend a film based on the patient's health condition. The aim of this initiative is to provide mental relief to patients, allowing them to experience normal life, while also providing treatment.

How is the treatment done here?

Simon Hickson manages Medicinema. Every morning, he visits various wards in the hospital to speak with doctors and nurses to determine which patients are able to watch the film. Before the film begins, nurses and patients are brought from their wards to the theater. The theater not only has seats, but also has dedicated areas where patients can comfortably watch the film, including four-bedded patients and three recliners.

This theatre is open to patients of all ages.

During one screening, patients of varying ages and health conditions were present. These included a pregnant woman, a 4-year-old child with an autoimmune disease, a 71-year-old woman with a bone disease, and other patients. Before the film began, 72-year-old Gary Cook, who was hospitalized after seriously injuring his legs in an accident, jokingly asked what would happen if someone needed to go to the bathroom during the film or a patient suddenly suffered a heart attack. A nearby nurse explained that medical staff would be available to help immediately if needed.

How did MediCinema start?

Nearly 30 years ago, Christine Hill saw some children happily spending time in the hospital garden at St. Thomas' Hospital. It was then that she conceived the idea of ​​opening a cinema within the hospital, allowing patients to temporarily forget their troubles through films. Despite initial opposition, she raised funds to convert one of the hospital's lecture theatres into a cinema. The first Medicinema opened in December 1999, with the film Inspector Gadget being the first to be screened.