As I've posted, I'm seriously thinking about admitting myself/allowing myself to be admitted to a Psych Ward/Mental Health Care.
I'm heard stories about being locked in your room, literally evil doctors and nurses...I really don't want to end up in a place like that out of "One flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".
I don't want to be force fed or made to feel worthless.
Truth be told, I am ****ing shitting myself about this.
I'm Not Afraidッ
Baby Lyssa
Rest In Peace
My Shooting Star
Pretty, pretty please,
Don't you ever, ever feel
That you're less than f*cking perfect.
Have you exhausted every other option?
While you most likely won't end up on a psychiatric unit out of a movie, a lot of them can be very unpleasant, some can be better than others, and the same goes for staff and the patients. There is no guarantee what kind of experience you will have. But you will be giving up a large amount of freedom, even being voluntary (which, don't get me wrong, is still much better than involuntary).
I have had some really bad times, seen patients attacking other patients, I've gotten into altercations with staff because of the way they treated me, but the only time I've been locked in any room is when I needed to be in the quiet room to calm down.
But depending on where you are and what your hospital system is like, you'll be locked in anyway. At least in the US that's how it is...they mix voluntary and involuntary and you're on a locked unit and it is very strict. I do not know how things work where you are, though.
I've 3 times been in a pysch ward here in South Wales an the staff have always been between Lovely and professional but never Evil . It was nothing like the movies , although they CAN watch you bath and such they only do that in circumstances when the think you are an immedient threat to your own life . It's not a pleasant place to be , there are a mix of depressives and other problems ( in the patients ) but the staff were nice to me. I hope this helps.
I'm still not comfortable in my skin and the anasthetic's slowly wearing thin - Otep
Everyones lost but me! - Indiana Jones
It's okay , they know me here .
Kahlia1981 is my adopted little sister :)
''Courage doesn't always roar , sometimes courage is that little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow"
Every psych ward is different and some are more like what you see in the movies than you would suspect.
The one in my town is ... not good. Patients are abused, mistreated, released while unwell, threatened with the Mental Health Act, threatened with being involuntary for not behaving like the nurses/doctors want, given deliberate OD's and so forth, but some of the nurses/doctors are brilliant - it just depends who you get and what mood some of the nurses are in. I've also had nurses refuse to let me know that I had phone calls because "they couldn't find me" when they didn't even bother to look - the came and found me when the doctor wanted me but didn't bother when the phone rang. But our ward here is known to be a bad one - we had one royal enquiry in the 1980s (Ward 10B if you are interested) and are heading towards another one with the family of a deceased patient taking the ward to court after their family member was deliberately killed.
Most wards aren't like that. Yes some patients are "bad". Yes some doctors and nurses are "bad". BUT, most of the time the nurses and doctors are there to help YOU to get better. If you don't think something will help tell them in your time with the doctor - ask them what options you have and seriously discuss the options with them. If you are openly trying to take an active role in your recovery most doctors and nurses will do what they can to help you out.
Generally though Facet is right: A ward involves being locked in even when you are a voluntary patient, at least to some degree. Often you can leave during the day but are locked in during the night and have to let the nurses know where you are going any time you want to leave. The nurses often have control of things like your money and your mobile phone as well. They don't often put you in total lock up unless you are in serious danger of hurting yourself and then they can watch your every move or put you in a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) or locked ward.
Sometimes it can be worth thinking about it, but you have to decide before going in what you want to get out of it. If you need somewhere safe so you don't end your life for example. I don't know if any of this helps, but just remember that every ward is different.
She shouts, she screams, she smashes your dreams . . .
Would you mind if I killed you? Would you mind if I tried to?
'Cause you have turned into my worst enemy,
You carry hate that I don't feel: It's over now WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
* Proud Plumeria Sister * My Support Thread * I got lei'd in vets *
* My RYL Family: big brother Doikers; little sisters MammaMia & flutterby butterfly *
I might not be the most helpful person, with my 3 days in as an informal patient in a low security/locked NHS ward in August last year, however where I stayed wasn't that bad at all.
Most patients I saw got along quite well, there was a mix of some 'strange' ones but some that you'd believe were completely normal if you met them in Tesco. There was no drama whatsoever, apart from when someone fell on her a.rse (I think it was a side-effect from her meds) and c/wouldn't get up, and loads of nurses rushed in with this machine thing to check if she was alright. But there was no fights or anything like that. As for the staff - most of them were really friendly and supportive to the patients, including me. However, there was one agency worker working as a nursing assistant or something which was left to supervise me who implied I was an attention seeker and asked if I did what I did (that got me in the ward, long story) for a "joke" because I didn't seem like the stereotypical suicidal person. I actually looked quite content. There was also a nursing assistant who treated me like a child, even though I was 17, and said I wasn't allowed to play Perfect Dark on the N64 in the recreation room because I was "too young" and that the contents were "triggering", which was more amusing than annoying, really. But besides all that, they were all mostly nice to me.
I was also not under the same conditions as most patients, as I was on suicide watch, but while it was really invasive, it's not as degrading as you'd imagine. I simply had to have someone on guard whilst I slept, wait outside the toilet, etc. it was a really strange experience, but definitely not a 'horror story'. Except for the food... which sucked. However, that's a different story.
It probably depends 100% on luck and there's no guarentees, but if you get a good ward like I did and you're compliant with your treatment, I highly doubt you'll be forcefed or anything like that. If you've got ED/depression, it's also highly doubtful you'll be on a ward with anyone with dangerous psychotic/personality disorders.
I've been on a psychiatric ward, and have never been locked in a room, force-fed, or experienced evil nurses (though back before I had a good rapport with the nurses there, and I was a lot younger, some of their attitudes were very unhelpful). If you do go to a mental health ward, my advice would be to be as open with the staff as you can, and communicate with them verbally if you're feeling upset, rather than 'acting out' in any way - simply because it will help them understand you and your needs better, and they're not keen on having to use seclusion or restraint (which is very, very infrequently used on the ward I go to).
I honestly don't know how many psych units I've been on, but it's been alot!
They are all different. I've never experienced the "movie" types. Never been forced to take meds...never locked in my room. however, I have seen people that were just out of control and disrupting other patients that were put in a special room until they calmed down. but that is rare.
There are rules, of course. But nothing that bad. You will probably see a nurse and doc everyday to monitor your progress. And you might be assigned a therapist which is good.
Honestly, the worst part was the food but you can get used to it.
If you feel you need to go...then go. They aren't as bad as people make them out to be.
Is it possible to admit yourself? Hospital is always used as a last resort, as it can be upsetting and can even make things worse.
My experience wasn't that bad. Most nurses were kind and wanting to help. There were some extremely unwell people in there though, and it can be distressing at times. It's also boring and lonely. But don't panic, things have changed a lot since the setting of movies like one flew over the cuckoo's nest.
There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: 'This glass is half full'. And then there are those who say: 'This glass is half empty'.
The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: 'What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!
I'm not sure of your exact circumstances and correct me if I'm wrong as it may be different where you live but I didn't think you could admit yourself into a pysch unit,I thought you had to be referred under the mental health act by a doctor or relative etc.
I know this is what I was told by the local crisis team when I tried to admit myself,although that was coming up 6 years ago.I hope whatever happens you find the support you need.
“Though she be but little, she is fierce!”
20.12 .07 - Cathryn
I'm not sure of your exact circumstances and correct me if I'm wrong as it may be different where you live but I didn't think you could admit yourself into a pysch unit,I thought you had to be referred under the mental health act by a doctor or relative etc.
That depends mostly on where you are... In the US if you go in you can admit yourself if after talking to the intake person they find that there is reason for you to be admitted, in other words you can't be stable and walk in and admit yourself just because but if you are there for a legitimate reason they will let you voluntarily admit yourself. Here a voluntary is worlds better than an involuntary admit to the ward.
I was lei'd in vets! ***** Proud Plumeria Sister!
"He said look inside your heart/ And you'll see stars/ Falling stars/ Look, deep into my eyes/ Don't look down/ Or you'll fall, he said/ Here, the sky goes on forever"
That depends mostly on where you are... In the US if you go in you can admit yourself if after talking to the intake person they find that there is reason for you to be admitted, in other words you can't be stable and walk in and admit yourself just because but if you are there for a legitimate reason they will let you voluntarily admit yourself. Here a voluntary is worlds better than an involuntary admit to the ward.
yeah..I'm in the US too. and I voluntarily admitted myself once. I spoke to counselors and they thought it was a good idea for me to be admitted. t does depend on the situation.
I was admitted in Nov '07 for 3 days after a failed OD attempt (US, by the way). While it wasn't a *horrible* experience, the facility they turned me over to didn't seem to have a good grasp on their mission. I just mean that the whole place was run more like an adult version of a day-care center than a place to rehabilitate and heal. You were pretty much on your own most of the day, except for the 2x a day you were required to go to "group" - where they asked everyone how they were feeling and then passed around some inane worksheet and/or craft project. I didn't even get to speak to a doctor until the day before my release. The nurses and staff were nice enough, but I think they may have been stretched a bit thin.
Like I said, it wasn't horrible, but it was enough to make me want to work hard on my own recovery so I wouldn't have to return. If it's what you think you need, don't be afraid - like everyone else has said, most of the time these places are nothing like their depictions. If possible, try to do a little research on some places near you so you're not going in completely blind. I hope it helps <3
"And I know it aches, and your heart it breaks,
You can only take so much
Walk on..."
I'm in the us as well. I went inpatient in October. The place I went was called Four Winds and I'm pretty sure it's a private hospital. I had a moslty good experience while there. The only person I didn't like was the psychiatrist. She wasn't very nice. Decided to tell me on my Bday that if I kept hurting myself she would kick me out.... But other wise the staff and patients were amazing and very supportive. I would suggest, if you can, voluntarily admitting yourself. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose to do.
Big Sister:Squiggles Little Sister: PaintItBlack Cousins: dereksarah, Hollz
Is it possible to admit yourself? Hospital is always used as a last resort, as it can be upsetting and can even make things worse.
In the UK it's not really possible to do that. You need to be seen by a Psychiatrist who will decide whether an admission is the right treatment for you. It is only likely to be if you are currently a significant risk to yourself or others or it is felt that the only way to help you is on an inpatient basis. It is likely that they would want to try to help you as an outpatient if possible. There are many reasons for this, as people have said being an inpatient is not pleasant but it is also not always appropriate either.
I'm sorry you're feeling like it is necessary but I think the first step would be to go to talk to a GP and ask for a referral to a mental health team, if you aren't already under one, who could offer you some support. If you already have a psychiatrist then I would make an appointment with them and discuss how you are feeling.
Always seem to get things just that little bit wrong.
"don't wish, don't start, wishing only wounds the heart"
Ive beenj on two psych wards several times...both different, one more modern than the other, one offered more help than the other...but neither were bad or horrendous and both served a purpose of keeping me safe xx
I am in the UK, and they will not forcefeed you under general circumstances. The only time that it will ever be used, is that if you are extremely depressed, and are not eating or drinking for a while. Even then, they just cant do this, they will have to section you, and will probably consider ECT in those circumstances. If you feel so stressed, worried or hate the selection for one day, and refuse food (one time I was worried so much that I refused to eat), then they wont do anything. You may get asked several times.
The only other time is that if you are suffering from an ED and even then you are sectioned, the first time I was on a psych ward there was this girl who was clearly anorexic, and the first couple of days they did threaten to do so, but she started eating (albeit tiny amounts) before they did go down that route. She was sectioned though. But they very rarely put people with EDs onto psych wards - generally they are more likely to be held in specialist ED units, but it does happen.
Generally, you arent locked in your room unless you really kick off and get out of control, then they will generally put you in seclusion (seperate room to where you normally sleep), but even that is not commonplace. Seclusion rooms may be locked or not. They dont put people in there unless the staff feel strictly necessary - and it's not commonplace. As some people said, depending on the ward that you are put on, depends on whether they lock the doors or not. Generally they try to put people on unlocked wards, but if you are sectioned or bed space is unavailable on an unlocked ward, you may be put on one. Also, if you have a history of walking off unlocked wards (without permission), then they may decide that being an unlocked ward is too much of a risk and will probably put you on a locked one. Obviously the answer to not to go off the ward without permission.
Staff do vary but it depends on the personality I think - very few are actually sadistic, but some may appear (to you) a bit brash. Like social workers, psychs etc, there are some good ones and bad ones.
Places have improved since One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - for example ECT is not as commonplace, and in the UK, there are very strict guidelines about it, such as how it is undertaken and who is deemed suitable for the "treatment".
Also about being forced to take medications - obviously if you refuse medication, then you will get sectioned. But even then you have to show a history of consistently refusing medication though. I have a history (and this has happened every single time I have been in there) of refusing medication the first day I am there, and will take them every single time after the first day. I have yet to be sectioned due to refusing meds, though. So refusing once or twice does not automatically equal sectioning.
Last edited by not_so_insig : 14-02-2011 at 09:51 PM.
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
RIP Kat 4th July 1987- 11th June 2013
