i have been told that if my mood and self harming doesnt improve soon then i will be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. i really dont know much about them so i would really appreciate if people would answer my questions.
1. What are the sleeping arrangements like?? mixed sex dormitories? single sex dormitories? maybe a room to myself?
2. What are eating arrangements like?? will i have to attend sit down meals? what is the food like? are there really people trying to make themselves sick at the dinner table like i have read in books?
3. What therapy will i receive? will i still get one on one counselling or will it all be group therapy? will i be expected to attend sessions like art therapy?
4. What would you advice i take with me? Am i allowed to take my blades? is there anything that im not allowed to take?
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo?
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me??
please please please tell me what answers you know. and any personal experiences which may give me an insight into what being in one of these places is like.
1. What are the sleeping arrangements like?? mixed sex dormitories? single sex dormitories? maybe a room to myself?
I had a room to myself, with girls on one corridor and guys on the other
2. What are eating arrangements like?? will i have to attend sit down meals? what is the food like? are there really people trying to make themselves sick at the dinner table like i have read in books?
You were expected to sit down together at every meal time except breakfast were u just helped yourself. People with serevere EDs ate in a diff room.
3. What therapy will i receive? will i still get one on one counselling or will it all be group therapy? will i be expected to attend sessions like art therapy?
I just got CBT on wednesdays with a dr, on my own
4. What would you advice i take with me? Am i allowed to take my blades? is there anything that im not allowed to take?
No blades are allowed or any other sharp objects. i took an ipod and speakers and lots of harry potter books. Notepads and pens, magazines etc, stuff to keep u busy
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo?
i was allowed to go to the toilet on my own.
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me??
i had 4 days a week of visiting and my friends came
You're not allowed to take sharp objects in these hospitals, i'm sure thats the same in them all i wasn't allowed those erm wired coathangers....dunno how to describe them they'll tell you tehre what your not allowed to have and what you are allowed. I had a room to myself. I was allowed to use toilets on my own apart from a few times cause they didn't trust me not to hurt myself for those few minutes i went in there! we had to sit for meals. The eating disorder people went on a different table and had nurses watch them eat. and teh rest went on another table. Breakfast we just helped ourseleves but we had to have eaten it by 10 am i think it was then went to the school if well enough that was joint to the hospital
1. What are the sleeping arrangements like?? mixed sex dormitories? single sex dormitories? maybe a room to myself?
2. What are eating arrangements like?? will i have to attend sit down meals? what is the food like? are there really people trying to make themselves sick at the dinner table like i have read in books?
3. What therapy will i receive? will i still get one on one counselling or will it all be group therapy? will i be expected to attend sessions like art therapy?
4. What would you advice i take with me? Am i allowed to take my blades? is there anything that im not allowed to take?
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo?
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me??
please please please tell me what answers you know. and any personal experiences which may give me an insight into what being in one of these places is like.
im really panicking and don't know anything!
1) I have been in a female dorm of about 6 beds with curtains around them.
But mainly been i my local hosp and had my own room with en suite even. depends on hosp.
2) eating was in the canteen with other psych wards. If allowed of ward it is up to you to get to canteen and eat. If confined to ward then they bring you food to eat whever.
3) you should have one to ones with your nurse who is allocated to you each shift. Also there are occupational therapy groups through out day. Like art, clay, relaxation, films, gardening. You see Dr once or twice a week (depending on individuals)
4) They normally search you so no blades or meds or anything they may see as an SI tool, I've had show laces taken from me sometimes but allowed to keep ipod earphones (as seen as theraputic to have music)
Also I had a glass deoderant bottle, that was taken away from me.
5) I was able to poop on my own and bath also alone. But when I was seriously bad I had a nurse with me for 2 months straight. At arms lenth as I would've given myself a paper cut if possible.
If deemed safe then you have privacy for things like that.
If not safe then they may just stand outside and talk to you.
They only do this as last option. So not a big worry.
6) Visiting hours will be on some sign in ward and is often a 4pm till 8pm thingy. sometimes earlier at weekends. If children are coming to visit then you have to often tell them in advance then they may have a family room away from ward that is nicer for kids.
After a while there (anything from a few days to longer) you may get some leave. Escorted or alone. To go to the local shops or a bit further afield when safe to do so. I used to go to shop each day (whether I was escorted or not was decided at each time) When well enough I'd pop on bus and go to the bigger shops for an hour.
Hope some of this helps you. It is scarey to go into hospital but it really can help if your willing to put in the hard work with it.
I want to kiss the bottom of the ocean before I burst through its surface into the sunlight, otherwise I will always be wondering about what was left unseen at the bottom
i'm tired of chasing my dreams. i'm just gonna ask where they're going, and hook up with them later.
im realy sorry to hear about ur difficutlys!speaking from experience only dear!
1. What are the sleeping arrangements like?? mixed sex dormitories? single sex dormitories? maybe a room to myself? in all 3 hospitals that ive been in its been single room to urself and in one of them it was an en suite! obviously this depends on the hospital ur in!
2. What are eating arrangements like?? will i have to attend sit down meals? what is the food like? are there really people trying to make themselves sick at the dinner table like i have read in books? tbh the foods not great, usually they make u eat with everyone so that everyone can bond with each other! ive been in hospital now 7 months and ive never seen anyone make themselves sick at the table!!
3. What therapy will i receive? will i still get one on one counselling or will it all be group therapy? will i be expected to attend sessions like art therapy?it depends on weather u go 2 an acute ward! an acute ward is for short stay so they dont usually provide u with anythin like this! in my adolesant ward we had everything! counsilling, group therpy, art therepy and school from monday 2 friday which was a part of therepy!
4. What would you advice i take with me? Am i allowed to take my blades? is there anything that im not allowed to take? you wont be aloud any blades or any sharp implements. i was given a list of things u cant bring in and some of them are glass, alcohol cameras co puters, string or rope, needles wire coat hangers! some things are aloud but are restricted likecans of drink, mirrors, tools, scissors, tweezers and nail varnish!
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo? this depends on the type of obs ur on! obs is when someone follows u around to make sure ur safe! different hospitals are all different... in one place i was in the obs where when they watched u go to the toilet, poo and all, and shower without a shower curtain! no privacy at all! but in the other 2 places dependin on the nurse u were aloud some privacy! if ur lucky and dont have 2 go on obs ur fine 2 poo whenever ya like, wherever u like :D
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me?? most places have visiting hours some will be all day until 8 or 9 o clock at nite! usually there pretty laid back about visiting hours!
i hope ive answered to the best of my ability! obviously it wont be the exact same as to where u mite be going but its what ive learned from my experience! keep in touch and let us know how things go!
From personal experience (however this will vary depending on what hospital you go to)
What are the sleeping arrangements like?? - In one hospital I was in a dormitary, in another I had a room to myself. The wards were mixed but the dorms were single sex. In the private hospital I had an en suite room.
2. What are eating arrangements like??- A dining room where all the patients eat together. The food is cook chill stuff that isn't that nice. I've never seen people being sick at the table, they normally do it after (if they are bulimic obviously). Someone threw their dinner plate across the room once and it smashed.
3. What therapy will i receive? In one hospital I was in we had group therapy sessions for most of the day. There is normally occupational therapy where you things like art and relaxation. On the NHS acute ward though there wasnt really any therapy at all. You could talk to the nurses but they aren't trained counsellors, and NHS hospitals are severely understaffed so you are very lucky if they can spare the time to talk with you. They are usually very busy dealing with the other patients kicking off.
4. What would you advice i take with me? Am i allowed to take my blades? is there anything that im not allowed to take?- I would take lots of books and your mp3 player (psychiatric wards are not nice places to be, you will hear lots of things that are unpleasant so an mp3 player is good). Blades are not allowed, even if you bring them they will take them off you. Some hospitals allow mobile phones, some dont. Some will even take your headphones off of you. Hospitals have their own rules about what's allowed and what isn't. Some will take your shoelaces away, not allow carrier bags, no scarves, nothing metal, no glass, no cans etc etc. All of your stuff will be searched thoroughly when you get there.
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo?- If you are on 1:1 obs then unfortunately a nurse will have to watch you do everything, that includes using the toilet and having a bath/shower. It is very unpleasant, but it is for your safety. Some nurses allow you to half shut the toilet door, but not lock it. It depends what level of observation you are on when you get admitted. After a while I was allowed to lock the toilet door and stuff, and not be watched 24/7.
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me??- Most hospitals have visiting hours when friends/family can visit.
I have to say this though, psychiatric hospitals arent nice. You get put in with a lot of severely ill people. I hope that if you go in you wont be there long =]
Last edited by sherlock holmes : 20-09-2008 at 03:41 PM.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
My experience:
1. The two different places I have been at were two people to a room. But several times I ended up not sharing the room.
2. Both places we all ate in a dining room. The food was pretty decent. I have not seen people trying to make themselves sick, just people not wanting to eat.
3. At both places, everyday you saw a psychiatrist and a medical doctor. In one place, there was pretty much no groups. In another place, there were group sessions for most of the day and you were expected to attend them all but you didn't really have to. As long as you made an effort to go to some, you were good.
4. Each place was different. Mainly you couldn't take anything that you could hurt yourself with. Bring what you think you will need, they will lock up anything you can't have. Some locked items you may be able to check out.
5. One place I was at could lock the door, the other place you could shut the door.
this is my experience, but as you can see from the replys each place varys. I was in a adolescent unit.
1. What are the sleeping arrangements like?? Everyone had a decent sized room to themselfs. The better you were the further down the corridoor you went. I had 8 rooms in almost 9 months, so a lot of moving!!
2. What are eating arrangements like??Everyone was expected to go to the dining room. You could choose from a selection of hot and cold food. IT was ok for nhs meals lol. Staff ate with us at the same time. Peaople with eating disorders had a member of staff each sitting with them. If you were considered high risk you ate "finger food" in a seperate room.
3. What therapy will i receive? Even in hospital care plans vary from person to person - people recieved the therapy/s that would help. Personally i had CBT, Group (for self harm), group and individual art therapy, family therapy, OT and my one to one time with staff.
4. What would you advice i take with me? You will be informed what to bring by the hospital itself. Generally no blades, medicine, wire coat hangers, aerosoles/sprays or razors/shavers.
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo? If you're on high obs then a nurse/s (or two) will be in the toilet and bathroom with you, its not nice but they're embarassed as you are and they're all proffesional and have seen it all before. A step down from that is a nurse just having there foot in the door. Down from that yes you can lock the toilet and bathroom doors =D
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me?? Under 16's accompanyed by adults, each hospital has its own visiting times. Where i was it was between 6-8pm on tuesdays ,thursday and wekends. But they were flexable if arranged in advance.
HUggles i hope youre mood improves and you feel better soon.
xxxxx
Last edited by espoir : 20-09-2008 at 06:32 PM.
Reason: added
After all this has passed, i still will remain
After i've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain
i've been in an adolescent unit, adult (both pretty briefly) and a therapeutic community, not sure if you're gonna be in child or adult so i'll answer both from my experience.
1. What are the sleeping arrangements like?? In adolescent I had my own room, it was horrible for others though because some people were like three to one bedroom (not that big rooms) but they've changed it now so everyone has their own room.
In adult I was in a four-bed dorm, with curtains around beds. The ward was split into one corridor male, one female. Males weren't allowed down the female side. People on a section usually had their own room, especially if they were on obs. The dorm was fine, though.
2. What are eating arrangements like??
In adolescent we all had to sit in the dining room, people with EDs had a member of staff on their table, staff ate with patients. We weren't allowed to leave the table until everyone had finished (except go to the loo I think, as long as not bulimic!) but nobody tried to make themselves sick at the table. Food wasn't that great, brought in from the main hospital and heated up in packets in a big microwave.
In adult I think we could eat where we wanted but there was a dining room. People with acute mental illnesses/psychosis can be a bit messy eaters though :S Food was okay for us, prepared in the hospital kitchen, though salads for dinner were boo.
3. What therapy will i receive?
None in either, really. In adolescent there was a school, and I think some occupational groups were being planned, there was also a psychiatrist who asked stuff and we had key/co-workers who we talked to. I wasn't there long enough to really have any therapy arranged.
In adult, people generally didn't have therapy. It was all medication or one-to-ones with nurses, plus ward-round once or twice a week. We could use the day services if we weren't on sections/ward-based.
4. What would you advice i take with me?
I got my bags checked in adolescent but not adult. Adolescent didn't allow plastic bags, belts, razors, medications, even lavender oil I think!
In adult they weren't bothered with most of us.
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo?
I'm proud to say I've never been watched whilst I've pooed. It happens if you're on high obs, so try not to be! I locked the toilet door always, but if you do something concerning in there (are there for a long time or they're worried) they can unlock the doors from the outside with a special key - but I imagine they'd knock first.
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me??
We had visiting times at certain times on adolescent, and also on adult (it was pretty free on adult, I think mealtimes and 10am - 12pm were protected. Also, on both units we were allowed to go out with our parents/visitors. Actually, on adult, if we weren't sectioned, we were usually allowed out when we wanted anyway. Friends were allowed too, but usually children/under 18s need to be risk-assessed before they go onto the psychiatric units (if they are not patients) so if you want a child visitor, discuss it with staff.
as others have said it will depend on the hospital you're in but from experience
1. What are the sleeping arrangements like?? mixed sex dormitories? single sex dormitories? The unit we all have our own room one corridor for girls, one for boys.
2. What are eating arrangements like?? will i have to attend sit down meals? what is the food like? are there really people trying to make themselves sick at the dinner table like i have read in books? We all eat every meal together with staff and everyone has to stay to the end of the meal the food we have isn't that great but obviously that will depend, people refuse to eat and a sometimes pressured to when they don't want to(it's not fun) but I've never seen anyone try to make themselves sick...
3. What therapy will i receive? will i still get one on one counselling or will it all be group therapy? will i be expected to attend sessions like art therapy? We have one to one therapy(no counseling in inpatient it's not intensive enough) and group as well, we do art therapy and other stuff like that, and patients are expected to attend if they're well enough, obviously if someones under major obs they wouldn't be allowed in an art room with scissors or whatever.
4. What would you advice i take with me? Am i allowed to take my blades? is there anything that im not allowed to take?
obviously you can't take anything sharp, we are allowed to keep razors for shaving in a speical cupboard that's locked and we need permission to get something from it and would probably be supervised whilst shaving(lol it's betternot to bother really) No aerosols where I am, no candles or meds in your room, they chekc all of our bags and body checks as well
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo? Unless you're under like severe obs you can lock the bathroom door, but that's it in my unit, you can't close any other doors, except when you're changing in your room. If you're at massive suicide risk or something you might get that privilege taken away
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me??
I guess everywhere has different policies, I'm allowed family to visit pretty much everyday if I wanted, friends have to be like asked about but it would be ok, I've been inpatient for 6 n a half weeks and I or any of the other patiens have never actually had friends to visit lol
try not to worry about it they're not as bad as the media or who ever else portay them to be x
Last edited by musicmad123 : 20-09-2008 at 07:27 PM.
Reason: i forgot a question
Let the Force be with you
I'm not short, I'm space efficient
1. What are the sleeping arrangements like?? mixed sex dormitories? single sex dormitories? maybe a room to myself?
In my ward (which is adolescent), we have single rooms, all the girls in one corridor and all the boys in another corridor. The girls share a bathroom and showers, and the boys have their own bathroom and showers too, so everything is separated, nothing mixed sex in the bedroom area.
2. What are eating arrangements like?? will i have to attend sit down meals? what is the food like? are there really people trying to make themselves sick at the dinner table like i have read in books?
All our patients are expected to sit at the table with each other for lunch and dinner, and wait till everyone is done until you can leave the table. Breakfast is out for an hour in the morning so if you want it, you just get up and eat it at the table, but if you don't want breakfast you don't have to get up- you can stay in bed till the start group, or sit watching TV or whatever while others are eating breakfast. Also, staff and patients from the ward sit together (if there are enough chairs for everyone!) Food is not fantastic, but if you want to you can plan ahead by looking at the menu and deciding to cook your own meal. If someone has an ED alongside with another illness, they sit with everyone else and are expected to eat something, or if an ED is their main illness, they sit at a nearby table with a staff member making sure they eat everything according to their diet plan (assuming they have one).
3. What therapy will i receive? will i still get one on one counselling or will it all be group therapy? will i be expected to attend sessions like art therapy?
On my adolescent ward everyone has individual therapy with their own doctor, plus individual sessions with your named nurse, however often your named nurse plans them (depends on how good the nurse in question is!). I have 2 sessions of CBT with my doctor each week, plus a couple of meetings with my named nurse each week, and a family meeting every week (depending on your involvement with your family), and some weeks I see my consultant as well. Plus I'm also seeing a support worker who's meant to be helping me with my anxiety when I go out into the community, so she takes me to places like the Jobcentre and helps me deal with my anxiety while I'm outside. So it can be quite busy meetings-wise!! Everyone is also expected to attend all the groups, we have a mixture of stuff in addition to the school programme, like art therapy, creative writing, music group, news and views (read the newspapers/magazines, watch the news channels on TV). It sounds like such a hassle but it's ok sometimes.
4. What would you advice i take with me? Am i allowed to take my blades? is there anything that im not allowed to take?
On my ward, if you're a new admission you will have a lot of stuff taken off you. For example, any blades, glass, aerosols etc are taken off you. You're not allowed mirrors unless they're made of plastic. I had earrings, sharp necklaces and stuff taken off me (very annoying!) though you can ask for things you need. For example, you're allowed to use a razor in the shower but it depends on how much they trust you as to whether they give you one.
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo?
It depends on what observation levels you're on. On my ward, level 1 is when a nurse has to be an arms-length away from you at ALL times (including using the bathroom). Level 2 is when a nurse must be around you at all times, though not right next to you so you can lock the bathroom door with them on the other side and checking you're ok by talking to you while you're in there. Level 3 is when they check on you every 10-15 minutes, so you're allowed on your own for a while. And then, after these levels, you're put on General Obs, when they check on you whenever they remember to really!! About every 20-30mins in the day, depending on what your mood is like, and about every hour at night. Also we have locks on our bedroom doors, so you can lock your own door but I only use it if I don't want to be disturbed by other patients because all the staff have the key to unlock it anyway, so it seems pointless otherwise!
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me??
Different wards have different policies, but on mine visitors are allowed from 6-8pm on weekdays and from 10am-8.30pm at weekends and bank holidays. Sometimes they can be quite relaxed rules but in general they stick quite firmly to them, and they don't like you having visitors at meal times unless you're going off the ward with them.
I hope that's helped you a bit. Also I hope you're alright with everything! I know the prospect of hospital admission is horrible but, if it comes to being on a ward, I hope you get the best help to get better :) Would you be going to an adolescent or an adult ward? As adult wards are a lot less structured, they don't really have much of a day programme to my knowledge.
xxxx
1. What are the sleeping arrangements like?? mixed sex dormitories? single sex dormitories? maybe a room to myself?
Depends whether you're in a private or public hospital, adolescent ward, and so on. I was in an NHS adult unit. Some of the time I was in intensive nursing and there we had individual rooms and a shared wash room. When I was moved down from INA, I was in female dorms. Female and male sleeping areas were seperate.
2. What are eating arrangements like?? will i have to attend sit down meals? what is the food like? are there really people trying to make themselves sick at the dinner table like i have read in books?
Again this depends on the unit- and what you're in for. Generally people on my ward all sat down to meals together. There were set meal times and you came and got food off the little food trolley. There was usually two or three options per meal including vegetarian, and the fridge was open access all day where you could help yourself to sandwiches, yoghurts, jellies, fruit etc. There were also facilities for making your own drinks. I was told I had to eat- the anorexics were basically in an eat or be tubed situation any way cos they weighed you a lot. They allowed me to eat on my own to start with so i didnt have to eat infront of any one, but this was a general psych ward and this would most likely not be allowed in an ED unit. Last time when I refused to eat, I wasn't allowed to leave the ward. No one tried to make themselves sick at the table.
3. What therapy will i receive? will i still get one on one counselling or will it all be group therapy? will i be expected to attend sessions like art therapy? In adult psych, I recieved no therapy at all. It was really there to keep me safe until the crisis was over rather than improve my health. There was a program of activities run by the OTs which you could take advantage of, but they werent therepeutic in the sense of talking about your problems, they were just general sessions of things like art or movie group or yoga or cooking. Attendence at the groups was optional but actively encouraged. The only "therapy" I had was when my social worker from the community came in to visit, so in that respect it was no different from the kind of support I'd be getting out of hospital, in fact it was even less. You are assigned a primary nurse who is supposed to be there if you need to talk and discuss any issues about hospital or just talk over other things, but in both my admissions, I never had one to one therapy with my primary nurse once.
4. What would you advice i take with me? Am i allowed to take my blades? is there anything that im not allowed to take? You will not be allowed any blades or sharps, pills, razors anything like that. This is not only for your own safety, but for the safety of the other patients too. If you need to use scissors or a razor, then you have to ask the staff. They will most likely search EVERYTHING. When I bought my stuff in, she went through all the CD cases and opened them, and shook them out, books, all my pockets and clothing...basically anything and everything I could have used to hide stuff in. And they know all the tricks in the book! Things to take with you: um it can be very boring on the ward so definately something to do. I bought in puzzle mags. Occasionally nights can be a bit noisy, espcially if you're in dorms so an ipod with music on to relax you and block out noise if you need some peace. Oh big bummer for us, we weren't allowed camera phones ( in case you film other patients) so if you want a phone, probably best to take an old rubbishy one. And where I was, we weren't allowed lap tops either or computers.
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo? Depends on your observation level. All the wash rooms had locks on them and we were allowed in there on our own, but if you're put on high observation then they can go in to the bathroom with you.
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me?? We were allowed visting 6-9 weekdays and free visiting up til 9 at weekends. This was mainly because it fitted in with the staff changeovers. And yes, my friends were allowed to come visit me!
before i start im strapped for time so havent read all the replies so sorry if anything is repeated. also i was in a private adolescent hospital for a good number of months. though the answer largely depends on what hospital you go to.
1. private room, small even though mine was the biggest!
2. we had to eat in the dining room which was in the mannor house. basically it was very much like a school canteen on a smaller scale. no the annorexics never looked happy but they dont try to make themselves sick at the table!we also had a small kitchen on the ward which wasnt locked as it was an open ward. it had breakfast stuff and fruit in it. except i basically lived off toast- it was open all the time and you could help yourself.
3. this largely depends on what your problems are; usually its a mix of groups, individual, relaxation, art , whatever they want to waste your life with make you go to! i also had dbt from an outside agency when i was an ip.(cos im special!)
4. Clothes, books, stuff to ocupy your time. MUSIC! i like letters so i took writing stuff. also pictures and stuff to put in your room. check the washing arrangements, we had to have our own powder etc. i developed a strange addcition to puzzles and knitting, so yes even the best places get very boring! i would say no to blades, we got searched every time we came back off of leave. of course there are ways to get stuff in but be warned that they are a lot better at finding thigs than most people!
5. depends on your level of observation hun. only the most at risk dont get privacy- iv had a lot of conversations because i was on close observations with privacy- they either have to see you or if your in the bathroom hear you! yep talked for 30 mins when i had a bath! even the doors that lock on the inside can be unlocked by keys from the outside, you get used to it but its weird.
6. people were always allowed to visit me (not that anyone ever did apart from 1 person but hey) sometimes they have to be supervised but not usually. ours had to be outside the program time unless your me and smile sweetly lol.
it was daunting but not as scary as i thought it would be, you just have to be yourself and be open to doing things you wouldnt normally do. after a while i got unescorted leave which was great so its worth playing there stupid games - like got to all of the program and dont sh and well give you longer leave. i met some of the best people ever in there and it was an experience that changed my life. and sometimes, just sometimes, wed turn up the tele, dance, and laugh like we hadnt a care in the world. once we went around and stuck postits all over the cctv with messages on them , me? mastermind it? never!
one of the staff members would buy us take out and wed stay up all night talking.
therell be people you dont get on with, but you learn to live with it. ours was an 11 bed ward and there was never more than 8 people in it.
and they took us to thorpe park! yes we were near enough tied to a member of staff but hey!
we got lots of outings to town, cinema, park, leisure centre etc.
although it all depends on where you go. please feel free to pm me if you want to ask anything.
take care x
forgot to say.... for a private hospital that cost the nhs over £560 a NIGHT the food was beyond awful hence why i lived off of toast.
Last edited by chinahorse : 21-09-2008 at 09:12 PM.
Reason: forgot summat
well ive beenin four different hospitals and they were all different if you want you can PM me though but im not gonna go through four different places.
I was in a medical psych ward for treatment of an OD, so this might be different.
1. What are the sleeping arrangements like?? mixed sex dormitories? single sex dormitories? maybe a room to myself?
It was a mixed dorm, but because I was the youngest, I got my own private room next to the nurse station.
2. What are eating arrangements like?? will i have to attend sit down meals? what is the food like? are there really people trying to make themselves sick at the dinner table like i have read in books?
I got my food brought to my room, however I was stopped when I went to the bathroom after it (to make myself sick) as they knew I'm bulimic.
3. What therapy will i receive? will i still get one on one counselling or will it all be group therapy? will i be expected to attend sessions like art therapy?
Since, it was only a medical ward, I got seen by a psych when I arrived & when I left.
4. What would you advice i take with me? Am i allowed to take my blades? is there anything that im not allowed to take?
No blades. Loads of books & I took my Ipod.
5. Will i be allowed to lock the toilet door? will a nurse really have to watch me whilst i poo?
There wasn't locks on the toilet doors where I was at. There was only like a sign on the door saying 'engaged or vacant' & no one watched me go to the toilet,, but as I said before they do stop you if they think your going to hurt yourself.
6. What about visitors? will my friends be allowed to come and see me??
I had visitors whenever they turned up lol, but there probably was a certain time, they were very laid back about it though.
i also had dbt from an outside agency when i was an ip.(cos im special!)
even the doors that lock on the inside can be unlocked by keys from the outside, you get used to it but its weird. 
