People who have been involuntary committed:

[Jessica5]

Did the commitment actually make you even more suicidal than you previously were?

 

[DyingAlf]

I have not actually been involuntary committed but only because I have offered to go voluntarily when they have threatened to commit me. However, it's the same wards that I have been placed on & yes they definitely made me more suicidal (if there's such a thing as being more suicidal than actively attempting to ctb).

edit: I should say that other people have had much more positive experiences than me in different hospitals/different wards/different countries. Or they've been in there for different reasons & received help that has actually helped them.

 

[ladolcemorte]

I have been involuntarily committed several times, and each time has been different. Two experiences were terrible, and did in fact make me feel more suicidal. A few experiences made me feel better, at least in the short term. Two experiences actually really helped and had somewhat long term results that might have lasted even longer had my circumstances been different.

I think it largely depends on who your doctor is, and who your nurses are. I have had a few awful doctors, a few good ones, and one truly exceptional one. I have had some really compassionate, wonderful nurses, some snarky nurses with no patience, and some annoying nurses who insisted on spewing platitudes all day. Had one truly incompetent nurse who honestly seemed stoned all the time and gave me the wrong medication.

 

[dysfunctional]

I have only been voluntarily committed. Basically, the therapy and meds didn't help much. The main benefit was just being somewhere highly safe and structured. Being on my own I couldn't figure out what to do during the day and was all alone drinking. It was better to at least be around people and on a set schedule in the hospital.

Alot of people benefit from their stay. But alot of people don't. It can be hard to actually get better in such a controlled environment, then getting thrust back into the regular world.

 

[Squiddy]

I've been voluntarily committed 14 times and only involuntarily committed once. The time I was involuntarily committed, I actually got a little better, but got worse again recently (since the beginning of this year)

 

[Hopeindeath!]

I have been involuntarily committed twice and each time I felt more suicidal.

 

[feast or famine]

Did the commitment actually make you even more suicidal than you previously were?

A bit, but only while I was in there, mostly because being in there was like a prison and I had no idea when I'd be out. I've been in the ward 3 times. First stay was a 72 hour hold. The second time I was only there for a day. This last time was 3 weeks which was just recently. I was also on a 1:1 for the first week and a half which made things worse.

You really don't have any freedom. They make you take medications you don't want to take. They see you as a number and want to get you out of there as quickly as possible. I had to play along and comply with the rules if I wanted to get out.

Some people find being in the ward helpful. There are activities and a lot of group therapy which is optional. I just didn't benefit from being in there at all. I'll do whatever I can to keep myself from ending up there again. I couldn't deal with it. I don't like feeling confined and like I have no say in what's best for me. Since I've been out, things have been a lot better for me.

 

[Racon]

How does involuntary commitment work exactly? I've had a psychiatrist allude during one appointment that the things I was saying almost met the legal requirements. Would they have just politely asked me to comply or do they bring in the police or what?

 

[feast or famine]

How does involuntary commitment work exactly? I've had a psychiatrist allude during one appointment that the things I was saying almost met the legal requirements. Would they have just politely asked me to comply or do they bring in the police or what?

The legal requirement in order to be committed where I'm from is if you're a danger to yourself and/others and acting on those thoughts. Just being suicidial or wishing someone harm isn't going to get you involuntarily committed.

Complying is the easier option because technically it is voluntary then, although it's understood that if you say no, you'll be committed anyways at which point it is involuntary requiring a 72 hour hold. If it's voluntary, you have the option to leave if you want, depending on the situation and if they think you're safe enough.

Basically they do what they can to voluntarily commit you. They don't bring in the police, unless you're in a situation where you're not complying. It's pretty fucked up and you're kind of forced against your will. They can choose to court order a comittment if you refuse based on your history and the reason(s) you're there in the first place. That's why it's easier to play their game and say you will go because you don't want the courts involved.

 

[elfgyoza]

The legal requirement in order to be committed where I'm from is if you're a danger to yourself and/others and acting on those thoughts. Just being suicidial or wishing someone harm isn't going to get you involuntarily committed.

Complying is the easier option because technically it is voluntary then, although it's understood that if you say no, you'll be committed anyways at which point it is involuntary requiring a 72 hour hold. If it's voluntary, you have the option to leave if you want, depending on the situation and if they think you're safe enough.

Basically they do what they can to voluntarily commit you. They don't bring in the police, unless you're in a situation where you're not complying. It's pretty fucked up and you're kind of forced against your will. They can choose to court order a comittment if you refuse based on your history and the reason(s) you're there in the first place. That's why it's easier to play their game and say you will go because you don't want the courts involved.

I've never been hospitalised but reading this makes me so angry. How do pro-lifers justify what is basically legal kidnapping? The thought of being taken somewhere against my will, within the law, is unbelievable (if you haven't committed a crime)

 

[feast or famine]

I've never been hospitalised but reading this makes me so angry. How do pro-lifers justify what is basically legal kidnapping? The thought of being taken somewhere against my will, within the law, is unbelievable (if you haven't committed a crime)

I agree 100%. It's amoral. I was kept a week extra because I didn't want to take medications that I had absolutely no knowledge of. I was basically being punished for wanting to act out of my own free will. I don't know how this shit isn't illegal, but it's definitely not land of the "free" here in the US.

You're a number to them. You're just a pawn in their sick game. They want to profit off of you and that's it. If I didn't have insurance, my bill for the stay there would have been upwards of 200k. That's an entirely different conversation, though. I went off the rails a bit, haha.

 

[DetachedDreamer97]

Once. Though it wasn't entirely involuntary as I willingly signed the paperwork to put me in, but technically, it was involuntary as I didn't have a choice.

All in all, my stay wasn't bad. It was actually pretty decent as I made friends and it was a crisis unit rather than a psych ward. It helped a little with my social skills and confidence. But I still wanted to die.

The one big complaint I have for it though was that they had me try meds, which didn't really help, especially lexapro, which gave me a panic attack. Thank god they let me quit. But on the last day I had to try a dose of prozac. Which I stopped taking it upon discharge. It wouldn't help regardless as when I took it some time later, it just made things worse.

 

[BPD Barbie]

I only went in voluntary. Over all though, while the place I went to was actually pretty nice, I hated having power taken away from me and it made me rebel a little more. Did it make me more suicidal? Only when I came out and had to return to the shit hole situation I was living in.

 

[SunnyPotato]

I think that it can help sometimes, but hardly. You're "safe" (lol?) but it's traumatic to have zero freedom and I've found that when I feel more empowered/in control, waiting a bit longer to ctb isn't as tough. The first time I was at a fancier place that I like to refer to as "summer camp" and even that was really frustrating and inadequate. You kind of exhaust the therapeutic benefit after a couple days and the groups/programming is just regurgitated. You really feel like you're just a box for the staff to check off and I was totally left behind from important stuff- like if you're "in crisis" you shouldn't have to wait four days to see a therapist??? It just felt like I was an afterthought and if you dare voice any grievances you can be met with the eye rolls and condescending tones because you're cRaZy after all. I still have regular nightmares about being involuntarily committed and having no say/no credibility to anyone and fully at the whims of whatever clinician is there. During that time I had to stay 3 extra days because a social worker couldn't be bothered to sign discharge papers on a Friday and probably left early to enjoy her weekend. Those extra 3 days were hell and left me feeling more suicidal and out of control, and just really lonely because I had to try and hide those feelings lest I be kept longer.

You do, however, learn what the doctors, nurses, therapists, and technicians want to hear. Which can help prevent future hospitalizations. That said, I did end up committed again a couple years later, and.... yeah. Not a stellar experience there either. That time however, I transitioned into a partial hospital/intensive outpatient program (so basically full day program for a few weeks then half days, but able to sleep at home), and I gotta admit that had it's merits. I learned a lot of coping skills and whatnot.

BUT that said, I am now fairly confident that I've exhausted most things I can learn and now when I'm in therapy sessions I feel like I know exactly what is going to be said. I feel like I know all there is to know that CBT/DBT/any other traditional therapy modalities entail, and, I'm more ready than ever to ctb. It's helped keep me here, but for what? Like I feel like now I have far less hope for any kinda recovery from my mental illness because I've spent so much time and know all the shit like the back of my hand, and I'm still suffering hard. I obviously don't know everything there is to know, but I think you eventually hit a wall.

So yeah, TLDR it can be helpful to be in the hospital to learn skills or at least how to navigate the mental healthcare system, but long term I'm no better off and wish I ctb long ago.

 

[Tintypographer]

My family have me a choice of either going straight to the hospital or going to a therapist and outpatient therapy under their direction. I think that involuntary in patient would have made me more suicidal. I didn't like the outpatient part but the therapist was ok.

 

[Jessica5]

Is the commitment seriously voluntary if they'll involuntarily commit you if you don't "voluntarily" commit yourself?

 

[Rue89]

I was involuntarily committed once. It made my anxiety worse, which made me more suicidal. Thankfully I was able to talk them into letting me just do outpatient. I was there all afternoon everyday for a month. Inpatient would've made me so much worse.

 

[DyingAlf]

Is the commitment seriously voluntary if they'll involuntarily commit you if you don't "voluntarily" commit yourself?

Not really but, depending on where you are, it can sometimes mean you have a little more freedom (eg a walk outside each day), &/or you might get out sooner (not guaranteed) & it saves on some of the paperwork.
However it also sometimes means that the nurses/health care assistants treat you like crap & tell you that you can't complain/be upset (about anything) because "you chose to be here, you came in voluntarily". Either they don't know or don't care that you're only in there voluntarily because you've been threatened with a section (involuntary commitment).

 

[noaccount]

Yes