Discussion Has anyone been in a psyc ward? What was it like?

[8hidden_emotions8]

I'm just curious, I've heard it's bad.....

 

[Jumper Geo]

Well this is in the UK, Stacey Dooley investigates. Thank @WornOutLife for linking the video below.

https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/stacey-dooley-back-on-the-psych-ward-bbc.66420/post-1231093

Cheers

Geo

 

[Beachedwhale]

Yes for one night. Only slept like an hour or two that night. I was with several other people. Some of them were very disordered. The psychiatrist was extremely creepy.

 

[LastFlowers]

That Unsane film on the subject (technically fictional) was surprisingly accurate (but also withholds a lot of other things that go on), besides the rando guy trying to kill her and the mixed gender sleeping area (I have yet to see this fly in any psych ward I'm aware of).

 

[8hidden_emotions8]

Yes for one night. Only slept like an hour or two that night. I was with several other people. Some of them were very disordered. The psychiatrist was extremely creepy.

yikes that sounds terrible..

Well this is in the UK, Stacey Dooley investigates. Thank @WornOutLife for linking the video below.

https://sanctioned-suicide.net/threads/stacey-dooley-back-on-the-psych-ward-bbc.66420/post-1231093

Cheers

Geo

thanks for sharing this!

 

[Rayzieka]

In my experience, it is unpleasant but has a few perks that I don't have in day to day life. Schedule and structure being some.
But it has more cons than pros. LIke the essentially forced medication and blood-tests. I remember waking up with a bloody tissue taped to my arm and realizing they had taken my blood after medicating me to sleep, it made me feel like a test subject and wasn't nice.
If you resist- they force harder. To the point where you can end up in 'the quiet room' or strapped to your bed.
And the other patients can be terrifying to be forced into a room with. One of my stays I watched grown men fist-fight over a snack item that another patient offered to anyone who wanted it. And my roommate was very much disturbed.
It may be up to chance what your experience can be in a psych ward but reading others experiences as well confirms to me that its generally a bad place to be for people who arent suffering from extreme psychotic episodes or don't truly feel they have other major reasons for needing to be there.

 

[8hidden_emotions8]

In my experience, it is unpleasant but has a few perks that I don't have in day to day life. Schedule and structure being some.
But it has more cons than pros. LIke the essentially forced medication and blood-tests. I remember waking up with a bloody tissue taped to my arm and realizing they had taken my blood after medicating me to sleep, it made me feel like a test subject and wasn't nice.
If you resist- they force harder. To the point where you can end up in 'the quiet room' or strapped to your bed.
And the other patients can be terrifying to be forced into a room with. One of my stays I watched grown men fist-fight over a snack item that another patient offered to anyone who wanted it. And my roommate was very much disturbed.
It may be up to chance what your experience can be in a psych ward but reading others experiences as well confirms to me that its generally a bad place to be for people who arent suffering from extreme psychotic episodes or don't truly feel they have other major reasons for needing to be there.

dang, I really hope that when I attempt that I actually like die XD. Last place I want to be is there.

 

[Hotsackage]

Was like a vacation

 

[SweetDreams500]

At first, it was kinda boring, but it didn't matter too much because the doctors there prescribed a colossal amount of meds that made me sleep most of the day. I did tell the doctors and they reduced the dosage. The food was surprisingly good. But towards the second half of my stay, a new pacient came in and I became infatuated. He was the cutest little thing. Hot too. We became friends, and the rest of my stay was quite pleasant. Another dude came in, and he was good fun. Overall. not bad.

 

[lifesucksiguess]

I've had a few involuntary holds throughout my life. I think I was lucky because the hospitals I went to weren't that bad. It is always very boring. When I went as a minor they forced us to do activities and group therapy. When I went as an adult we didn't have to participate if we didn't want to. I generally participated in the activities because there was nothing else to do. The last time I went I was really honest. I told them I have always wanted to commit suicide, and that probably wouldn't change. The psychitarist didn't prescribe me meds my last stay, funny enough.

 

[Empty gas can]

Twice. Food was okay, it's somewhat peaceful anf we were treated well, but you have very few freedoms. Gotta take your meds when you're told, there's a curfew, shower time is controlled, and well, you can't get out without your psychiatrists approval. You get regular, mandatory appointments with a team of competent (if you're lucky) mental health professionals. They can usually help with well know mental health issues like anxiety and depression. For more severe mental illnesses, like PTSD or personality disorders that require long term follow-up, well, they usually don't long term. They put me in an external clinic and after 2 months, I was on my own.

 

[Poisonblood]

If you're not insane, you'll go insane from the screams, noise, filth, heat, and abuse the staff will do to you. That's the psych ward I gone through. If I had access to a window I probably would have jump just to escape. Thankfully, I was only there for 2 days but it's enough to traumatize me.

 

[NeuroDamaged3]

It was hell and traumatizing. I don't even want to think about it to describe it. I'd rather be on the street for a night than in one of those places again. Edit; I also spent several months in numerous ones all over a major city in a first world country, so I've got a good grasp on what they're generally like.

 

[theresonlyonewayout]

I'm just curious, I've heard it's bad.....

It would help to know what country you're in. It varies wildly because of this. For instance, I see a lot of people saying you get psychiatric help but I'm my experience, that doesn't happen in the UK.

 

[disabledsuicidegirl]

I've been thinking about going to one

 

[8hidden_emotions8]

It would help to know what country you're in. It varies wildly because of this. For instance, I see a lot of people saying you get psychiatric help but I'm my experience, that doesn't happen in the UK.

I currently live in Canada

 

[Soulless Angel]

I've never been in one but I have read many experiences on here. It sounds like its pot luck what kind of place you end up in. I know Ive only been in the holding places of two, one was awful, the lady rude and unkind, whilst the other one I was faultless bar the plate of food they offered me, if you can call it food (Southwest UK)

 

[BlankUser]

Reading so many creepy stories I think I'm the one who was lucky. I was taken against my will. But the staff was nice to me. Especially one older nurse, she was very kind and even seemed like she cares. I felt a motherly vibe from her. I was let go early, it's crazy, I told them I'm suicidal and they still respected my wishes to go home. At first they were "we can't let you go, you told us you don't want to live", but I kept asking and I was good to go eventually.

 

[Embers]

9 months in the U.K. it was hell. Have CPTSD from my 'treatment' in there.

 

[Zebedee]

I've been in four... Three were alright, one was absolutely horrendous. I guess it varies from person to person, also some wards have better facilities or have better staff. I've found that some are patient, understanding and helpful whilst others can cause even further stress / trauma. Based on my experience, some people in the NHS mental health team are simply in the wrong job and treat the mentally ill with utter contempt and neglect.

 

[FuneralCry]

I have luckily never been in one but from what I can gather there isn't much difference between them and prisons. Any hospital type setting is my worst nightmare. I started to watch the documentary mentioned above and it is why any thoughts I have are being kept to myself. I think they do many people more harm than good in some cases and that type of environment probably isnt a good thing for various mental disorders.

 

[noname223]

I was several time in clinics. One time in the station for acute severely ill people. It was horrible creepy. I am not traumatized but damn wtf. This is the place you have to go when you are acute suicidal. I never want to return to this place.
To this time I was psychotic and they pumped a lot of drugs into me.

 

[glad it’s night]

Several years ago I was in a psych ward for about 3 days. I live in a major city (USA) where space is limited in these places, so unless you really need to be locked up the staff will release you as soon as they legally can.

I was drunk and accidentally texted a friend saying I wanted to CTB (even though I had no method or means). After passing out I woke up to find the police and some EMTs in my room. I didn't even remember sending the texts. They almost didn't take me but ultimately decided to, probably to cover their liability.

It wasn't all too bad. They take all your clothes and shoes, and you wear a hospital gown and non-slip socks. I had to share a bedroom with 2-3 other people. One kept wailing and yelling during the night, and sounded very aggressive and violent. I was kinda scared so I just lay as still as possible and hid under the covers, hoping not to attract attention.

During the days I chatted with other patients. Went out for cigarettes even though I don't smoke. Read books. They had a TV in the common area, and some puzzles, markers and crayons and things. Maybe they had boardgames (the memory has faded slightly). I tried to do some drawing but I'm not good at it. I even played cards with some of the nursing interns (I was the only patient to do so). I gave one of them a picture I drew, with my email address written on it and asked if she wanted to go see a show sometime after I was released. I was sure she'd never contact me (and she never did), but I thought it would be a funny story for both of us.

Other patients kept asking why I'm there. Said I look like "the good kid from an 80's movie" (I guess because I had longer hair at the time) and they thought I seemed out of place.

I wanted to re-create some scenes from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" with me as Jack Nicholson, but it mostly played out in my head, it wasn't really much like the movie.

Mostly I was bored, and hungover / going through alcohol withdrawal. That part sucked the most.

The doctor evaluated me. I told him I was drunk and didn't mean what I said and didn't remember saying it. As long as you tell them you've calmed down and aren't thinking of CTB anymore they'll send you on you way with a mental health referral, at least if you didn't physically make a CTB attempt.

 

[Rayzieka]

They take all your clothes and shoes, and you wear a hospital gown and non-slip socks.

I love stealing those nonslip socks and taking them home with me.