Discussion What is inpatient care like?

[snowlance]

I'm deciding on voluntarily admitting myself for inpatient care but I have no idea what it's like. I have really really bad anxiety and I'm so out of it all the time and paranoid and so much more I think I need it but I'm super scared. Ive heard good and bad things about going inpatient. Last time I was taken to the hospital was handcuffed in a police car when I did absolutely nothing wrong and I was dissociating like mad and felt like a science experiment.

My only goal becomes getting out asap whenever I'm in the er or hospital or having a panic attack, and doctors scare me in general. A lot of the doctors I had in the past misdiagnosed me and put me on the wrong medication several times so idk what/who to trust anymore. I have so many questions but ultimately just want to know what inpatient care was like for anyone else in the US?

Here's some general questions I have that I'll write down as I get them cuz my adhd is so bad:

- Do they take you to a psych ward or where? I heard they don't keep you there, they transfer you, but idk if its just another hospital, mental care facility, group home or psych ward.
- Are the police involved?
- Is it true they can't force me if I'm not suicidal (or don't have a plan)?
- Can they help you find a group home or send you somewhere that can find you one?
- Does the hospital/area you go to matter? I lived in Walworth with family when I got kicked out, but the county has very little to nothing for housing resources and stuff but I know some group homes are only available to people living in the same county. Madison WI has a lot for housing resources and maybe even healthcare, so if I go to inpatient there maybe they're more equipped to help somehow?
- I have a dentist appointment coming soon that I NEED to go to, will they help me make it?
(

Spoiler: gross stuff

I have a tooth that needs to be extracted asap. Its rotten and has an abcess behind it that keeps growing. I havent been able to take care of it for so long because insurance and family and other life bullshit.

)

I'll list some pros and cons I've heard about inpatient that's been affecting my decision. Almost all my reasons are influenced by my anxiety. At the end of this, all I really want is to not experience panic attacks or anxiety while I'm there, or making it easier to deal with somehow.

Pros:
- They can reevaluate me for everything, get me on the right medication and most importantly diagnose me for everything I haven't been diagnosed for. My parents explained it as a cure all thing, I go in and as long as I work with them its like seeing therapists and psychiatrists and stuff for a year but shortened to a few weeks. This would help me significantly in getting on disability if true.
- They can find me a group home or send me somewhere that can.
- 1 on 1 therapy sounds nice
- There's parking with cameras usually so I won't have to worry about all my stuff in my car getting stolen or anything.
- They can help me make my appointments and fix my brain maybe

Cons:
- Not all doctors are real doctors and misdiagnose people a lot or don't care. It's a diceroll on if you get proper care.
- Same as the one above but for where I'm gonna go. I've heard a lot of places mistreat people.
- Eyes on you 24/7
- They take everything away from you, which is huge for me. All the other things I list wouldnt be so bad if I just had a way to distract myself from the bad things. It sounds like anxiety hell.
- Fear of saying something stupid that'll end up with my voluntary stay becoming involuntary <<
- The police getting involved, they mistreated me in the past
- Constant med changes. This wouldn't be so bad if I had something to distract myself with but being alone with my thoughts will make this a lot worse.
- Boredom
- Group therapy: cant do it because of my anxiety and everyone around me feels like NPCs and being around people makes my anxiety go
- The fear of them fixing me and having to work again. I can't see a life of me working as a possibility anymore, and even if I became able to, I'd rather die, after all I've been through. The more problems I have, the more likely disability will accept me. The more I can work again, the less money they might give me and the chance of this all happening again becomes a reality.

You can answer some, or all of this, ill take any help and advice as I can, I really need it right now.

 

[Rev346]

I've had decent experiences in my two stays, both in Nebraska USA. Best part is I didn't have to worry about anything. I had a room, my day was scheduled, and I didn't have to cook. The other people there were friendly and so we're the staff. It's not that way everywhere though. Police were never involved because I think I technically went in of my own volition. I did have access to my cell phone but only to get phone numbers and we could call people from the hospital phone. They keep you pretty busy even though they take most of your stuff. They want you to be somewhat social or working on safety plans or other things instead of doomscrolling or mindlessly surfing the web or playing single player games. I don't think they would let you go to the dentist but they may have something available to deal with the tooth if the abscess is bad. Med changes suck, especially psych meds. It sucks less in inpatient care because you're in a controlled environment. Changing meds in the real world is difficult because of all the extra stressors. I don't believe they can force you in but each state is different. In oregon you have to say you will kill or hurt somebody to be forcefully committed. In Nebraska I think saying you had a plan was enough. Sorry this is jumbled and hope this helps.

 

[Final_Choice]

-They'll likely evaluate you and see where you belong, they'll put you in some part of the psych ward but the hospital might have some sections closed off from others which is why you might get transferred.

-Police are involved in involuntary inpatient, so if you can do it voluntarily they won't be, also, doctors and staff will treat you better and work you you more efficiently.

-Depends, in the evaluation they'll try to get as much info as possible. I had a friend who went in and briefly mentioned something but didn't talk about their plan since it was more of a passive thought; they gave him the opportunity to stay or to leave, he chose to leave.

-Yes, they can connect you with resources. This will be the job of the social worker which they'll take what's going on and see what you need, analyze what possible resources would work for you, and have it all prepared by the time you leave.

-They might be able to find a way to give you the resources you need since the social worker will actually be trained for stuff like this.

-Maybe, I know that for anything medical they can help you, not sure about dental. But they should be able to at least connect you with the right people and go from there.

Looking through this I think this could be a good opportunity. Once you're evaluated you can talk freely, they won't transfer you just because you said you were gonna CTB when you get out on a whim (unless you attempt to CTB during your stay, that will get you into involuntary).

Key point is to be as honest as possible with them once you're in there, if you truly want to do this for the better there's no reason to hide anything, of course, take your time on telling them as comfortable as you want. They usually have stuff to do (mine we had a shared tv and an Ipad to use, as well as some other stuff, and were given our phones a few times a day). Group therapy was optional in my stay and I don't think they'll force you if you're voluntary, however, they might take note of that and ask why you chose not to go. If you tell them that the anxiety would ultimately be detrimental to you I think they might understand.

Best advice I can give is to be as honest as possible and if something doesn't go your way try to communicate with them on why you disagree and see if you can reach a happy medium in a normal manner. While every place and their staff/doctors is different, I think the main contributor to having a good experience vs a bad experience is the reason you got in/assesment (involuntary due to police, half-way through attempt, family, etc vs voluntary inpatient of your own accord) and how you interact with the people in there.

 

[Cara7177]

I was actually involuntarily committed for a week last month following a failed attempt (I DID NOT INGEST ENOUGH PILLS) & I managed to make another attempt in there, in full view of the staff. Also they didn't heat the building (& it was January), they failed to supervise the patients & a male patient was able to make threats against me. I do not recommend it.

 

[snowlance]

I was actually involuntarily committed for a week last month following a failed attempt (I DID NOT INGEST ENOUGH PILLS) & I managed to make another attempt in there, in full view of the staff. Also they didn't heat the building (& it was January), they failed to supervise the patients & a male patient was able to make threats against me. I do not recommend it.

Where did you go inpatient?

 

[Cara7177]

Where did you go inpatient?

I was taken, against my will, to NYU Langone of Brooklyn

 

[orAbleCk]

- Do they take you to a psych ward or where? It depends on if you express active suicidal intent and planning. Then they would most likely take you to psych ER for evaluation and determine whether you need to be admitted voluntary or involuntarily (involuntarily meaning you won't comply with treatment even though a doctor in the ER assesses that you are a danger to yourself).
- Are the police involved? For me, my family called the ambulance on me because they found a journal entry of mine that could be read as a suicide note. They got alarmed and called 911 and the paramedics came. We were also escorted by the police, yes. They're mainly just responsible for getting you to the ER, after that the hospital takes over and makes their own evaluations as I stated above over whether or not you require more intensive care.
- Is it true they can't force me if I'm not suicidal (or don't have a plan)?
It gets tricky because they will assess you and straight up ask you if you have intent/plan which I denied repeatedly and this was true. I did write a journal entry expressing ideation but I didn't actually have intent. However, the doctors at the hospital determined the entry enough was cause for concern and they also were very troubled by the fact that l was underweight (made the assessment I could be in danger of starving myself - which I did not lol). But all in all, it really depends on who's assessing you and if you have a strong enough case that you don't need treatment. I would advise being admitted voluntarily from the start though if you have a choice because it actually gets you to those inpatient resources quicker than to keep putting off your need for help. They're going to do what they feel is necessary regardless of how you feel about it or not so if you're someone who needs some iota of control to feel safe and sane, your only form of control in inpatient is admitting you need help, actually commit to getting the help, and staying the course for treatment.
- Can they help you find a group home or send you somewhere that can find you one?
I'm assuming you mean residential facilities. These usually come after your inpatient stay at a hospital so that they can continue monitoring any new medication and also essentially act as a way to transition you from inpatient to home care. The hospital can definitely help you with this and you can also call your insurance for assistance if that's an option for you!
- Does the hospital/area you go to matter? I lived in Walworth with family when I got kicked out, but the county has very little to nothing for housing resources and stuff but I know some group homes are only available to people living in the same county. Madison WI has a lot for housing resources and maybe even healthcare, so if I go to inpatient there maybe they're more equipped to help somehow?
If you're going via ambulance/police escort I'm not sure how much control you have over where you go for your hospital ER visit. But if they do make the determination you need to stay in an inpatient hospital setting before any residential treatment, then I *think* you can talk to the people who are responsible for your care and they can transfer you to your preferred facilities/location. For example I was in the ER a couple of days and then when I decided to voluntarily admit to a hospital inpatient stay I had the option to be transferred upstairs in the same building to their psychiatric ward or be transferred to a different location entirely. If you choose the latter though, it will most likely delay your care further because they have to make arrangements for transfer.
- I have a dentist appointment coming soon that I NEED to go to, will they help me make it?
If you're in the hospital and doing inpatient at a psych ward, I highly doubt you would be able to leave. But those wards typically only hold you for approximately a week or less (in my case only 4 days) depending on whether they feel you will be safe when you leave their care. I would suggest then being admitted ASAP to avoid having to cancel your appt. Good luck, and hope this helped! :)