Help Are Psych Wards as Bad as People Say

[OutOfThisBody]

Scared of failing and getting caught - do nurses and staff in psych wards suck as much as people say? Are they mean as hell?

 

[Jack_Nimble]

I was a psych nurse for over 20 years. Psych wards are a tough place to be in, even for the staff. I cared a great deal for my patients & my job was to empower them to function at the highest level possible so they can go back home.
Most of the patients were "frequent flyers", that is they are well known to staff. Most are very ill including being psychotic. Some are restrained or secluded. Its an intimidating place for all. I was attacked numerous times.
So someone not familiar to the facility could easily be overwhelmed because of the more acutely I'll patients acting out etc. It is a "crisis unit" after all. There are firm rules & boundaries.
I was frequently the "bad guy" even though I had nothing to do with the patient being admitted to the facility & was in fact trying to help them get it together so they could be discharged.
Add to that, that many nurses were burned out & should retire. That job has an expiration date on it. Finally my Dr told me to retire, as it was ruining my physical & mental health so I retired at 50 years old.
So in short, its a difficult place for everyone. Its not the staffs fault a person is there, its a persons behavior that gets them admitted. Its easier to villainize hospital staff rather than take responsibility for behavior.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[DeadManLiving]

Yes, they are. What do you think most people kill themselves after being discharged?

 

[LetMeOut67]

I found it so awful that I decided that the outside world wasn't so bad after all
I don't think that's how they're supposed to work
There is nothing to do and that's not good for people like me suffering chronic isolation where every hour is like a year

But I suppose being in there is like a line in the sand for some , a chance to face the fact they've hit rock bottom and try to think things can't get any worse

 

[telekon]

Scared of failing and getting caught - do nurses and staff in psych wards suck as much as people say? Are they mean as hell?

My ex got stuck in a psych ward for a night. It's basically jail.

 

[whywere]

I have been in 2 different ones.

One was ok and the other was a little better, but both were too bemeaning for me. I believe in that we should all work together and just because someone has a white coat on, does NOT make them better than you or me ever.

So at least for me, I would still avoid them at all costs. Never know what in the heck a person is getting into.

Walter

 

[isaac clarke]

Sucked for me. I was showing signs of overdose from their meds and they tried saying it was because I was pregnant. Drew blood from me twice (WHY?!). Felt lobotomized and drained from the blood drawing and the high dose of antipsychotics. I couldnt write my name or draw anything, the tremors were so bad. They kept insisting I stay longer.
Mind you I was one of the good patients; always trying to cheer others up and i was agreeable. They prodded me around like cattle.
Do NOT go to a ward. If youre gonna kill yourself, you better do it well or you'll be thrown through more trauma. Even worse is that, depending where you are, you could lose a lot of privileges if you are forcefully institutionalized. Don't fall for the "grippy sock vacation" meme, its a smelly hellhole.