Ever been to a psych ward?

[whywere]

Reading this is helpful. I've never been, but I have a persistent fantasy that it would be wonderful. I guess maybe not.

I have been in a psychic ward in 2 different hospitals. The 1st one was HORRIBLE, with really bad food, marginal staff who thought that they had all the power over a person and made life hell.

Now in the 2nd hospital the food was really good, the staff was great.

So, at least in my experience it depends, read, roll of the dice, on the hospital.

The 1st time, I did not jump, roll over and do everything that they asked with NO questions, so they took me to court and tried to get the courts to order at least 1 year in a state-run facility, they lost!

The 2nd hospital, I was on oxycodone from a car crash and when I came in the intake personal took it away. The first night I could not sleep and a nurse, she was FANTASTIC! saw mw sitting in the hall and asked what was up. I told her about my chronic pain and that they took the oxycodone away at intake. She disappeared and came back with a little white cup with an oxycodone in it. Told me to sit and see how it took effect. It did not, the pain was too high, she disappeared again and this time she had a doctor with her who wrote on my chart to have oxycodone available for me as needed. She was a SAINT!

So, flip a coin and hope for the best in hospital experience, I guess.

Walter

 

[Unbearable Mr. Bear]

Reading this is helpful. I've never been, but I have a persistent fantasy that it would be wonderful. I guess maybe not.

It would be wonderful if it was a place that was meant to actually help us instead of being basically a prison designed to keep us away from society. There exists places that are the former, but the great majority is the latter.

 

[penguinl0v3s]

I'm really surprised that the vote wasn't 90% for yes. The psych ward is good if you go voluntarily and choose where is nice. It sucks if you get dragged into a state hospital, where the low funding makes them drug you into catatonia on purpose.

 

[Pluto]

 

[rembleeds]

Yup, involuntarily every time except kinda the first (I was 14 and had a crappy attempt). All youth psych wards, never been to an adult one, never will.

As for interesting stories, I have a kinda depressing one. I was brought to the hospital by cops who caught me before I could hang myself in a park. I was there for probably 6 hours, just sitting in a room waiting for a psychiatrist. I told him straight up that if I was sent home I'd try again. He sent me home, and believe it or not... I tried again.

Psych wards are probably helpful for the lower end of psych stuff (panic attack at work for ex), but do nothing for anything actually life threatening. It's a shame how they're seen as a "solution" or even "treatment" for mental illness.