Have you ever stayed in a psychiatric hospital?

Post Reply New Topic

I worked on the psychiatric floor once for two weeks.

It made me rethink my (then) choice of career as a doctor.

No I haven't, though there were a couple of episodes where I probably should have been. When I was in college I had a dream I'd spent 6 months in one during my senior year of high school. The dream was so vivid that I spent a whole day thinking I had indeed been there for all that time. I had clear memories of it and everything. It was an unpleasant feeling that made me feel sort of sick and scared inside. When I snapped out of it the realization that it had been a dream mistaken for reality was really daunting.

I've only been in one once, but it was at first in the adult unit then moved to the adolescent unit. It was like the quote above.

The adolescent unit was cheery. All in all, it wasn't that bad there. I even made a few good acquaintances. Some activities.

The adult unit, I felt horrible. The setting was morose. Nothing to do. Boring. Tried to sleep all day but couldn't when they have to check you every 15 minutes.

All in all, you are basically trapped. Also, the food's not bad. Except for when the meat is unidentifiable.

Once for about three weeks. Well, let's say it wasn't my proudest moment. I was literally having a meltdown at school and expressing suicidal and even "homicidal"[in quotes because I was just saying them because I was having a moment] thoughts.
They sent me to the ward and the psychiatrist wanted to label me bipolar. My parents outright refused.

It wasn't very comfortable:

-cold was one

-they tried to get me to take pills

-awful food

-uncomfortable beds

And I hated all the activities. I kind of wanted to be alone. But there was nowhere to be alone.

I was a voluntary patient in a psychiatric hospital for about six weeks in 1972.

At one point in my life I was admitted into a psychiatric/behavioral hospital for being suicidal. I wasn't supposed to like it, but I did. It's probably because, though it was extremely invasive, it was still better than my life at home.

I've been hospitalized 4 times. One time in a military hospital, and 3 times in civilian hospitals. All were voluntary I think. All but one place was very nice, and with that one they wouldn't let me sleep in my room unless it was 'lights out,' and most of my 'therapy' was being forced to go to AA/DA meetings, even though I was there for threatening suicide and not drugs or alcohol. Plus it was very, very boring.

I've been admitted twice as a teen for suicidal thoughts. I did a lot of talk therapy with a nurse at one of them, which was nice and was the highlight of my days there. At the time, I was having major adjustment and identity issues and just needed to vent. The psychs there thought that I didn't have Asperger's though, in fact, they didn't think that I had anything and just had problems with anxiety and adjustment. I also took home my workbook from a CBT class, self taught myself the techniques and was nevr admitted again. So overall, my stays benefitted me greatly.

I have been twice. I do not remember either that well.

1st time (thirteen years old): Instead of putting me in the adolescent unit, they put me in the children's unit because I was very little. I was paranoid the world was ending. Awful anxity attacks, and I heard whispers. I was discharged four days later when I became better. It was not that bad and actually helped.

2nd time (seventeen years old): This one was utterly bad, and I try not to remember. I felt the most humiliated out of my whole life. I told them over and over that I was transgender but instead they wanted to diagnosis me with schizo because "I thought I was a boy rather than a girl". They put me on horrible, powerful, intense medications that caused me extreme pain, seizures, muscle spasms, vomiting, hallucinations, etc. I tried to sign my name as a different person so I would not have to take medication but they only interpreted it even more that I was schizo even though I was only trying to use an obvious loophole.

I will never allow myself to go back into a psychiatric ward again. The last time convinced me that all they want to do is put you on new medication so they get money, drain your brain, and keep you in the system forever.

I stayed in a psych hospital for a week about 3/4months before being diagnosed with Asperger's.
It was horrible. I was obsessed with mental illnesses (my special interest at the time) and I convinced myself I had bipolar so I was essentially seeing psychiatrists to get a diagnoses of this. I did become suicidal and was self harming a lot and they put it down to borderline personality disorder.
I was actually suspected of having 5 different personality disorders because no-one knew what was wrong with me.
Anyway, I went into the hospital and all I wanted to do was to be alone... if I wasn't allowed to be alone, I self harmed... and to them, tht further made them believe I had BPD.
I was in their as a voluntary patient and I discharged myself after a week because I couldn't take it anymore.. I was having meltdwns pretty much daily.
I was kicked out.. no money to get home... no parents to pick me up.. nothing.. just kicked out onto th street to make my own way home.. somehow.
I was so overwhelmed that I had a major meltdown.. head banging.. I had massive bruising on myhead. I could barely walk I was so overwhelmed.

couple of mnths later, I was diagnosed with AS... I was so happy to have this diagnoses because everything now makes sense in my life.
Psych hospitals are NOT nice places for people with AS...

I've been to a secure unit three times on a mental health act section as well. But surprisingly I actually preferred it there to the normal adult ward. The staff were so much nicer on the secure unit, and there were less groups so more time to seclude myself in my room. Only bad thing was that I was on constant observation so I didn't bath or change my clothes for two weeks

yes i have. and no i will never again stay in one, involuntary or voluntary.

I've been kept in the psychiatric ward for a few weekends, always for different reasons. First it was depression, then I was on suicide watch, lastly I was in for schizophrenia.

All I wanted to do was sleep, but I kept getting woken up by the nurses so they could medicate me more. And if it weren't for that, they would get the other inmates together for 'games' and force me to join. Not really fun stuff.

Once though, a nurse actually let me out of the ward one day. We went for a walk and got coffee. It was nice to see that someone saw me as a little more than just a mental patient.