Er.

[squirtsoda]

Reactions from people afterwards. Them not taking me seriously. Beung locked up and not helped. Saying the words I am thinking of killing myself to a random stranger. Its all frightening

It is very hard, I think we all understand you. Experiences can definitely vary in the psych ward. They're filled with people, and people vary in quality. Sometimes your experience could be amazing.

 

[Dawgmom]

Reactions from people afterwards. Them not taking me seriously. Beung locked up and not helped. Saying the words I am thinking of killing myself to a random stranger. Its all frightening

Hi. First, thank you for your service. Second, you might try here for text, chat, and phone support: Veterans Crisis Line

Good luck.

 

[Anon2662]

I am terrified to go..

I totally understand how this is terrifying. Once the words are out there, you can't take them back and that's really daunting. I think it's a brave decision. One that's not an option for me, but I hope you get the help you want and need :)

 

[squirtsoda]

Oh and @HillebrandC12B sometimes you can meet some amazing people in the psych ward, they might be able to give you a new perspective on life. If your gut instinct is telling you that You might need to check yourself in, I would vote that you do exactly that. It's ok to seek help. It might not work out perfectly for you, it might not help at all, but it could help you.

 

[xBrialesana]

I didn't read through all the comments, only some, i will later,
But if you feel you do need that, given your insurance/finances maybe you could find care in your area that isn't as bad as some people are making psychiatric care sound as bad (and tbh as bad as it really can) be. Then you could choose where you go instead of getting thrown somewhere

Does this really happen?

And obviously not every instance but yea

Oh and @HillebrandC12B sometimes you can meet some amazing people in the psych ward

I do have a friend that I met when I was 14, I'm 25, we were both miserable in that wretched place lol, but she's the only person I really talk to! We're hella close. Shared experiences lol

 

[HillebrandC12B]

Hi. First, thank you for your service. Second, you might try here for text, chat, and phone support: Veterans Crisis Line

Good luck.

I can. I repeat. Can tell you that the last 40 minutes talking with this crisis line has done nothing but make me less hopeful for genuine mental health care.

 

[Ethereal]

I am terrified to go..

I understand. I was afraid, too. However, if you feel at all impulsive to ctb and are unable to calm yourself, going to the ER may be a good choice for your safety. Also understand that this type of hospital admission is to get you out of an immediate crisis; so, you will need to coordinate any aftercare with your psych team --probably the most important step b/c you will want quality care.

What if you dont have insurance but are a united states veteran?
Not being able to talk here while in a psych ward doesnt sound like fun

Once admitted, casemanagers will assist in finding benefits. Vet? Surely you will be eligible for Medicare/Tricare.

 

[Whale_bones]

I want to add one thing just so you know (this applies to the US, I didn't see an answer as to what country you're in). The word "voluntary" can be very misleading. Yes, you can admit yourself voluntarily, and you have a few more rights than patients that are admitted involuntarily. However, you can NOT check yourself out or leave by your own decision in any way.

Technically, while in the psych ward you have the right to request a doctor come and asses you to decide if you are stable enough to leave. However, I have not once in over 10 psych stays seen a doctor allow a voluntary patient to leave because the patient wanted to leave. People have had all sorts of reasons, from their children having surgery to job interviews to just desperately wanting to get out of there, and never were they allowed to leave. They had to stay there until the doctor came to see them without them requesting it and decided they were okay to leave. That always ended up being around the same amount of time the rest of the voluntary patients who HADN'T requested to leave were there.

Voluntary just means you entered of your own free will. From that point on you cannot leave until the facility says so. I just want to let you know that, as it can be an unfortunate shock for people who thought they'd be allowed to leave.

As for the rest of it, what people have already said about the quality of care depending on where you go is very true; it could be great, it could be terrible, it will likely be somewhere in the middle. If you do go, be prepared for a bad experience but be hopeful for a good one! You're strong to have made it to this point, and you should definitely find out if you want to live.

 

[Hopeindeath!]

I would recommend going to get help. What if it made all the difference in the world for you? You never know until you try.

 

[Ethereal]

@Whale_bones is correct. You will sign a form for voluntary admission. Because of the immediate threat to your safety, "voluntary" will mean a 72-hr observation period during which legally, you will not be able to leave. You'll be reevaluated after 72-hrs then discharged if no longer at risk. Because your desire to ctb is so great, you'll probably stay at least a week, again realizing that the real treatment begins after discharge. This option is much preferred over the "involuntary" method which requires someone to petition you for involuntary admission and a doc to certify you --involves the courts at this point.

 

[autumnal]

I want to add one thing just so you know (this applies to the US, I didn't see an answer as to what country you're in). The word "voluntary" can be very misleading. Yes, you can admit yourself voluntarily, and you have a few more rights than patients that are admitted involuntarily. However, you can NOT check yourself out or leave by your own decision in any way.

Technically, while in the psych ward you have the right to request a doctor come and asses you to decide if you are stable enough to leave. However, I have not once in over 10 psych stays seen a doctor allow a voluntary patient to leave because the patient wanted to leave. People have had all sorts of reasons, from their children having surgery to job interviews to just desperately wanting to get out of there, and never were they allowed to leave. They had to stay there until the doctor came to see them without them requesting it and decided they were okay to leave. That always ended up being around the same amount of time the rest of the voluntary patients who HADN'T requested to leave were there.

Voluntary just means you entered of your own free will. From that point on you cannot leave until the facility says so. I just want to let you know that, as it can be an unfortunate shock for people who thought they'd be allowed to leave.

As for the rest of it, what people have already said about the quality of care depending on where you go is very true; it could be great, it could be terrible, it will likely be somewhere in the middle. If you do go, be prepared for a bad experience but be hopeful for a good one! You're strong to have made it to this point, and you should definitely find out if you want to live.

Yes I've noticed similar things with 'voluntary' psychiatric hospitalisation. The admitting staff (typically psychiatrists) know how to play the game, in that it's much easier (less paperwork, less legalities) for them to admit you voluntarily rather than involuntarily. Involuntary involves encroaching on your normal rights etc. But if you are reluctant about being admitted (which I realise for you isn't the case) they will suggest that you can do so voluntarily so you can see if it helps and 'leave whenever you choose'. It makes the whole thing seem less scary and like you can dip your toe in the water without being trapped there, which is a terrifying thought for most people.

But the public system is so stretched for beds that they typically wouldn't admit any patient (whether voluntary or involuntary) unless they already met the criteria for being severe enough to warrant involuntary admission anyway. There aren't generally many people in the public inpatient psychiatric system who don't need to be there, or who are even borderline necessity cases. So once admitted voluntarily, if you then ask to leave (as is your right) they will stall and say that they want to play it safe and have you get assessed properly the next day or whatever, and that if you refused to stay voluntarily for that, they would be forced to change your status and keep you there involuntarily for your own safety. Whether or not they would actually have grounds to do so doesn't matter, because the threat of it seems real enough to the patient that they just don't try to fight it.

Let me know if this doesn't make sense. Note that I'm not in any way anti-psychiatry, nor fundamentally against them needing to play the system somewhat to keep genuinely suicidal people there at all costs. But it just doesn't gel with the pro-choice nature of this board, so I'm telling it like it is.

 

[Whale_bones]

So once admitted voluntarily, if you then ask to leave (as is your right) they will stall and say that they want to play it safe and have you get assessed properly the next day or whatever, and that if you refused to stay voluntarily for that, they would be forced to change your status and keep you there involuntarily for your own safety. Whether or not they would actually have grounds to do so doesn't matter, because the threat of it seems real enough to the patient that they just don't try to fight it.

I totally agree that the stalling, game playing and generally tricky behavior is rampant when it comes to this. That's why I wanted OP to know, because as you say, for us pro-choice people we value having knowledge like this so we can make an informed decision about what we want to do.

I just reread my state's law and it turns out I happen to live in a state that's different than most. Most states operate in the way that @ethereal talked about; they can legally employ a holding period of 72 hours when a voluntary patient requests to leave. At the end of that holding period, a facility must either release the patient or start involuntary commitment proceedings. Summary

In my state, the law actually says that voluntary patients "shall be released immediately upon request" but even with that in the law, I've never seen anyone released upon request! Often, the process never gets started in the first place, either from nurses making up excuses for not getting the paperwork (they don't know where it is, they're busy, it's on another ward) or because patients are told they'll be committed involuntarily if they try to leave, so they're scared out of going any further.

@hillebrandc12b Hopefully I'm not hijacking your thread going so far into the details of all this voluntary/involuntary stuff. Perhaps you've gone to the ER now, if so I very much hope it's going well for you. I'm sending good energy your way.

 

[Dawgmom]

I can. I repeat. Can tell you that the last 40 minutes talking with this crisis line has done nothing but make me less hopeful for genuine mental health care.

I took the time to search for you and was only trying to help, first of all. Second, I was going to suggest making an appointment with your MD - if you feel they know you best. If so, they may be kinder and more helpful in connecting you with a mental health professional.