SETTING THESAURUS

PSYCHIATRIC WARD



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HELPFUL TIP:

Settings should always be chosen with care. Consider the emotion you want your viewpoint character to feel and how setting choices, weather elements, and symbolism might build a specific mood in the scene, create tension and conflict, or even raise the stakes.
SIGHTS:
Hospital-like hallways with plain walls and flooring
Double doors between wards with security pads for exiting
Rooms with nameplates (laundry room, medication room, therapy room, cafeteria, etc.)
A common “day” room (magazine and books on a shelf, tables and chairs, games)
Wheelchairs
Orderlies checking on patients and monitoring them
Nurses and doctors making the rounds and distributing medications
Security personnel walking the ward or working out of security stations
Bubble mirrors at hallway intersections so personnel can see down each hallway
Trays with paper medication cups holding pills
Locked doors, secured drawers and cupboards
Paintings and artwork that is caulked into place or otherwise firmly fixed
A crisis stabilization unit for emergencies
Patients wearing color-coded wrist bands that indicate possible risk factors (a history of assault, an eating disorder, a flight risk)
Wrist bands with a scannable code (scannable digital information) containing information about medication
Meals served with plastic utensils
Animals brought in for supervised pet therapy sessions
A basic fitness room and outside recreational area that can be utilized
Personal counseling sessions
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SOUNDS:
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SMELLS:
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TASTES:
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TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS:
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POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT:
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PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND IN THIS SETTING:
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SETTING NOTES AND TIPS:
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SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE:
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TECHNIQUES AND DEVICES USED:
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DESCRIPTIVE EFFECTS:
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