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sitring_lonely

sitring_lonely

Abstract idea
Mar 7, 2023
8
So i have tried and failed to ctb, my mom doesn't want me to go to a mental hospital because she's scared of them and don't want to cause me harm
How are they really? Maybe it'll be the rest i so desperately need or maybe it's a worse hell than what i am living in
To those who went or know, please enlighten me
 
Sulyya

Sulyya

Synergist
Mar 6, 2023
423
They definitely must all be different. I was only in one once (more of a psych ward but I wasn't allowed to leave), many years ago and it was fine.

I would use the word 'restful' that you suggested. In this case though it was known upfront that it would be a month or two max then they needed me to leave just for space and incoming people. There are doubtless complete opposite cases where you can't leave until they say, even if you plead and they're awful. Just to make sure my nice experience doesn't carry all the weight.
 
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MoonlitNight

MoonlitNight

bad at putting emotions into words
Feb 14, 2023
112
So i have tried and failed to ctb, my mom doesn't want me to go to a mental hospital because she's scared of them and don't want to cause me harm
How are they really? Maybe it'll be the rest i so desperately need or maybe it's a worse hell than what i am living in
To those who went or know, please enlighten me
I cannot speak with experience. But judging from what I've read, there seems to be no definite way to say. I suggest you get into one and see if your loved ones will be allowed to visit. Then maybe you can relay your experience to them to see if your stay will be for better or worse? I haven't been to one myself so sorry if this wasn't helpful. I hope you find harmony with yourself.
 
Calicocat

Calicocat

Member
Feb 12, 2023
8
I've been to a few public ones in my country (the hospitals are general and have the psychatric internation part) and they're publicly known for not being so effective, overall.

But, to my surprise, seeing it in there they weren't nearly as bad as i thought they would be.

Of course there are the emergency quarters where there is a bunch of people with different pathologies being in the same room, a few of them tied up and such, and that wasn't so pleasant, but the peaceful internation, non-emergency part (where people who are stable stay at) seemed to be actually good. Seemed like any other hospital with patients in for being treated and actually nice staff, but they also could walk on the ward and do stuff, they also had access to internet, with computers for people who didn't have their phone on them. (no privacy at all though).
But that was my experience not as a patient. And the way they do stuff here might be extremely different from what is seen in your country.

I haven't got to the point of being held in, since no one ever got to know of my attempts, or mostly of what i go through at all. And hopefully no one ever will, not while i'm alive. So i have no experience as an actual patient.
 
CentreMid

CentreMid

Sorry
Aug 23, 2018
478
Havent been in one myself but a former freind went several years ago in2016 or so, was not a good time, it made her problems worse. each Hospital is different though, the one in your area may actually be helpful. Best ofluck
 
sorrowed_ender

sorrowed_ender

You should never trust the Pantaloon
Mar 3, 2023
40
Some experiences are bad, some are good, but my exleriences were fairly fucking boring tbh lol. Ive only ever been to hospitals for children, and the one time I went to one for adults was when I just turned 18. That last one made me really hate going, I wanted to leave, thought I had the right to leave because I was an adult, and was refused to do so. I was also still in highschool, senior year. Counselor wanted me admitted for misinterpreting an email from an incident a few days before and my parents were even upset. Whole family believe I disnt need the psych ward at that time. I was at no risk what so ever to harm myself or others and it was fucking boring. I just slept all the time and my only entertainment was listening to conservatice radio talk shows from the handheld radios they gave us.
 
WeighAnchor

WeighAnchor

Member
Mar 1, 2023
41
I've only been to one, the same one several times. It's a well-regarded one in my country.

They have their own daily structure and they encourage you to follow it. Some things they were more lenient with than others. They were more insistent when it came to meals, meds and going to sleep/waking up. Breakfast was at 8:00, lunch at 12:00, dinner at 16:00, evening meal (some fruit, a sandwich, cereal or the like) at 19:00. They'd usually give the evening medication during or soon after the evening meal. By 22:00, they got everyone to go to bed. They'd usually come to wake you up at 7:00, but they'd let you stay in bed if you were still too tired, but try again right before 8:00 for breakfast. The first day of my first visit, which was after my first ctb attempt, I got there at 5am and they let me sleep undisturbed. If I recall correctly, they let me have my own room for the first week or so, then had me share rooms due to lack of space.

You were allowed to go out for walks if you let them know. Depending on how much they trusted you to be on your own, the walks could be anything from 20 minutes to a couple hours. They'd mark when you should be back by on a whiteboard, and if you were very overdue, they'd call the police. They also organized group walks with other patients and some of the staff twice a day, at 10:00 and 14:00. You were not forced to participate in them, but they would ask you to come everytime. There were group therapy sessions every day as well. They'd usually be very insistent that you try it, and if you felt it's not for you after trying it, they'd leave you alone about it. Every now and then they'd come ask if I wanted to join again, once a few days had passed, but they'd be quick to accept it if I said no.

In this place, you were allowed to have your cell phone, a laptop, a tablet device and anything else that you couldn't feasibly use to harm yourself. I was allowed to bring in drawing pencils, which I found kinda surprising. The chargers had to be kept in a locked room accessible only to staff, since they argued that they could be used to strangle yourself with. You were allowed to bring it into the ward if you had a special cable though, like one of those extensible ones. The entertainment options they offered were two sets of TVs in different rooms, board games, puzzles and some creative equipment like paint and brushes.

They did not offer me much in terms of counselling or therapy, even in the ~4 weeks I spent there after my ctb attempt. The staff would come ask you if there was anything specific I needed to bring up with the doctors/psychiatrists. The regular staff on the ward would come check on you every now and then, and also made sure to let you know that you could come talk to them anytime you feel like it. Most of them were good to talk to, but it was essentially just venting for the sake of venting.

They had clothes to lend on the ward if you didn't have much to change into or if you were cold or whatever. There were also washing machines where you'd wash your own clothes. They'd clean towels, bed sheets and pillowcases.

Overall it was okay being there so long as you did what they said. It didn't really help much for my mental state or anything, and nothing really changed once I left. The only thing it was good for in my view was that you didn't have to worry about handling your daily life, it was all handled for you. All you had to do was follow their schedule. They'd let me deviate sometimes too, I think mostly because I did what they asked generally. The boredom was the biggest issue, once you've been mostly stuck in the ward with only brief periods outside each day with very little to do, it starts to grow stale. The patients who were more defiant had a worse time of it too, their outdoor time was more restricted, they'd all been stuck in the mental for longer (some of them several months), some were force-fed or forced to take their medications. In some cases it was necessary, others it was more questionable.
 
Viranamari

Viranamari

A Future Corpse
Feb 22, 2023
282
It depends on what hospital and where you live. In my country, the hospitals are really strict. If they want you to eat medications, you will. They even go to the point of tying you up sometimes. You have to wake up at 7 am everyday and sleep at 9 pm. The food is predictably horrible. There might be some people with severe cases. Like in the middle if the night, people scream. Or there might be people with schizophrenia where they talk to their hallucinations which us pretty distracting but no offence tothem, rgeycant control it. And frankly, hospitals especially mental hospital are oretty depressing because you'll just gave a TV with some boring shows on it. There are different activities and therapy programs but they cost money. And of course, at the same time, you would be undergoing treatment. However if it came to the point of CTB or harming others, you would be placed in a 24/7 surveillance room.
But thats just my country so I'm not too sure of yours. And the experience you have depends on your desire to CTB. I hope this helps.
 
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J

jamie_

Specialist
May 21, 2022
330
It isn't going to make you any better because their sole function is just firefighting, but if it is just that you need to get the rest you want it might not be that bad a place to get it, at least if i'm purely going off my experience. People who work there think – at the very least subconsciously – that their patients are stupid, so if you sound remotely coherent/articulate when you speak to them they'll naturally back off and leave you in peace (minus the however regular glances through the window throughout the day). I was pretty much able to just stay in my room and not engage with anyone else. But as others have said, it varies place to place. My nearest hospital is in a very deprived area where most patients are just nuisances to the public rather than depressed/suicidal and get thrown in there because society can't be bothered dealing with them – so perhaps that was the reason I got less attention.
 
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MentalStefan

MentalStefan

Loser
Jul 3, 2022
265
In my motherland - terrible. The most terrible place in the World. If I had to come back to a mental hospital I would kill myself instantly in any way.
 
L

LittleJem

Visionary
Jul 3, 2019
2,401
In the UK…they check on you every so often, you get fed, you meet the other patients. You might get a few activities which distract you. They can decide on your meds. It is some company from people who understand and a little bit of extra support. I wouldn't be scared of it.
 
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voidweller

voidweller

she/they/it
Feb 10, 2023
199
depends. some hospitals are a miserable hell, others are decently tolerable (if you follow everything the staff say and stay calm). all hospitals will completely deny your agency and strip you of any autonomy. you will have no privacy, even in your private room bc staff will barge in every few minutes to check on you. the hospital controls your daily routine, tells you what to do and where to go, and heavily restricts what youre allowed or able to do. most hospitals will take away your phone and they do not have internet or computers, so you'll be extremely bored unless you bring books or something. thats best case scenario. worst case, theres a non-zero chance that staff (or other patients) could be outright abusive.

that said, if you need a break from the stressors of every day life, a hospital stay can be a nice reprieve. they provide all your meals and everything. so if you're looking for a break and have no other alternative, its not the worst option
 
Ruma

Ruma

Experienced
Dec 26, 2021
242
I quite enjoyed my stay,the other patients were great. The food and activities were okay and I got put on new medication which actually worked. It was nice to be taken away from reality( the outside world) for a short amount of time. So yeah,my overall experience was good. ( this was UK btw).
 
pharma

pharma

Member
Mar 4, 2023
52
I've been to a pediatric one. Once. I've learned to keep my mouth shut since and my parents aren't interested in getting me help.
I liked it... The care was okay. The food was mid and they logged how much we ate, which always made me nervous. The food was bad and I would only eat the stuff my mum brought during visitation. We had group therapy, individual therapy, etc... It was OK. I don't think it helped me much.
What I likes the most and had the biggest impact was socialising time. I spoke to people who understood, and who I knew understood me, and it taught me to be authentic. Activities together was fun. I was struggling with severe anxiety at the time but found it so easy to talk to the other patients.

But at the end of the day I was there against my will, so it sorta felt like jail, especially during "quiet time" or when someone was getting "punished'. It varies by hospital, and I was luck to go to a good hospital. IMHO if you feel like you might actually hurt yourself or others and want to prevent it, then go. On the long term, it's what you make of it.
 
JustSomeoneOnline

JustSomeoneOnline

Barely floating along
Mar 9, 2023
65
I've been to a similar place although it was more like a psych ward and I hated it, but to give you an honest review this is what you should expect. To be fair with you, if you need time and a place to just rest its basically perfect. It'll most likely have a couple rooms with 1 or 2 bathrooms. In your room you have a tiny bed/mattress with a security camera to monitor you 24/7. Thats it. They'll have to check your vitals everyday and record what you do. A psychiatrist will probably see you once per day for about 30-60min to check up on you and make plans about discharge. The nurses are usually pretty nice, but when you use the bathroom don't stay in there for too long or else they will have to unlock the door and check on you.

Before they trust you, all you can do is spend your days lying in bed waiting for mealtime, but it gets a lot better. You might have access to pencils and paper and you might even get an mp3 player if your lucky.
I cant say that this will be your experience because it depends on which hospital you go to, but I can say for sure do NOT try to CTB there. You instantly lose all your privileges and the nurses start being extremely wary around you. If you want to SH do it secretly and if you have a tool try to keep it hidden on you like in your bra or something. They might do room searches and theres not a lot of places you can hide it.
 
7@vuse99

7@vuse99

Too tired to care.
Mar 9, 2023
20
Went to a really great one. The staff were kind-hearted and understanding. I found my psychiatrist there and was able to start medication in a safe environment. It was a much-needed break from everything going on at the time. Obviously this won't be everyone's experience. I recommend looking up any place that you are interested in and seeing what previous patients had to say. Be prepared for things like room searches. In the moment it was terrible when things like that happened but looking back I am grateful for it. It was definitely needed seeing as I was struggling with SH and was not in my right mind. The searches are for patients safety and idk what damage I would have done if they hadn't found my stuff. As invasive as I understand it feels, remember that it's done for your wellbeing and that of those around you. Wishing you all the best.
 
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theboy

theboy

Visionary
Jul 15, 2022
2,593
I was in a clinic (not a hospital).
This clinic was for teenagers. The schedule is strict. You wake up at 9 am and sleep at 9 pm. During the day they do group therapy, you play and talk with the patients, you learn educational things. I'm not going to lie to you, they give you a lot of medication and when you have a crisis, they put needles in you.

I was there for 4 months and it really helped to be there once I accepted that I needed help. Unfortunately, after 1 or 2 years, I started again with suicidal ideations.

However, for me it was a special experience.
I recommend you to get information and opinions from other patients who attended the clinic or hospital you are looking for.
 
N

noaccount

Enlightened
Oct 26, 2019
1,099
Your mother is being smart about this and has a better sense of ethics than most.


Tragically, even here there are people like "hiddenbpd" who prey on people with mental disabilities and wish these kinds of abuse on them.
 
LocalMistake

LocalMistake

update: found the 'change username' option lmao
Nov 26, 2020
44
young adult (18yo to 25yo) acute mental health units are alright and a lot better than regular ol' adult wards imo. apparently private stays are where it's at tho...
 
R

Recklesslyabandoned

Member
Mar 11, 2023
5
I was in for about a month and it was a mixed bag for me. I wasn't sectioned so I was allowed to come and go as I pleased as long as I was back within a certain time.

The first week or so was calming and then a new admission on the unit was constantly disturbing the peace. Obviously as it was a psych ward you kind of expect that but not all day every day - constantly picking fights with another resident who very clearly had a learning disability. The food was awful but the staff were, for the most part, really nice. No cables were allowed in rooms but I basically spent the entire time reading.

The care was ok, I only saw a psychologist once when I was in and the psychiatrist saw everybody weekly or twice weekly. The occupational therapists had a lot of activities like art therapy, walking and there were chickens to look after which was pretty cool.

Overall I think the worth of those places comes from what you want to take from it and what you learn about yourself.
 
N

noname223

Angelic
Aug 18, 2020
4,263
I could write a very long response. My overall experierence was good and I profited a lot of it. Though there also were negative experiences without a doubt. I try to sum it up.

I was at 4 different clinics and I stayed 7 times there. I can say the day clinics for mentally ill were the best. The psych ward for people with acute suicidal and acute psychotic people was not that nice. Then I was in a clinic for people with psychosis. There were a lot of severe cases but the most of the staff genuinely cared for me.

My personal conclusion is: I would try to cooperate with them. Usually you get a better treatment then.
The times when I went there voluntarily were way better than being forced to one. If you go voluntarily you can also choose the one you like. (at least in my country)

I think the different clinics were very heterogeneous. It helped me in acute crises or when I could not manage my daily life. It structured my day and stabilized me.

There are also clinics for people with depression. Either day time hospitals or when you clinics where you sleep there. It is probably better than the atmosphere in the clinic for people with psychosis. There were many insane people some were really scary. But I would recommend to visit one if you consider it. It helped me.
 
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Octavia

Octavia

“I’d… rather kill myself.”
Mar 4, 2023
363
Nice food, kind (but overworked and maybe too vigilant) staff, and a lot of people who lost some of their marbles. During my stay there was some lady who was always singing French opera at 2am and a Jewish old man who was so racist that I think he would have been a Nazi if he was not, well, Jewish.

Not exactly a pleasant place, knowing that you are confined somewhere without being able to do anything feels quite bad.
 
fsm-sv

fsm-sv

A lost one
Mar 11, 2023
11
So i have tried and failed to ctb, my mom doesn't want me to go to a mental hospital because she's scared of them and don't want to cause me harm
How are they really? Maybe it'll be the rest i so desperately need or maybe it's a worse hell than what i am living in
To those who went or know, please enlighten me
I was in a mental hospital for around a month around half a year ago. I remember the stay (apart from the last few days) as something rather annoying to deal with (my stay was not voluntary), but the people I've met there were really nice and fun to hang around with. I have a pretty bad case of social anxiety, but I was still able to be comfortable there. That's the "patients" part.
The staff was, uh, okay I guess. Most nurses weren't really too interested (though I guess I can kind of understand, as nurses are incredibly overworked, underpaid and understaffed in my country), and some psychiatrists were better than others.
The most important thing was that you can basically switch medications "on the fly" if something isn't helping, especially sleeping meds. I've switched the doses & meds a lot of times during my stay due to insomnia.

Forgot to state the obvious, but there's obviously a lot of restrictions on what you can do and what you can't do. For example - we weren't allowed to have phones, though we could call people we knew at certain times of the day.
 
lili

lili

Specialist
Feb 17, 2022
319
I was in a mental hospital for the sixth time back in February and I very much dislike going every time I head back. I think it really depends what country you are from. In the one that I live, I think it's mostly effective for regulating your medications but other than that it's not a really comfortable experience, mostly because it is quite literally a hospital. I also feel it is claustrophobic because you have to have roommates and sometimes it can be more distressful to have a Roomate that their problems don't align with yours. And then where Im from they take away everything laptops phone etc so it can just be boring in general.

Then sometimes Ive witnessed some patients in distress that can maybe be managed by therapy, but Ive seen physical force used in a mental hospital and that has scarred me. I saw someone get tackled once on the floor by the nurses and they were just pacing around the hallway I don't understand why. It was to give them what they call the booty juice which is some form of tranquilizer in the butt. Ive only gotten that myself in the emergency room but never in the mental hospital.

However, Ive had other experiences were Ive just played a bunch of board games with people and we hang out till late at night. Not saying it's fun but sometimes there are people that are friendly and suffering in a similar way and you can find some form of connection that you can't find in a lot of places. But my last experience was super impersonal no one wanted to speak to each other and it made it more isolating.

However, if you happen to be from the country I am living in and you have a lot of money Ive heard people go to hospitals that are like retreats that are more comfortable. Im not sure the details but I met a person that stayed for a month in one of those. In the country that Im from there's only closed units and usually short term. My last hospitalization I was still very suicidal when I was getting discharged and the doctors told me they thought the hospital couldn't help me with my suicidal thoughts anymore.

I would say landing in the emergency room after a failed attempt is way worse. The way I have been treated over trying to commit suicide and supposedly "wasting beds" according to one paramedic, has just been awful and inhumane.
 
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girlsboysthems

girlsboysthems

no i dont have a gun
Dec 19, 2022
357
Was in a psych ward approx. a year ago, and the acute (its called closed section here) was hell, you had no privacy and you couldn't go anywhere, the section where stable people were (open section) was nice, you had little trips you could go on, you could go to the parks, etc. But there are different hospitals that treat people differently. I was just a lucky bastard. Afterwards I did like an outpatient thingy where I had to go see my psychiatrist everyday (annoying at best).
 
LastingSolace

LastingSolace

smallest violin
Mar 8, 2023
7
I've been hospitalized twice and I won't go too much into my experiences but it was very lonely and hopeless and felt like the end of it all.
maybe it's just the country I'm from, i hope staff all over the world isn't this way honestly... but they treated the patients so inhumanely and were the worst part of it all. even just existing there made me feel terribly unwelcome. their way of going about things felt more like prison. you were just expected to take whatever meds they chose for you and wander around - no talks or therapeutic conversations, no fun activities, your phone would be taken away for most of the day and you had to wake up really early. there was nothing there that encouraged positive progress. after that i find it incredibly hard to trust public mental health institutions and the people who work in them. (Edit: i won't talk about the inhumane treatment because it's infuriating to even think about at the moment)

I wouldn't suggest hospitalization if you are looking for genuine help, instead therapy would be a decent option. It's always good to talk to someone who at least appears like they want to listen.
 
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idlelectra

idlelectra

Member
Mar 17, 2023
35
extremely boring above everything.

for me there wasn't much help inside but instead helped keep me safe until i could go home and get more help in the community.
 
W

whywere

Visionary
Jun 26, 2020
2,492
Completely depends on: 1) country 2) State or territory 3) who one goes to for mental health 4) the hospital and the biggest part 5) the doctors and nurses in the hospital.

I have been in 2 different hospitals, and they were night and day different. 1st one was cold, doctors and nurses were YIKES! and the food was horrible!! The 2nd one that I was in was really good. Very caring nurses and the food was unbelievable, YUM!

So, it is a roll of the dice, hate to say it.

BUT, BUT the overriding factor is getting help and being in a atmosphere that is quiet and relaxing. The 2nd one for me was awesome! the 1st, up. No!

I send you lots of love and caring. I am 67 and I really want the best for everyone no matter what. We are ALL in this as one, together. Hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder.

Lots of beautiful sunny blue skies and fragrant flowers to you!

Walter
 
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Live or Let Die

Live or Let Die

𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀, 𝗟𝗼𝗟𝗗
Mar 15, 2023
89
So i have tried and failed to ctb, my mom doesn't want me to go to a mental hospital because she's scared of them and don't want to cause me harm
How are they really? Maybe it'll be the rest i so desperately need or maybe it's a worse hell than what i am living in
To those who went or know, please enlighten me
most times, it's not that bad. To be safe I hammered down the point that I'm not gonna try it again and they just kept me in a room for a few days, family visited me and brought me food cos the food there was awful but other than that. Completely reasonable. They don't want you to die, so they take a lot of the things out of the room that you can use to CTB.
 
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