Mental hospitals

Post Reply New Topic

I've been in a psych ward twice...and both times where rather different from each other. The first was just a small locked area of a larger regular hospital, and so I was stuck inside with no fresh air for 5 days which really sucked, the food was terrible, there was loud air conditioning/heater fans or whatever constantly going and the staff was ok but they kept trying to give me anti-histamines for sleep and anxiety when I told them I can't stand them....they also prescribed me wellbutrin and trazodone, I still take trazodone for sleep and the wellbutrin did not work out well for me at all but was out of the psych ward by the time I found that out.

Then the second time was a better facility in my opinion, it was part of a regular hospital but it was its own building sort of away from the main building and much nicer, very good food a patio we sometimes would have group meeting things on and supervised walks so a little fresh air. The staff and doctors seemed to do a better job of actually listening to what i had to say and where pretty helpful...there was a bit of annoying drama, but that can happen whenever you have people stuck together.

But yeah both times I went due to feeling suicidal, and thinking I would act on it if left to my own devices. I am glad I did not have one of those terrible experiences people have described, but I do worry about that happening since due to my messed up brain I am thinking its very likely that was not the last time I will be in a psych ward....though I'd try and get in the one I was at last time since I know its a good facility.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjfcggmk9MU[/youtube]

I've been pinned down to the ground and had meds injected into me, yes I may have needed the meds, but the way they went about it made it worse for me.

I've been in secure units before as well - I didn't shower for two weeks many times over in secure units because I was told a nurse would have to literally watch (aka stare at) me for the whole time.

I went for four days without food or water because of my severe paranoia at the time and the nurses didn't do anything, until the fourth day when three nurses approached me and said "eat and drink or else we will force feed you".

I had my phone confiscated many times even though I rely strongly on it for communication.

I was refused any format of leave after having a meltdown due to sensory overload, the nurses said "we will not put up with your childish behaviour".

I was sexually harassed by a 60 year old patient while I was on an adult ward, when. I was 19. Nurses thought I was "delusional" when I told them.

The patient alarms led to many of my meltdowns.

I was handcuffed for 13 hours before I was put in the secure unit on one occasion.

Patients were awful: they would scream, pee on the floor, strip naked, fiddle with themselves etc in front of me.

Surprised why I have had to be sectioned with police presence in order to be "treated" in hospital?