Help What is your advice to someone about to go to a psych ward?

[Pinkie's me-core]

Basically long story short, my friend and i have decided that i NEED to go to the psych ward for my own safety. I want to be prepared, and i had a couple former friends i could reach out to and get their advice and hear their experiences in a psych ward. Keeping in mind i have SEVERE anxiety, probably ocd, possibly depression and possibly low level ARFID. Basically, those who have been to psychiatric hospitals, what was your experience like? What was the hardest part of the hospital? What would you reccomend someone be prepared for? Basically anything youre willing to share id like to hear. Ive researched a couple hospitals i know people who have been to so id imagine my experience should be good but im open to hearing any and all experiences. I want to go, im not changing my mind and my friend isnt letting me back out i just want to prepare both myself and my best friend for what to expect.

 

[iset]

I wish you all the best!

For me it was hard to be told which pills to take in order to sleep, what to eat (I had anorexia at the time in the clinic) etc. Felt like having to hand over every sense of control over your body. But this is just a personal experience, I hope that you make a better one!

 

[charlavail]

well, i wasn't able to go outside for a bit and that sucked. a lot of it was group therapy, 1:1 therapy, and then time to do calming things. i will say the hardest thing of going to a hospital is the after. I have all this knowledge, skills, worksheets from the partial I did after, and still it's just like knowledge does not equal being able to put it into practice. Sure I have all these DBT skills but my brain goes to SH first. so I think making it a priority to yourself to stick recovery post hospital is really big.

 

[fedup1982]

Get some earplugs

 

[thelostautistic]

I hope you get the support you need My advice is take some things with you to help pass the time because it can get very boring in psychiatric hospitals. I took colouring books, sudokus and word searches. Books to read and jigsaw puzzles might be a good idea as well if you like those. I'd also suggest taking headphones because it can be very loud and chaotic in hospital

 

[etherealgoddess]

Basically long story short, my friend and i have decided that i NEED to go to the psych ward for my own safety. I want to be prepared, and i had a couple former friends i could reach out to and get their advice and hear their experiences in a psych ward. Keeping in mind i have SEVERE anxiety, probably ocd, possibly depression and possibly low level ARFID. Basically, those who have been to psychiatric hospitals, what was your experience like? What was the hardest part of the hospital? What would you reccomend someone be prepared for? Basically anything youre willing to share id like to hear. Ive researched a couple hospitals i know people who have been to so id imagine my experience should be good but im open to hearing any and all experiences. I want to go, im not changing my mind and my friend isnt letting me back out i just want to prepare both myself and my best friend for what to expect.

Find the nicest people in the ward and stick with them. A lot of them are going to probably be worse than you. I remember going into the psych ward, and a lot of them are very irritable. If you're someone who is polite, it can be jarring. Try to find the chill people or the happy people. They're usually the bipolar type, but the people in a depressive episode can be really negative and uncomfortable to be around.

Don't talk about anything controversial. People can get really angry. Use their pronouns and don't mess up because they'll give you a full-on death stare or get very angry. Don't ask any redundant questions. Don't ask questions that are emotionally deeper. People get very upset about it. If you're well-off, don't mention anything about money. People got extremely jealous and stopped talking to me when I talked about the fashion haul I wanted to do after I got out. I was a young teenager. I didn't know any better lol.

Try to focus on just chilling. The psych ward feels like a preschool. It's very braindead. I found it really boring. I'd say try to find something to do. Don't be alone because you won't look well-adjusted. They're usually won't release you until they think you're stable enough to leave.

Don't confront anyone, even if they're actually really insane or being mean. Insanity is normal there. Being aggressive is normal there. People accept it very easily and see it as natural emotions, so if you're used to politeness, it will be weird.

Try your best to open up with the psychiatrist because otherwise, you can get trapped very long. If you know you want to get out, start opening up to the psychiatrist or even straight-up lie to open about something. If they think you won't talk, they'll think you're not ready to leave. And play a facade where you're happy. Put yourself in a bipolar high. A lot of the people who were really stuck in there never opened up to the psychiatrist.

 

[Eriktf]

Do not resist or start fights/argument and stuff like that. Just be calm and don't give them any rison to check on you more often or take away phone charges etc

be open if you want help, do tell about symptoms and stuff like that

If your suicidal say so but i would not do it in there since if you fail at the ward or they think your going to do it while in the ward you risking 24/7 watch (i prefer taking a shit alone..), if you suicidal just say you will wait until you go home

Headset/earphones, and phone charger is a must (they may take your charger)

Try to make them give you further help outside of the ward some kind of follow up.

Be prepared to be bored.

Thats just what i can think of based on my experience. Wish you well

 

[Pinkie's me-core]

Find the nicest people in the ward and stick with them. A lot of them are going to probably be worse than you. I remember going into the psych ward, and a lot of them are very irritable. If you're someone who is polite, it can be jarring. Try to find the chill people or the happy people. They're usually the bipolar type, but the people in a depressive episode can be really negative and uncomfortable to be around.

Don't talk about anything controversial. People can get really angry. Use their pronouns and don't mess up because they'll give you a full-on death stare or get very angry. Don't ask any redundant questions. Don't ask questions that are emotionally deeper. People get very upset about it. If you're well-off, don't mention anything about money. People got extremely jealous and stopped talking to me when I talked about the fashion haul I wanted to do after I got out. I was a young teenager. I didn't know any better lol.

Try to focus on just chilling. The psych ward feels like a preschool. It's very braindead. I found it really boring. I'd say try to find something to do. Don't be alone because you won't look well-adjusted. They're usually won't release you until they think you're stable enough to leave.

Don't confront anyone, even if they're actually really insane or being mean. Insanity is normal there. Being aggressive is normal there. People accept it very easily and see it as natural emotions, so if you're used to politeness, it will be weird.

Try your best to open up with the psychiatrist because otherwise, you can get trapped very long. If you know you want to get out, start opening up to the psychiatrist or even straight-up lie to open about something. If they think you won't talk, they'll think you're not ready to leave. And play a facade where you're happy. Put yourself in a bipolar high. A lot of the people who were really stuck in there never opened up to the psychiatrist.

Thank you so much for this response helps a lot. No pressure to answer anything, but i am fairly sensitive to yelling (childhood things with my mom and brother) would you expect that to be something that ends up being very hard to deal with? Also with the "playing of a fascade where im happy" couldnt that backfire? I have concerns of 'rushing to get out' because this is kind of my last option and if this doesn't work im basically losing my best friend. Or if they can tell im faking my emotions and it keeps me there longer. And if you dont mind me asking how long was your stay in the psych ward? Trying to get an estimate for how long i could end up being there. None of this is to be rude to be clear just trying to make sure i have everything secure and im probably going pretty early this week.

Do not resist or start fights/argument and stuff like that. Just be calm and don't give them any rison to check on you more often or take away phone charges etc

be open if you want help, do tell about symptoms and stuff like that

If your suicidal say so but i would not do it in there since if you fail at the ward or they think your going to do it while in the ward you risking 24/7 watch (i prefer taking a shit alone..), if you suicidal just say you will wait until you go home

Headset/earphones, and phone charger is a must (they may take your charger)

Try to make them give you further help outside of the ward some kind of follow up.

Be prepared to be bored.

Thats just what i can think of based on my experience. Wish you well

Thank you so much for the response i really appreciate it. If you dont mind me asking what does "fail at the ward" mean? Sorry just not sure. Im definitely going to have something set up outside the ward, i was in therapy previously and am now switching therapists. My goal is to at least get medicated because i know i need medication and then when i get out look into a new therapist so i can not regress too far once i get out. Again thanks for the response means a lot!

I hope you get the support you need My advice is take some things with you to help pass the time because it can get very boring in psychiatric hospitals. I took colouring books, sudokus and word searches. Books to read and jigsaw puzzles might be a good idea as well if you like those. I'd also suggest taking headphones because it can be very loud and chaotic in hospital

Thanks so much for the response! I legitmately never thought of taking anything like that to be honest (bit of an impulsive decision even though ive been considering about a month now), so i really appreciate that as a thought. Definitely going to have someone bring those if i can just for literally anything to do. Thanks so much for responding means a lot!

 

[etherealgoddess]

Thank you so much for this response helps a lot. No pressure to answer anything, but i am fairly sensitive to yelling (childhood things with my mom and brother) would you expect that to be something that ends up being very hard to deal with? Also with the "playing of a fascade where im happy" couldnt that backfire? I have concerns of 'rushing to get out' because this is kind of my last option and if this doesn't work im basically losing my best friend. Or if they can tell im faking my emotions and it keeps me there longer. And if you dont mind me asking how long was your stay in the psych ward? Trying to get an estimate for how long i could end up being there. None of this is to be rude to be clear just trying to make sure i have everything secure and im probably going pretty early this week.

Thank you so much for the response i really appreciate it. If you dont mind me asking what does "fail at the ward" mean? Sorry just not sure. Im definitely going to have something set up outside the ward, i was in therapy previously and am now switching therapists. My goal is to at least get medicated because i know i need medication and then when i get out look into a new therapist so i can not regress too far once i get out. Again thanks for the response means a lot!

Thanks so much for the response! I legitmately never thought of taking anything like that to be honest (bit of an impulsive decision even though ive been considering about a month now), so i really appreciate that as a thought. Definitely going to have someone bring those if i can just for literally anything to do. Thanks so much for responding means a lot!

Personally, I didn't deal with that much yelling. Some people were dismantled, but it wasn't that bad IMO. No, the faking happiness cannot backfire. It's pretty easy for anyone to do. Bipolar people are basically doing it all the time when they're manic. They do it automatically, but if you're mentally stable, you can tell it's not a natural kind of happiness. I had that kind in the psych ward. You'll just look manic. But with everyone being depressed all the time, you'll look way better than everyone else. It's just an escape plan. I was there for 3 days because I didn't want to stay, but I know other people have spent a few months. I would say I'm suicidal, but I don't use substances or have really bad coping mechanisms. The nurses told me that I was the best patient they ever had. I am not showing off. I am just saying that I could be biased and be more ok with it than someone else. A lot of other people felt like they were in a prison and hated it. I personally thought it was chill but just really boring and wasn't a fan of the people except for the few super chill people, the nerds, and the happy younger people.