It depends on the ward. Even different wards in the same hospital can vary like night and day. I've had one good experience during the years, in a bipolar ward, which I wasn't supposed to go to, anywhere else was full. The staff was incredibly friendly (excluding the bitch who thought she could fool me into believing the desinfectant wipes had "a little anesthesia" when I had been promised local anesthesia before a mandatory blood test but didn't get it) and really took part in the daily lives of the patient. If you wanted something, they really went out of their way to try to accomodate. People were even allowed to meet their loved ones, despite the pandemic. Wasn't forced medication, in fact they even accepted the first time I said no and never asked again. Instead I got to write down a list of my favorite staff members and got scheduled talks with them. That was the whole treatment plan. We got to bake and the schedule had a dessert buffet (the buffet part probably wasn't planned, we just baked a lot lol) once per week.
The rest of the times has sadly been a polar opposite of this experience. Common rooms that used to have couches that were later removed because "they shouldn't be too comfortable". Staff that at best looks straight through you, as if you're part of the decor. At worst I've been followed around by a male staff member in his 60's who's been bombarding me with comments about how attractive I am. Been holding therapy sessions for the same staff member (and others) when they've unloaded their grief and anxiety on me. Psychiatrists breaking the law, yelling, insulting and threathening you is more common than not, had to threathen more than one with police reports during the years. A friend of mine has been assaulted by staff members, much so that it left a black handprint across her face. An ex girlfriend of mine was sexually assaulted by a doctor, filed a police report and he was still allowed to work there. When I confronted them they started yelling at me. I've seen people (including a teenage girl) being forced to extreme things. One got Cisordynol injections every night, despite being calm as a cucumber. She broke down and cried in sheer panic every time they came with the shot and no one did anything to calm her. One was forced ECT-sessions every third day and her brain (which I was told was actually very sharp before, she had multiple university degrees) was completely fried. She talked like a child and played with shoes and everything they did was laughing at and infantilizing her. "You're so cuuuuute! Thihihi!" Patients killing themselves (usually hanging, one girl lit herself on fire) and staff members reacting to getting critisized with "what's the fuss about? If patients in other wards die, no one bats an eye but if they do it here everyone makes a damn ruckus!" I've also noticed VSED is extremely easy there. They just don't care unless anorexia is considered your "main diagnosis".
I have PTSD from my first stay, where I was coerced into taking an antipsychotic that I didn't need and got extremely sick from it. Loss of hearing, vomiting, fever, extremely low blood pressure, couldn't stand up for three days. I was terrified and begged for a doctor, to which they lied and said that there were no doctors in the hospital on the weekends. Was laid on my bed and left alone for three days. On Monday they told me to take the drug again, which I refused because "didn't you see what happened last time?" And because of that I was discharged due to being "uncooperative". A friend of mine - who is a cardiology nurse - had a similar experience. She had an abscess while she was there and the infection spread and she ran a fever. She told them she needed to go to the ER and they thought she was "fAkInG fOr AtTeNtIon" and refused to let her out. She had to call an ambulance, while she was in a hospital and when they finally came she was rushed to emergency surgery. The ICU-nurses purposely messed with the oxygen meter so that it looked like she wasn't getting enough saturation and thus got to stay longer and din't have to go back to the ward because they saw how distressed she was.
