getting admitted?

[Lost Love]

i might have to get admitted..can someone tell me what its like?

[bleeding black]

There are quite a few threads about this, here are some links....
http://www.recoveryourlife.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134011&highlight=hospital+experiences
http://www.recoveryourlife.com/forum/showthread.php?t=143851

[Forever-Crying-Pain]

Being admitted.. They take all your clothes etc.. good food nice people.. eventaully durring that same day u get all ur clothes back plus you can have someone bring in some for you so you dont have to wear hospital stuff... theres good group therapy's its a great experience I'm thinking of going back myself and you have a med reminder lol if you forget to take meds :) you'll like it :)

[Siouxsie]

I've only had emergency admissions (which ended up in me staying for months! :/ ) so I don't know much help this will be...

My first admission was quite dramatic, I went in an ambulance and had a police escort (I was travelling from the police station after being 136ed the previous night). I got there and waited in the reception until I could be assessed by one of the psychiatrists, with a staff nurse and my mum in the room. They asked a LOT of questions about my history and problems and also did a risk assessment, which is basically questions like "have you ever set fire to anything?" etc. I was led onto the ward and went to the clinical room where they did physical obs and height/weight. After that I was shown around the unit, introduced to some staff and other patients, shown my room and was given some time to settle in.

My second admission was pretty much the same apart from that I didn't have an escort and I didn't need to be introduced to the staff because I already knew them from my previous time there.

I think "normal" admissions are different though. Where I was we often saw a lot of prospective patients being shown around, whether they were eventually admitted or not.

[time to change]

i think everyone has different experiences. at first it is quite scary, everyone is new to you, and you are in a unit with a locked front door. my best advice is to be honest with the staff, and if you need to talk to them, ask. there is a routine for medications and meal times. also if you smoke, you'll have to see a doctor before you are allowed outside, and then at first probably have to be escorted with a member of staff. but this gets reviewed often, so as long as you behave yourself and stick to your care plans, you should be allowed out on your own soon. most of the staff in hospitals are usually friendly, of course yo'll get the odd one that you dont get on with, but that is normal. its not usually the first point of call, hospital is usually a last resort to keep you, or others safe. but if it is the right option, make the most of the time you are in there. just be careful, some oter patients may try and influence you. good luck

[Lost Love]

Thanks guys. How bad do you guys exactly self harm? Because i don't do it that bad so im not sure if im gonna get admitted. My family dosn't know i still self harm.

[Horizon]

No one can tell you how badly they self-harm because that's considered tipsharing. But hospitals are a last resort for when you are in immediate danger of seriously harming yourself or others.
By "I might have to get admitted" do you mean a therapist is telling you this?
Are you receiving outpatient professional support?
Also, if your family isn't aware you still self-harm, what do you think will happen if you go into the hospital?

[musicmad123]

Severity of self harm isn't really that relevant I think it's more about suicidal thoughts/attempts. I've been in hospital, it was boring, during the summer so not many therapies were happening. I guess this wouldn't be an emergency addmission ? Mine was emergency so it would probaly be different x

[88shelz]

hospital onli ever worked at keeping me alive when i was most suicidal
apart from that it never reali made much of a difference to my mental health

[bleeding black]

I'm thinking of going back myself
you'll like it :)
^ Hospital really isn't like a holiday. I've been inpatient periodically for the past 7-8 years, and it's either extremely uncomfortable and unhelpful, or a challenging therapeutic experience.

You should know that hospital admissions aren't taken lightly, psychiatrists don't admit people willy-nilly. It's a last resort, and if they can treat you as an outpatient they will.

And we cannot tell you how 'badly' we self harm, as - like facet said- it is tip-sharing and it is also irrelevant.

You said you might be getting admitted, what does your Dr say he/she hopes admission would achieve? What do you think hospital could do for you?

[Revolving Door]

It all depends on the hospital, how busy the hospital is, what the staff are like, if its public or private, what country your in etc etc.

I have always had emergency admissions. I have been in 3 hospitals, all in the same region, all very different experiences, but they are all the same type of ward - adult acute psychiatric ward. I have been in the same ward multiple times and each time could be different depending on how ill I was at the time of admission and what staff were there, how many other patients were there, and how long they had been there....like if there is lots of newish admissions it can be very hard as most are at their most ill, while if most people have been there for a while and they have adjusted to the rules of the ward etc, and their medication is starting to help etc, then its a much more peaceful place.

Hospital is helpful to get you through the times you can't look after yourself - either be it that you are very suicidal, or can't eat, clean etc. This may be because of depression, or psychosis, or if people are very manic that they are doing very risky things and lack judgement....public hospitals are to stabilise people enough so they can recieve treatment in the community.

A private hospital would be completely different experience I can imagine - most likely treating people with addictions and depression...while public, most people are bipolar or schizophrenic (this is just a generalization which I have gathered from my own experience and from reading both books and journal articles)

Hospital is a serious option. And is a hard thing to deal with....but it can be good in the respect you get a break, they can try medication if that is an option and you should get a plan on discharge for support team being set up....

[xbeckyx]

I've been IP 4 times and I guess it depends if you're going to an adult or children and adolescent ward.

Adult wards are hard and I was only on one for a few days so I'm not the best person to tell you about those.

I was on an adolescent ward for over a year and found it really helpful.
You get your own clothes and belongings, you can go for walks usually after a while if the nurses feel you are safe enough etc.

Any questions feel free to PM me, can't think properly to tell you all about them right now, sorry.
x

[random.swirls]

Your location says that your in America and from the little I know psychiatric wards there are quite different to the uk ones so some of the posts here won't necessarily relate to what you would experience should you be admitted.

Hum I found it very tough being inpatient as I missed my freedom intensly, the nurses were nice and so on but it wasn't an easy time in the slightest

[scar88]

your experiences differs it helped me the last time i was in there.... it should help you. It will keep you safe.... Goodluck

[The Hierophant]

Being admitted.. They take all your clothes etc.. good food nice people.. eventaully durring that same day u get all ur clothes back plus you can have someone bring in some for you so you dont have to wear hospital stuff... theres good group therapy's its a great experience I'm thinking of going back myself and you have a med reminder lol if you forget to take meds :) you'll like it :)

excuse me.
what?
how is this in anyway shape or form helpful?!

[Liar.]

Being admitted.. They take all your clothes etc.. good food nice people.. eventaully durring that same day u get all ur clothes back plus you can have someone bring in some for you so you dont have to wear hospital stuff... theres good group therapy's its a great experience I'm thinking of going back myself and you have a med reminder lol if you forget to take meds :) you'll like it :)

I dont know about you, but i always got to keep my clothes....
As someone has already said, its not a holiday. Maybe you were in a private hospital? The food is crap, the people are....mental...
Its a last resort.
If therapy/meds/your doctros cant help things, then you go IP. Not the other way around.

[I am (not) a robot]

I don't think anyone should be correcting Forever-Crying-Pain (sorry, I do not know your name.) Not everyone has had the same experience when it comes to hospitalization. They were just sharing their experience, and they deserve as much respect as those who had a bad experience. After all, Demon Child (sorry, I do not know your name either) asked for what it is like. Obviously, each person will have something different to say.

On that note.

When I was first admitted to a hospital, it was after a suicide attempt. I was kept in the psychiatric ward for about five days, and then I switched to another hospital. The hospital I was switched to was not at all private. But my experience was fantastic. At first it was extremely daunting, and scary. But slowly but surely, it became a very positive thing. I began to understand how my mind works. I finally had a supportive environment (outside of my family), and I was learning how to take care of myself.

Everyone's experience is different. But I believe if one goes into something like this with a positive mind set, that things will be okay, it will be a positive experience.

I hope everything will be okay.

[bleeding black]

I think we all know that everyone will have different experiences, and I'm not being disrespectful, but pointing out that telling someone that 'you'll like' hospital truly is in no way helpful. Nor is 'it's a great experience'
People can treat treat hospital like a holiday if they like, but it isn't conducive to recovery/healing and is a waste of everyone's time.

The hospitals I've been to haven't taken my clothes away, though i was strip searched each time i came back from leave (if i had leave). One experience was really horrible, i had someone i shared a bathroom with (the layout was bedroom, bathroom, bedroom bathroom etc), and they urinated on the floor and defecated in the shower. Staff would pour water on your head to get you out of bed. In the public system there are generally lots of very, very unwell people.
Other experiences I've had have been quite positive, very challenging in working in group therapy and with my Dr, and the environment (being around unwell people) isn't always uplifting.
Hospital is an extreme measure and shouldn't be taken lightly.

[Pomegranate]

I dont know about you, but i always got to keep my clothes....
As someone has already said, its not a holiday. Maybe you were in a private hospital? The food is crap, the people are....mental...
Its a last resort.
If therapy/meds/your doctros cant help things, then you go IP. Not the other way around.

I have to agree. Hospital is not something that you should look at as an enjoyable experience or option. It is a last option. Sometimes it can be helpful, sometimes it isn't. I was admitted for dangerously escalating self harm and being suicidal. It is rare to be admitted for self harm in the UK unless it is life threatening...I don't know about the U.S though. If you can recieve therapy etc outside of a hospital setting then do so....it will be much harder short term but it will be far more helpful in the longer term. You will see progress and feel better a lot quicker.

If I were you then I would bite the bullet and talk to your family. It will open up so much more support for you and at the end of the day if you end up in hospital then they will probably find out anyway. The only thing that will happen is that you probably won't be the one to tell them, it will be a stranger and that is even more unfair on them.