Discussion i work in a psych hospital AMA

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

just the title. i have worked at a long-term state hospital for a few months and i now work at an acute care hospital going on 2 years.

Edit: im in the US

 

[Ch4in3dcr0w]

1. Did u ever had a case of self-inflicted cutting of artery that was successful ?
2. Were u ever asked by a patient to end their life ?
3. As someone suicidal (i can only guess sorry if im wrong) does seeing people CTB made u jealous or made u scared to CTB yourself?
4. How many that came to after CTB died anyway and what was the method
Im from EU so sorry if any of these questions are wrong or anything like that. Much love

 

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

1. Did u ever had a case of self-inflicted cutting of artery that was successful ?
2. Were u ever asked by a patient to end their life ?
3. As someone suicidal (i can only guess sorry if im wrong) does seeing people CTB made u jealous or made u scared to CTB yourself?
4. How many that came to after CTB died anyway and what was the method
Im from EU so sorry if any of these questions are wrong or anything like that. Much love

1. i see lots of self harm, some stitched but no arteries hit.
2. i actually have been asked this. i wear a sword necklace and someone asked me if i could use it to stab her to death.
3. im not scared to ctb, seeing other people attempt gives me more ideas. the self harm some of them inflict is sometimes more triggering than their attempt itself.
4. im pretty sure before i started working there someone was discharged and ended up hanging themselves.

also: where i work is part of a huge company so some of the other facilities have had successful suicides IN the hospital. usually partial hangings.

 

[SeafoamSkeleton]

What are the easiest things to say and do to have them release you quickly or not admit you at all?

What do people use to complete the partial hangings? Clothing? Sheets?

 

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

What are the easiest things to say and do to have them release you quickly or not admit you at all?

What do people use to complete the partial hangings? Clothing? Sheets?

1. (from personal experience) when i was a kid all i had to do was tell the doctors that i had something i was looking forward to in the near future and they let me go home from crisis. the easiest things to say to leave once youre there is that you feel better, youve learned coping skills, etc. positive things. (which is easy to say if you actually have)

2. in one instant someone used a string of plastic (true) by stretching the plastic that the disposable silverware comes in. i have no idea how that worked but it did. in the other instant it was the bottom sheet of the bed.

 

[WhatCouldHaveBeen32]

Have you ever seen a case that is truly not salvageable? I mean I know that the answer might be a resounding Yes but I am curious if the propaganda runs deep even in hospitals and you might say Yes but other workers might say No at the same case. Edit: so any case where everyone agreed that nothing could be done?

 

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

Have you ever seen a case that is truly not salvageable? I mean I know that the answer might be a resounding Yes but I am curious if the propaganda runs deep even in hospitals and you might say Yes but other workers might say No at the same case. Edit: so any case where everyone agreed that nothing could be done?

this was something a lot of people in the long-term care hospital were. treatment-resistant individuals and those who could not care for themselves. they are chronic patients, never leaving the hospital.

in our acute care hospital we have 2 patients right now that are being sent to long-term care. one of them is 63 years old and has debilitating schizophrenia and cannot live on her own. but because of the mental illness aspect she cannot go to a nursing home.

the other patient is 22. he has been with us for almost 2 months and swears to everyone he will kill himself if he leaves the hospital. obviously we cant send him home if he says something like that, so he is going to be taken care of long-term to ensure he'll have to live his life (which is the saddest thing)

 

[imsotired35]

I'm wondering because a lot of people on this site are pro choice, do you ever wish you could let someone go when they attempt instead of saving them?

 

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

I'm wondering because a lot of people on this site are pro choice, do you ever wish you could let someone go when they attempt instead of saving them?

its controversial and i would never say this to my coworkers but, yes… the older patients. some of the older patients are SO sad SO destroyed by life. its sad seeing some of them go to into long-term care to live out a life filled with so much pain.

many of the older patients have minimal to no support at home. they dont have anyone to visit them, talk to them, etc.

 

[tercermundista]

Does this method work for anyone?

Notes on Ligature Strangulation (with working dropbox + extra details)

Notes on Ligature Strangulation Method - This post will contain all the information without anything unsaid. It is also as clear as possible. It is exhaustive and detailed. - If it means anything, this is what I've compiled and collected after a year of thinking of this stuff and going in...

sanctioned-suicide.net

 

[CatLvr]

I just wanted to say I appreciate your candor. I have had friends who were COs (Corrections Officers) and many of them quit before 5 years because they, as they described it, "got tired of going to prison every day even though they had done nothing wrong".

Do you ever feel like you are "in" the psych ward, and not an employee? Do you get my drift -- I mean the guys who were COs KNEW they were going home at the end of shift but still I guess the environment wore on them psychologically. Do you ever feel like that??

 

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

Does this method work for anyone?

Notes on Ligature Strangulation (with working dropbox + extra details)

Notes on Ligature Strangulation Method - This post will contain all the information without anything unsaid. It is also as clear as possible. It is exhaustive and detailed. - If it means anything, this is what I've compiled and collected after a year of thinking of this stuff and going in...

sanctioned-suicide.net

i honestly have no idea, sorry to disappoint

I just wanted to say I appreciate your candor. I have had friends who were COs (Corrections Officers) and many of them quit before 5 years because they, as they described it, "got tired of going to prison every day even though they had done nothing wrong".

Do you ever feel like you are "in" the psych ward, and not an employee? Do you get my drift -- I mean the guys who were COs KNEW they were going home at the end of shift but still I guess the environment wore on them psychologically. Do you ever feel like that??

all. the. time.

this time last year i was in the psych ward and ever since then a lot of things have become hard for me at work. like i said in a previous post; self harm is really triggering to me when in the past i couldnt have cared less about seeing it.

i work overnight and take my break ~4am and i have to sit in my car just to get out of the physical hospital or i go nuts.

logically i know i go home at the end of the night at 7am. but working 12hrs it feels like im always there. its also super hard to "leave work at work."

 

[theboy]

What was the most "beautiful" thing you saw? Maybe hugs, sharing food, games or something like that?:)

 

[ceilng_tile]

What happens to someone who gets brought in after a failed attempt and then refuses to participate in any treatment? I'm talking about someone who calmly says to the psychiatrists "I don't know you, I don't trust you, and I do not wish to discuss my thoughts or feelings with you because it's none of your business. I have experienced enough trauma as a result of coercive psychiatry and by holding me hostage like this you are only making things worse. I am not a danger to myself or others and I am not hallucinating. Please let me go home."

If I were ever in this situation, I don't know what would be worse--staying in the hospital indefinitely or giving in to the emotional blackmail by lying about how I'm "feeling so much better" and letting them maintain this condedcending charade of benevolence.

 

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

What was the most "beautiful" thing you saw? Maybe hugs, sharing food, games or something like that?:)

last night a bunch of girls were consoling another who was leaving today. the girl didn't want to see her emotionally unavailable dad but she stopped crying when her peers told her to think about her mother (shes super close with her mom) and how proud she'll be when the patient gets home. it was heartwarming to see a bunch of them come together to help one another. you can really see meaningful relationships form.

What happens to someone who gets brought in after a failed attempt and then refuses to participate in any treatment? I'm talking about someone who calmly says to the psychiatrists "I don't know you, I don't trust you, and I do not wish to discuss my thoughts or feelings with you because it's none of your business. I have experienced enough trauma as a result of coercive psychiatry and by holding me hostage like this you are only making things worse. I am not a danger to myself or others and I am not hallucinating. Please let me go home."

If I were ever in this situation, I don't know what would be worse--staying in the hospital indefinitely or giving in to the emotional blackmail by lying about how I'm "feeling so much better" and letting them maintain this condedcending charade of benevolence.

at my hospital youre voluntary or involuntary. if youre involuntary you are made to stay until you are deemed safe; that could be by telling them what you said. if you dont participate in groups, medication, etc. thats your right - but it slows down discharge for involuntary individuals because theres no progress being seen.

if you are voluntary you can sign a "48-hour notice" which gives the doctors and social workers 48 hours to talk and see if you are ready to be discharged. if they agree - off you go. if they disagree and feel you need more time there you become involuntary. (we always advise patients to not sign 48s before talking to the doctor because of that reason.)

ive seen people leave after signing and ive seen people get labeled involuntary after signing that paper.

so its best to agree to go to the hospital and then participate. let them see you interacting with others, taking your meds (if you dont want to you really dont have to,) generally just doing something other than lying in bed. then tell the doctor what you quoted and you may be able to sign a 48 and leave after 2-4 days.

 

[claracatchingthebus]

since psychiatric patients are one of the only customers who can be forced to continue to be a customer, do you ever feel that psychiatric hospitals are extremely financially exploitative?

for instance, i don't think groups help anyone except the lowest functioning patients. the idea that going over "if you want to slash your jugular, why not visualize a tree in a calm meadow and breath in and out" is somehow worth thousands and thousands of dollars seems absurd to me.

Medications that work barely better than a placebo, groups that teach useless techniques, and being locked up. 30 days later it's a 30,000 bill. It's why people should never call suicide hotlines. All these places do is teach people how to act well enough to leave.

most people take the drugs, pretend to get better, then throw them out after. The cost of this is extraordinary and can also be financially devastating for patients, leaving them much worse off. A temporary wish to die after a breakup (which kidnapped "patient" may not have even followed up on), may turn into a real realistic long-term death wish when the free patient later suffers a financial setback and ends up homeless because they have no savings.

 

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

since psychiatric patients are one of the only customers who can be forced to continue to be a customer, do you ever feel that psychiatric hospitals are extremely financially exploitative?

for instance, i don't think groups help anyone except the lowest functioning patients. the idea that going over "if you want to slash your jugular, why not visualize a tree in a calm meadow and breath in and out" is somehow worth thousands and thousands of dollars seems absurd to me.

Medications that work barely better than a placebo, groups that teach useless techniques, and being locked up. 30 days later it's a 30,000 bill. It's why people should never call suicide hotlines. All these places do is teach people how to act well enough to leave.

most people take the drugs, pretend to get better, then throw them out after. The cost of this is extraordinary and can also be financially devastating for patients, leaving them much worse off. A temporary wish to die after a breakup (which kidnapped "patient" may not have even followed up on), may turn into a real realistic long-term death wish when the free patient later suffers a financial setback and ends up homeless because they have no savings.

oh i agree 100% and so do my coworkers. our company is run by an evil evil man. we have been risking our lives and our own mental health for the last ~6ish months due to the CEO accepting violent and aggressive individuals. (people that have committed crimes and are physically assaultive.)

its all money based. they squeeze everything they can out of medicaid and medicare and they try with private insurance as well. anything to fill a bed and make some money.

 

[RadiantNumber]

Did you see people after using certain drugs like bath salts, datura, those artificial cannabinoids like Spice? It must be a scary thing

 

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

Did you see people after using certain drugs like bath salts, datura, those artificial cannabinoids like Spice? It must be a scary thing

yes ! we have a dual diagnosis unit and theres a ton of individuals with drug induced psychosis. its scary because once youre in psychosis from drugs you may never come out of it.

 

[claracatchingthebus]

do you see corruption by colleagues and not report it? why or why not?

i was involuntarily hospitalized and one of the most evil practices I saw is that if a patient was disliked for any reason, staff would often write inaccurate lies in their chart.

for example, if a patient was up late and was told "you need to go to sleep" and then said "i am just quietly reading in my bed" and then the psychiatric technician said "you're always causing problems, aren't you?" and the patient said back "you can't talk to me like that, i'm going to complain," the patient would later find that their chart said: "patient experiencing insomnia and hypervigilent aggressive behavior due to hypomania. patient was redirected but experienced paranoid ideation before eventually sleeping as directed."

patients had a phrase for it, "smoking a chart," which is crazy, because it happened so often there was a phrase for it. it also happened to me personally, in a way that I can't describe without accidentally identifying myself, with things being extraordinarily misrepresented in medical documentation in a way that did not align with reality at all.

i also saw the worst people who worked there, bullies who would be verbally cruel when the doctors and psychologists were not there, often get protected by colleagues and therefore they stayed year after year, despite the fact that these people made people's mental health worse and had no place being around vulnerable people.

i saw corruption like this, and the fact that other staff didn't report it, as extremely alienating and degrading to patients, with many patients feeling a profound sense of powerlessness that also worsened symptoms of depression and even other problems.

if you haven't reported colleagues for corruption, have you thought about doing so? have you ever witnessed a colleague smoking a chart?

 

[theboy]

last night a bunch of girls were consoling another who was leaving today. the girl didn't want to see her emotionally unavailable dad but she stopped crying when her peers told her to think about her mother (shes super close with her mom) and how proud she'll be when the patient gets home. it was heartwarming to see a bunch of them come together to help one another. you can really see meaningful relationships form.

Yes
I have had beautiful experiences in this context
We must not forget these supports

 

[nebble]

Has anyone ever attempted to escape the ward? Has anyone ever succeeded? Were they found, what were the consequences?

 

[Manic Panic]

1.Do you believe mental Healthcare in the US is below standards of the rest of the world?
2.How often do people usually attempt in your care?
3. Do you know of anyone who got better and started working in your field after being a patient?
4.Have you ever been hit or hurt I'm anyway by a patient?
5. What would say is the percentage of people actually getting better ?
1.Do you believe mental Healthcare in the US is below standards of the rest of the world?
2.How often do people usually attempt in your care?
3. Do you know of anyone who got better and started working in your field after being a patient?
4.Have you ever been hit or hurt I'm anyway by a patient?
5. What would say is the percentage of people actually getting better ?

 

[Britney Spears]

If you're involuntarily admitted for a failed suicide attempt, how long are you there? I'm from Spain, but to give I an idea...
I was recently in a medical hospital, but not a psychiatric one, and I came out terrible. I was there for two weeks Thanks

 

[Manic Panic]

I was once a er nursing assistant and a mortician assistant and I would see so many people go through both areas in the hospital...
So many people just struggling to stay alive only to end up in the morgue the hours later.

I had leave because it made my depression that much worse. Turns out I have scizoaffective disorder and bpd.
I still have nightmares about working in the hospital... do you ever worry you might end up mentally scarred from this line of work?

 

[TAW122]

I reside in the US and since you are US-based, I think your answers will be relevant.

1. When working in a psych hospital, are there patients who get admitted because they wanted to either seek medical assistance in dying (not Canada) either by going overseas (Europe or elsewhere), or even going to a state that offers such procedures (OR, WA, CA, VT, MT, NM, to name a few)?

2. If a patient talks about advance directives, living wills, or any similar topic that relates to end of life or medical decisions, and their GP, family doctor, mandated report, a loved one, or concerned person, etc., reports said patient to the hospital, do you admit said patient or do you (and the psych staff) screen them out and send them on their way?

3. Assuming someone who is severely physically disabled (I don't know anybody personally, but I've read stories about such), such as late stage Alzheimers, late stage ALS, quadriplegia, late stage MS, and/or other serious, but non-terminal condition, and they choose VSED, would they ever be able to do so without unwanted intervention in keeping them alive against their will?

4. Similar to question 3, do you and your staff differentiate between those who are suffering from actual physical ailments but otherwise sound of mind (even if patient expresses wanting to die) and respect that, or are they all lumped into the same category of being 'clinically depressed' or other mental illness label?

Keep in mind these are all just hypothetical questions that I have and I have personally never been voluntarily (nor involuntarily) admitted to the psych hospital nor psych ward. Knowing some of these answers may help me in the (rare) event that I find myself in a bad situation (not guarantee freedom but at least allows me more options to get out). Of course, every hospital, ward, or setting will vary but it never hurts to have extra knowledge that may/not help.

 

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

do you see corruption by colleagues and not report it? why or why not?

i was involuntarily hospitalized and one of the most evil practices I saw is that if a patient was disliked for any reason, staff would often write inaccurate lies in their chart.

for example, if a patient was up late and was told "you need to go to sleep" and then said "i am just quietly reading in my bed" and then the psychiatric technician said "you're always causing problems, aren't you?" and the patient said back "you can't talk to me like that, i'm going to complain," the patient would later find that their chart said: "patient experiencing insomnia and hypervigilent aggressive behavior due to hypomania. patient was redirected but experienced paranoid ideation before eventually sleeping as directed."

patients had a phrase for it, "smoking a chart," which is crazy, because it happened so often there was a phrase for it. it also happened to me personally, in a way that I can't describe without accidentally identifying myself, with things being extraordinarily misrepresented in medical documentation in a way that did not align with reality at all.

i also saw the worst people who worked there, bullies who would be verbally cruel when the doctors and psychologists were not there, often get protected by colleagues and therefore they stayed year after year, despite the fact that these people made people's mental health worse and had no place being around vulnerable people.

i saw corruption like this, and the fact that other staff didn't report it, as extremely alienating and degrading to patients, with many patients feeling a profound sense of powerlessness that also worsened symptoms of depression and even other problems.

if you haven't reported colleagues for corruption, have you thought about doing so? have you ever witnessed a colleague smoking a chart?

i have coworkers who will write in patient charts without even talking to the individual themselves. they will read what someone has written in the past day and re-write it for that day. as we know, feelings and actions fluctuate and the individuals should ALWAYS be talked to on every shift.

one coworker in particular has written that people are isolative due to not even knowing what the individual looks like, people are hypomanic and hyperverbal for wanting to talk to others, and individuals are labile due to reasonable shifts in mood due to environmental reasoning.

many people have been reported for this reason but i have yet to see someone fired. we are so short staffed i guess the higher-ups cant afford to be firing people.

im so sorry this happened to you. when i was inpatient i had a whole note regarding my smoking habits.. i dont smoke. but that goes to show how little some people in this profession care.

Has anyone ever attempted to escape the ward? Has anyone ever succeeded? Were they found, what were the consequences?

just recently a 20-something year old escaped after a door didnt close all the way. it made it to the closest highway before getting picked up by police and brought back. there werent any "consequences" per say. he was moved to a unit on the 2nd floor and restricted to the unit to make sure it didnt happen again.

1.Do you believe mental Healthcare in the US is below standards of the rest of the world?
2.How often do people usually attempt in your care?
3. Do you know of anyone who got better and started working in your field after being a patient?
4.Have you ever been hit or hurt I'm anyway by a patient?
5. What would say is the percentage of people actually getting better ?
1.Do you believe mental Healthcare in the US is below standards of the rest of the world?
2.How often do people usually attempt in your care?
3. Do you know of anyone who got better and started working in your field after being a patient?
4.Have you ever been hit or hurt I'm anyway by a patient?
5. What would say is the percentage of people actually getting better ?

1. i dont know much about healthcare in other countries so i dont think im able to answer that question, sorry!
2. not often do people attempt in my hospital. usually its attempts to self harm, i.e. scratching, head banging, plastic utensils, etc.
3. i myself was a patient about a year into working at my hospital. i wont say i "got better" as im obviously still suicidal lmao but there was one tech who *allegedly* was a patient before and he seemed to be a pretty chill guy. he had a wife, kids, and grandkids so id say he was doing a bit better from whenever he was inpatient.
4. i personally have not been hurt by a patient but i have many coworkers who have. it was more likely at the long-term hospital. one worker had her head slammed into the pay phones the patients use. at the short term hospital we actually have someone who has been on medical leave for about 2 months now after being tackled, punched, and strangled by a patient.
5. i honestly have no clue about the percentage of people who actually get better. we have some individuals who come back regularly and some who we never see again; but that doesnt mean they arent at another hospital. i wish i could say at least 50% but thats probably unrealistic.

 

[WEIRDOOOXDDDD]

I

just the title. i have worked at a long-term state hospital for a few months and i now work at an acute care hospital going on 2 years.

Edit: im in the US

In what extreme cases of self harm are you gonna get admitted to a psych ward? Like if you cut up your entire body and somebody calls the emergency services are you gonna get admitted?

 

[su1c1dal-dungeon]

If you're involuntarily admitted for a failed suicide attempt, how long are you there? I'm from Spain, but to give I an idea...
I was recently in a medical hospital, but not a psychiatric one, and I came out terrible. I was there for two weeks Thanks

at our hospital the average length of stay is 7-14 days. this varies greatly based on how you are personally doing. we've had people leaving in as little as 7 days and at most up to 2 months for involuntary attempts.

I was once a er nursing assistant and a mortician assistant and I would see so many people go through both areas in the hospital...
So many people just struggling to stay alive only to end up in the morgue the hours later.

I had leave because it made my depression that much worse. Turns out I have scizoaffective disorder and bpd.
I still have nightmares about working in the hospital... do you ever worry you might end up mentally scarred from this line of work?

i think i am tbh. i work with a lot of young adults and im a young adult myself. its so hard to help others while i struggle myself. its so hard to tell others all the positive coping skills to use but then go home and never use them myself.

I reside in the US and since you are US-based, I think your answers will be relevant.

1. When working in a psych hospital, are there patients who get admitted because they wanted to either seek medical assistance in dying (not Canada) either by going overseas (Europe or elsewhere), or even going to a state that offers such procedures (OR, WA, CA, VT, MT, NM, to name a few)?

2. If a patient talks about advance directives, living wills, or any similar topic that relates to end of life or medical decisions, and their GP, family doctor, mandated report, a loved one, or concerned person, etc., reports said patient to the hospital, do you admit said patient or do you (and the psych staff) screen them out and send them on their way?

3. Assuming someone who is severely physically disabled (I don't know anybody personally, but I've read stories about such), such as late stage Alzheimers, late stage ALS, quadriplegia, late stage MS, and/or other serious, but non-terminal condition, and they choose VSED, would they ever be able to do so without unwanted intervention in keeping them alive against their will?

4. Similar to question 3, do you and your staff differentiate between those who are suffering from actual physical ailments but otherwise sound of mind (even if patient expresses wanting to die) and respect that, or are they all lumped into the same category of being 'clinically depressed' or other mental illness label?

Keep in mind these are all just hypothetical questions that I have and I have personally never been voluntarily (nor involuntarily) admitted to the psych hospital nor psych ward. Knowing some of these answers may help me in the (rare) event that I find myself in a bad situation (not guarantee freedom but at least allows me more options to get out). Of course, every hospital, ward, or setting will vary but it never hurts to have extra knowledge that may/not help.

1. no, not that ive seen
2. they will most likely be screened at an er or crisis and they will decide if theres any underlying reasoning they should be admitted. but i havent seen any individuals inpatient for that reason.
3. inside the hospital this isnt possible. hypothetically they would most likely send the individual out to a medical hospital to tube feed.
4. i definitely differentiate that but we usually dont accept individuals with severe medical issues due to not all staff having the experience to handle that sort of thing.

I

In what extreme cases of self harm are you gonna get admitted to a psych ward? Like if you cut up your entire body and somebody calls the emergency services are you gonna get admitted?

any self harm that warrants a trip to the er or crisis may be *considered* for inpatient treatment. theres no set answer for this as it varies greatly.

 

[Autumn_Stars]

Hi. I spent two years at Trenton Psychiatric. As someone who was sexually assaulted and beat up often I just want to ask why you don't separate into cohorts based on violence, severity of illness, and age?