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.
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iset
Member
- Nov 28, 2024
- 58
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!Upvote 0well, 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.Upvote 0I 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 hospitalUpvote 0
etherealgoddess
perseverance is inevitable success
- Dec 8, 2022
- 301
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.Last edited:Upvote 0Do 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 wellUpvote 0
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!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
Last edited:Upvote 0
etherealgoddess
perseverance is inevitable success
- Dec 8, 2022
- 301
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.Last edited:Upvote 0
Viranamari
A Future Corpse
- Feb 22, 2023
- 300
I hope you get the help you need but from my experience, psych wards tend to be very dehumanising. they have control over you so if you dont listen they an restrain you to your bed or force you to eat your medications. other than that, make sure to bring your phone and your earphones as some people there are really loud and won't stop screaming. you need your phone too to past time. since you want to recover, you should just abide by the rules.
Making friends tend to be a but difficult but to be on the safer side, you should friend the ones who have the same issue as you so you can get along with them easily. usually people with depression tend to be the safe zone. anyways, hope this helps and you feel better.Upvote 01st off, wishing you all the best,
2nd, at least my experiences in the psychic ward, do not ever volunteer anything and be guarded in what you say.
In my experiences each hospital can be so VERY different in regard to quality of food, nurses, etc. Have to wait and see what type of environment it is.
I enjoyed the craft workshops, where we got to make items that we could take home. I made a history of my stay and also water colored a wooden small lizard that I got to take home, very relaxing.
Very best of luck to you and I am so happy that you are taking good care of yourself.
You are a winner!!!
WalterUpvote 0
missedmybus
Out of the Relapse. Into the Rehab.
- Feb 2, 2025
- 124
Hey there!
Proud of you for wanting to try and get help. I spent the last 11 months in a ward/rehab and some of the above responses make it seem like a horrible place. For me it felt like a productive and safe environment. Sometimes a bit restrictive, but nothing too insane (no pun intended haaahahaha).
A lot of it also depends on what kind of program/ward you are going to. Do you know anything about that? If it's closed/open, if it's a group program or more individual, what type of therapy they offer.
I have some tips that helped me:
Think of it as a very structured/routined place, where you don't have to worry about the "mundane" issues of life that can seem too much for you when you are in crisis. You can work on yourself and build yourself up instead of just keeping it together and surviving. Try to build some of your own structure/routines inside the program, so when you leave there you don't go from external structures to none.
Try to not think of the staff as one entity as you will sometimes get conflicting information which can seem disorienting/ingenious, but they're also just people. Try to communicate clearly and directly with staff, but avoid confrontations.
Be nice and polite to your fellow cohabitants. Think of them as colleagues, rather than friends or potential friends. Don't build dependencies with them as you are just there to work on yourself. If someone does something that bothers you, make sure to say so in official moments (like a group therapy). Don't let resentment build.
Are you allowed outside?
If not, bring stuff to entertain yourself with: Books, sudokus, crosswords, they might have boardgames. I wrote and read a lot in the closed part of my program. You will have a lot of "dead" time in your days that you need to fill. It's nice to talk to the people sometimes, but it can also get very draining.
Try to find a balance of being able to entertaining yourself on your own and not self isolating.
Re suicide:
I wouldn't mention suicide too early as it might trigger a panic response of surveillance from the staff, but if it is an issue you deal with (I am guessing it is, as you are here) and it comes up during your stay, you can carefully speak about it. Try to get to know the staff a bit when you get there and then if you have the need to speak about it, you can probably figure out which member of the staff is good.
For me it came up in a group therapy, and I said I didnt want to talk about it because I got colloquiated last time it came up in a medical context. Later I spoke about it with a staff member one on one and made clear it wasn't acute but it is something that is almost always there and they understood completely. They helped me make a plan to help me monitor when it starts becoming bigger again and activities to do and places to go that I know (when not in crisis) might help me feel better. Also, they had meeting with my social environment to explain all this without it being OH GOD HE'S GOING TO TRY AGAIN thing.
My program for context:
My whole process had a Therapeutic Community focus.
I started off with 2 months in a fully closed program.
This was: No going outside except for group activities/sports. Shared bedroom. Not allowed to leave group. No phone. No personal music.
Group therapy in the mornings.
Team sports every evening.
Cleaning/kitchen work every day + Responsibility roles for people.
Assignments reflecting back.
Then I got the advise for a longer program, however I had to bridge 2 months outside where I relapsed pretty badly:
This was 5 months in a group setting as before.
Group therapies in morning again. This time also more about the running of the group/program.
Afternoons you were allowed outside a couple of hours. Phone was allowed certain times of day. Mandatory sports twice a week.
Over the course of the program you build up more hours you are allowed outside.
More in-depth assignments: What is going right and what is going wrong in your life? What should you focus on in this program? Thinking of what you see yourself as, what are your strengths and weaknesses? Where do you see yourself going?
Now (since December) I am in a studio apartment owned by the facility. I have weekly sessions with my coach to see how things are going and I meet my cohabitants in the hallways sometimes. Tuesday evenings we have some meeting about the apartments shared stuff. Other than that I am completely free to do what I want.
Hope this helps you a bit. If you have any more questions, don't be shy to ask. Good luck!Last edited:Upvote 0
