psych ward

[EscapeFromLife]

Did anyone got recovered from a psych ward or hospital stay?

 

[waterworks]

I've spent a over week in a psych ward. I "recovered", but what that means is I learned to keep my mouth shut. I hope someone else really recovered and had a better life.

 

[lacrimosa]

I've had 4 different stays and I spent most of them sleeping as other people fuel my psychosis, unfortunately. If there was a quiet, semi lit room with no people except maybe for psychiatrists and nurses that come and go, I would choose to stay there on some days (when my psychosis gets real bad) but that's like asking to find a needle in a haystack. Especially because of the current mental health crisis and the lack of psyche ward beds in my country's hospitals.

I can't get better with all the people around and they stick you in a room with roommates whom are also out to lunch so you have the added pleasure of worrying what they're going to do when you sleep. I slept mostly during the day, when there were a lot of staff around.

Private hospitals with psychiatrists are about $18,000 dollars a month where I live...

But we know the mental health care systems (in most countries) are broken yet we refuse to do anything about it even though 1 in 6 people are statistically diagnosed as mentally ill or will be in their life time. It's a sick joke how we just let the shit slide and make fun of those whom are homeless due to mental illness but we're a hair trigger away from being in the same situation. Nobody wants to help them and nobody wants to fix the mental health crisis and it will continue to get worse.

What I believe, is that society's attitude towards mental health is equal to this quote by Dostoyevsky:

"I am a sick man... I am a spiteful man. I am an unpleasant man. I think my liver is diseased. However, I don't know beans about my disease, and I am not sure what is bothering me. I don't treat it and never have, though I respect medicine and doctors. Besides, I am extremely superstitious, let's say sufficiently so to respect medicine. (I am educated enough not to be superstitious, but I am.) No, I refuse to treat it out of spite. You probably will not understand that. Well, but I understand it. Of course I can't explain to you just whom I am annoying in this case by my spite. I am perfectly well aware that I cannot "get even" with the doctors by not consulting them. I know better than anyone that I thereby injure only myself and no one else. But still, if I don't treat it, its is out of spite. My liver is bad, well then-- let it get even worse!"

 

[AmericanMary]

I stayed in a psych ward for a while several years ago. My only take away: I got really good at uno.

They really prescribed nothing but trazodone and Benadryl. I was on the floor for low risk adults, so it was pretty chill. We just didn't really ask each other what put us in this situation and it fine. The girl I roomed with was there for some bad stuff.

The group therapy attempts were so dumb.

The place was sketchy af. Not gonna doxx myself, so I'll leave it at this: multiple not CTB bodies have been found there. Honestly it was similar to a prison. Locked in our rooms at night. Supervised showers. Everything was padded and nailed to the floor. I didn't go outside once for weeks. No phones or nicotine. They stopped everyone's meds, everyone was going through withdrawal. Rooms locked during the day. Like 30 of us just coloring, playing uno, and watching children's shows.

It was however, a break from real life. They told you how and when to do everything. They cooked and cleaned. It was relaxing. But it didn't help.

I live in America. I had health insurance. And this shit still cost thousands and thousands of dollars.

My takeaway: I was not there for CTB attempt. I was there for other reasons. I did not feel different or feel like it helped in the long run. But it did give me a break. It helped me calm down. Once I accepted I couldn't get out, I just chilled and didn't worry about a thing for weeks.

 

[WiltingBogStar]

I was involuntarily admitted to a psych ward during my teens. On my first day, I was advised by a nurse to "fake it til you make it and you'll be out of here in less than a month" which is exactly what I did. 28 days later and my Section 2 expires which in the UK means that you're no longer legally detained and can officially leave whenever you want but, due to complications with my mother refusing to house me (this is part of why I disowned her as an adult), I had to stay on the psych ward for a total of 15 months even though I was only legally required to do the first 28 days.

In the psych ward I was tormented by both malicious patients, some of whom would use their neurodivergent diagnoses to evade punishment by pretending to be unaware of their actions, as well as by members of staff who would abuse their position of authority over me. Ironically enough, I ended up leaving the psych ward more broken and traumatised than I was when I had initially arrived 15 months prior. I still get flashbacks to incidents on the psych ward despite it being nearly seven years since I was discharged.

Not a single patient on any of the three wards I was moved between ever received actual therapy while detained on the ward: it was just a holding pen to wait for the meds to work. And if the meds didn't work? Oh well!

 

[LaVieEnRose]

No, I will always be affected by the trauma caused by that place.

 

[ferrie]

I've had two different psych ward stays. One completely traumatized me. There were multiple human rights violations. My belongings were stolen by staff. The entire facility was filthy. My medications were not monitored properly at all. It was overall a terrible stay, and I left a lot worse than I went in. The other ward I stayed at, I truly did recover. The hospital was well funded. The staff were very compassionate. The entire practice was centered in DBT, and you got to work with social workers & occupational therapists. I hated it at first, but I was there 12 days & by the end I was in a better place mentally. It wasn't a full recovery, but it was enough that I felt ready to move forward with my life. Unfortunately, experiences like the first are more common than the latter. If you want to have a good experience on a ward, then it needs to be a voluntary admission. You are not going to do well with an emergency room shipping you off to a random unit. Research hospitals in your area and patient testimonials online. Good hospitals & helpful psych wards do exist, they're just unfortunately hard to find

 

[MatrixPrisoner]

Psych wards are not recovery centers. They are prisons.

 

[m1dn1ghtmyst3ry]

I've only experienced one ward, but I had a good one. I was extremely lucky compared to other stories. The group I had at first just ignored everyone and the second one was like a little family to me. We just openly talked about our problems in life with no judgement towards each other. I wish I could see those people again at least one more time. I stayed there for over a week by faking it, since I guess I'm good at pretending I'm fine and saying the right words.

 

[Cress]

Did anyone got recovered from a psych ward or hospital stay?

I've experienced probably about 15. I think the main strategy behind it is culture shock. They lock you up in confinement treating you overall pretty terribly just to encourage you not to come back there. The logic is similar to the military with slight modification. I think it works for a lot of people but there's also just as many people that won't work for.
Think if you've never been hospitalized before and you're really struggling and close to attempt it's probably worth doing at least once. After getting back from being hospitalized at the very least you're going to feel relieved at being out of that environment and being back in your own personal space. I think the only downside is when you get hospitalized repeatedly you start to develop a lot of resentment towards the system

 

[sancta-simplicitas]

No, I will always be affected by the trauma caused by that place.

Same. It's been 9 years, multiple stays since but that first one absolutely ruined me.

 

[-nobodyknows-]

No, but one time I was at one and a psychotic girl thought I was a guy she knew and kept barging into my room demanding sex so there's that.

 

[Illegal Preclear]

Did anyone got recovered from a psych ward or hospital stay?

 

[Living_Hurts_so_Much]

Did anyone got recovered from a psych ward or hospital stay?

Yes. Seven days and it sucked. I learned to never ever tell anyone anything I was thinking ever. Now I fear saying anything and losing my job. I'd rather ctb than lose my job trying to reach out for help.

 

[noreallynotmarcy]

Did anyone got recovered from a psych ward or hospital stay?

I was in a state hospital for a 72 hour stint which became a whole week. I made the mistake of not keeping it together and telling my therapist I wanted to die. All I had to do was chill out for a fucking second and I wouldn't have been carted off to a total fuckhole. If you're someone who can push through a serious emotional moment, I say do it. It's literally a step above jail. You can adjust your meds for free.

 

[Living_Hurts_so_Much]

I was in a state hospital for a 72 hour stint which became a whole week. I made the mistake of not keeping it together and telling my therapist I wanted to die. All I had to do was chill out for a fucking second and I wouldn't have been carted off to a total fuckhole. If you're someone who can push through a serious emotional moment, I say do it. It's literally a step above jail. You can adjust your meds for free.

I know the feeling. If I had just kept my mouth shut. Afterwards people knew what happened to me and dealing with the anxiety and shame made me want ctb so much more.