Help voluntary involuntary psych hold

[madeincruddy]

Apologies if my questions have been asked before—I've never been to the psych ward before so I'm kind of clueless. If it matters, I'm in the United States, I can specify state if necessary

Would it be better to go vol or 'invol'? I'm still under my parent's health insurance and they'd end up paying for any costs which I'm worried about. I'd want to make things as least expensive as possible.

My plan is to visit sometime next week, at first I was going to tell my therapist that I was actively suicidal but I'm not 100% sure how that'd go for me. As far as I know you're driven by police, which sounds a bit overwhelming for me. I could still do it, but it definitely makes me hesitate. Plus, I don't know whether to do it at an appointment or at home. My parents drive me to appointments, so they'll be there either way, but I don't want to stress my whole family out so much.

I haven't told my family that I want to go to a psychiatric hospital. With my parents, it's just a lot of history that makes it difficult for me to open up with them. They have a hard time understanding a lot of things regarding mental health. They know I'm depressed, but I've never opened up to them about anything beyond that. My mom can be very mean about it, too. Recently, I had a severe meltdown where I hurt myself. When my mom found me, she yelled at me, asking what I was doing and if she had to take me to the 'wacky ward.' It's another reason why I'm very hesitant. I don't want my parents to be mad, and it hurts when she looks down on me like that, but I need help.

My siblings are a lot more understanding, but I'm way too used to being quiet to tell them anything, so that's on me. During one of my meltdowns my sister found me and asked if I needed her to 'take me somewhere,' and I'm assuming she meant the psych ward, or something similar. So, I think she'd be willing to take me. That'd avoid being driven in a police car, at least, but then my stay would most likely be considered voluntary. I don't know if that has any effect on cost at all, or if it makes things easier (as in, less traumatic) on me.

Rambled a lot but I'd appreciate advice on what to do. I'm willing to talk to family but it's scary. I don't wanna stress my parents that badly but my suicidal ideation is getting a lot worse. My mental health problems are much too complex for the treatment I'm getting now. I at least want to try to get better before I decide to CTB.

 

[daruino]

First of all, I want to say it's great that you are thinking about seeking out the help you need. Ask your therapist for options! Be honest about being suicidal and how you're worried it might get worse. Talk with them why you think you'd benefit from going to the psych ward/what you're hoping to get out of it and hopefully they can help think with you and make arrangements. There's also different types of wards so it's best to discuss what place in your area would be suitable for you. After talking to your therapist I suggest talking with your family, because then you probably know more and can explain the options to them. If you need help with this I'm sure you could also ask your therapist to talk to them.

And from what I understand the police only drives when its involuntary and the individual is being a danger to others, I think you will be able to go on your own, since you will be voluntary. Best of luck!!

Edit: if you really need to go to the psych ward asap you can get admitted by going to the ER, but if you're able to wait until your next appointment then I do suggest taking a more "structured" route via your therapist. Wish you the best.

 

[Jadotine]

It's wonderful that you are taking steps to go into healing!
I would also ask for your therapist if there are any options before going to a psych ward especially since the quality of your stay will largely depend on the facillity. Sometimes you will be around same case/severity and it would probably be beneficial to you in that case, but there are also faculties where you can have a lot more severe cases (I was grouped with schizophrenic or very manic BD patients and it is not pretty to see them dragged into another room to 'calm down')

Voluntary stay is much better, as you can at least choose a bit beforehand what kind of psych ward you will be staying at.

Also, I would also look into outpatient programs as they allow for a more thorough follow-up whilst you can continue to have a life outside of a hospital (it might also help with your parents since you will not be 'committed to a wacky ward'?). They usually are less restraining for patients

Good luck on your journey

 

[-Link-]

Apologies if my questions have been asked before—I've never been to the psych ward before so I'm kind of clueless. If it matters, I'm in the United States, I can specify state if necessary

Even if you were to name a specific facility in a particular city, it would still be difficult to predict what your unique experience might look like. There are just so many variables.

As an aside here: With privacy considerations in mind, I would advise against sharing location information any more specific than country (some people here would even advise against that much), and I would be skeptical of anyone who asks you for more details to this effect and bear in mind that bad actors could use roundabout ways or manipulation tactics in trying to get this information out of you.

My plan is to visit sometime next week, at first I was going to tell my therapist that I was actively suicidal but I'm not 100% sure how that'd go for me. As far as I know you're driven by police, which sounds a bit overwhelming for me.

When mental health professionals are assessing this risk, their primary consideration is along the lines of, "If I send this patient out the door, what is the chance their mental state could deteriorate to a point where they hurt themselves?" In a situation where they feel uncomfortable with this chance, they may ask more questions to get a better sense of the situation or they may go straight to the next consideration, which is, "How hard do I push for an inpatient assessment?"

Much like suicide risk is assessed on a spectrum, their response to this risk also occurs on a spectrum.

Based on what you're describing here and what I've read from you in other posts, I'm guessing it unlikely for police to become involved and that the most likely scenario is that you'd be referred to outpatient treatment with a higher priority (shorter wait time) based on your disclosing your plan to die some time this year. It's possible you could have an inpatient assessment volunteered or pushed on you, but if that happens, I think the more likely scenario is that your family would be allowed to take you to that assessment, rather than any police involvement happening. (You could request police involvement or other official means of transportation, but I think it's unlikely this would be forced.)

In saying this, I would also note it depends on how you're presenting in your appointment with your therapist. For instance, if a patient is very outwardly distressed and overcome with emotions while they're talking about their suicidal intentions, a therapist could meet this with a stronger response (ie. an increased chance of police involvement). It can also depend on the therapist and their own sensitivity to perceived risks.

Because your parent(s) will be taking you to this appointment, I'd also leave open the possibility that your therapist could suggest inviting them into the appointment to talk about it with them. You could also request this, yourself; maybe your therapist would be willing to help you explain your situation to them. (You would absolutely not have this forced upon you. You are an adult, and it is your right to keep your mental health status private from any parental involvement.)

When my mom found me, she yelled at me, asking what I was doing and if she had to take me to the 'wacky ward.' It's another reason why I'm very hesitant. I don't want my parents to be mad, and it hurts when she looks down on me like that, but I need help.

Not an ideal response on your mom's part here. But it does indicate a willingness to take you there as well as an acknowledgement of how serious your situation could potentially be.

I'd also allow for the possibility that a "wacky ward" type of response from your parents could be, in part, a defence mechanism as they're forced to confront a difficult situation involving their child. So, this kind of response could partly be some combination of denialism and bargaining as she tries to cope with it, herself. This much wouldn't be so much about you or about anything you're doing or not doing -- it would be more reflective of your mom's own internal emotional challenges.

Any guilt you might be feeling about this, by the way, is unjustified (unjustified to yourself) and would generally be indicative of an overwhelmed brain using emotional signals as factual evidence. In all of this, you're not actually doing anything wrong. Looking at your mom's perspective, your mental illness is just a situation that your mom needs to adapt to, and her adaptability is not actually your responsibility. You can certainly try to help her adapt, but in the end, this much can only come from within herself.

My siblings are a lot more understanding, but I'm way too used to being quiet to tell them anything, so that's on me. During one of my meltdowns my sister found me and asked if I needed her to 'take me somewhere,' and I'm assuming she meant the psych ward, or something similar.

This is good to hear!

This reads as if you could have an ally in your sister, and I wonder if she could help you open up to your parents, maybe even being present for that would-be conversation.

Whatever all of this looks like for you, I hope you find your answers and am very much wishing you well with this.

 

[Dejected 55]

When I was in, recently, here in the US... I was involuntary but cooperated. As in, I went voluntarily as opposed to fighting them but it was involuntary... which meant they could keep me as long as they wanted, which ended up being 2 weeks then released then immediately put back for almost another week.

While I was there, I saw a couple of people in my ward who had admitted themselves voluntarily. The advantage there was, after 3 days they could ask to be discharged themselves as long as they hadn't caused trouble... whereas being involuntarily admitted you are stuck. In the cases I saw, they didn't feel like they were getting help and at least one was frustrated as she couldn't get the medications she was supposed to be taking for her health while she was in there and so she needed to discharge herself so she could not risk being worse off.

 

[madeincruddy]

I can't reply to everyone but I appreciate all of the input. It does seem like voluntary is the better option, but there's no 100% guarantee my next appointment won't get me involuntarily held. I'm technically not an 'active risk' (I think) so the risk of involuntary is lower. One of the things that kind of complicates my situation is that my therapist isn't technically a doctor, but he is a mandated reporter, so he can't make referrals/diagnoses/approve treatment etc., which is one of my main reasons for wanting to visit, since it'll work as a sort of 'gateway' to more treatment. My psychiatrist can do some of those things, but they're a lot harder for me to get in contact with. I might talk to my sister about it, just so the rest of my siblings aren't blindsided by my very sudden hospitalization. I'm just hoping things get better ASAP since the situation causing my suicidal ideation is time-sensitive.