Got a new shrink who says I should consider in-patient treatment.
Seriously don’t want to.
Any clue from anyone who has been down that path would be helpful.
So, if you’ve ever voluntarily gone, what was your typical day like?
share your suicide story
Report Post
Please log in to report posts
17 comments
i was their for about a week, but i was in the teenage ward, so i highly doubt that i can offer you much help. well i guess what might be similar is that you have group every hour, where all the patients come together and share. after that i don’t know how similar they might be, other than keeping good hygiene and your living space clean. hopefully this was some sort of help.
As someone who has done both extensive in-patient and out-patient programs, I highly suggest you do NOT go through with in-patient and perhaps see a new shrink. In-patient is like a holding cell for people that often does more harm then good. You do not have excess to the same level of care and it is makes it very hard to adjust back to the real world. Not to mention the exorbitant costs even after insurance. You are allowed very limited rights and often the living situation is even more depressing. Unless you know the hospital you will be going to, often times you are mixed in with those who suffer from schizophrenia, ocd, and addicts and there is no consistent level of target group therapy. Good shrinks try and use in-patient as a last resort because it does not help deal with the problems people are facing when they are out in the world. Most shrinks have never actually experienced LIVING in confinement at a pysch ward so they also have no idea how awful it is. Trust me, working as a mental health practitioner is much different from being forced to stay there. My suggestion is that if you do go, make sure you are voluntary so you can put in your 72-hour notice if you realize it was a complete mistake. Most facilities label themselves as “acute” but really they just prescribe medication and keep you for the insurance money. And because you are a patient, most of you concerns will not be addressed and you will not be treated as a citizen with rights (of course your shrink will say otherwise because they feel responsible for you and you are a liability). I highly suggest out-patient with a facility that specializes in DBT or CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). You go there from 9am-3pm like a job, it gives you a sense of satisfaction that you can follow through on something and helps you cope and plan ahead for things you are struggling with in your daily life. If you absolutely feel you are not safe and want to do in-patient, please, please do your research on the facility and make sure your insurance takes it. It was a horrible experience for most people, myself included. The only in-patient I can recommend is Four Winds if you are in the NY area as they have a beautiful campus and actually let you outside. You would be surprised how many hospitals do not let you out but lock you on a hospital floor. Find a program that has group therapy and individual therapy on weekdays. This is not what most in-patient hospitals are like, most of their brochures do not represent the actual hospital and therapy is like, once a week, for the most part you are left trying to think of ways to pass the time.
“I highly suggest out-patient with a facility that specializes in DBT or CBT”
-Alum
I absolutely agree. These two therapies have the highest rate of actual, scientifically proven success with helping the suicidal. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy has been found to be the most effective for people like us.
I echo everything alum said. totally on point.^ just finished serving 7 months in a psychiatric prison and let me tell you it aint a place you wanna willingly go. trust me. I was voluntary but even then–doctors are given too much power over you, and, once you’re there they determine your fate and can change you from voluntary to involuntary status and effectively render your right to make treatment decisions as non existent. they pull the strings once you’re there and nobody should have that much power over somebody–especially in a voluntary case. Keep the little sanity you have left intact and stay away and maintain your control and way of life an pursue the myriad forms of outpatient therapy that alum suggested and listed. best of luck my mentally afflicted comrade.
Dear Dallas,
I have been in the hospital for suicide attempts, and extreme suicidal ideation over a dozen times – from various hospitals in California to three in Europe (where I now live). (I have been chronically depressed since childhood, and chronically suicidal for the past three decades.)
Mental hospitalization isn’t all bad, and can help many people to pass a crisis. But, if you don’t have insurance that covers emergency hospitalization, or allows you to admit yourself under “non-emergency” conditions, it’s not so much fun. Without insurance, you can only be admitted if you are found to pose a danger to yourself or others, or have been caught before you could die from your suicide attempt. That means, without insurance, you cannot admit yourself, but must be admitted by the police (your therapist can call them if you want and he agrees), paramedics, or when released from the ICU. At its best it’s basically like a safe prison stay with medication. Once admitted, you will receive a 5150, which is a 72 hour hold, and you have no choice but to wait until another assessment is done to see if they think they need to hold you further than those three days. But, it’s very easy to act your way to freedom should you find the facility unbearable.
Let me just say what most of ALL these hospitals (except a rare few, and maybe the ones millionaires have access to) have in common: No therapy, no crisis assistance or counseling, basically, no treatment besides medication, and very brief visits (5-10 minutes) with a psychiatrist maybe once a week to adjust your meds. That psychiatrist also bases his decision to keep you hospitalized or release you based on these brief assessments (though, they also can consult with nursing staff).
If you have decent health insurance which covers “emergency” mental health. Whether you admit yourself, or are taken in, you are lucky. You get a much more inviting and friendly “prison with drugs” experience, and they may even help therapy, or help you apply for workman’s comp, or disability. (If you don’t have insurance the hospital will sign your release paperwork saying you are well enough to return to work the following day. If you want to apply for workman’s comp or disability, you need to have your own therapist, and psychiatrist fill out the authorization, and recommendations on the paperwork. But, there are low cost, and even free mental health services where they are really good about doing the paperwork for you when they see you need the benefits.)
As I mentioned, there are exceptions, and it things may differ depending on where you live.
GOOD LUCK!
I didn’t enjoy my week in the looney bin, that’s for sure. My roommate was really nice, but our neighboring resident I feel had severe schizophrenia….she would pace the halls talking to herself, give me death stares as we ate, would scream at the top of her lungs how she was going to stab the doctors…..yeah, it was fun (not).
Granted the area I live in is really deprived so if have to travel out of the city to receive relatively decent in-patient care. Then there’s the problem with insurance only being accepted in a few places.
Bah, I’m just glad it’s over. I’m in outpatient treatment now, don’t think if ever want to go back to the looney bin. I wish you luck, wherever you may go. Treatment will vary between individuals, and what didn’t work for some of us on SP might work for another.
Well, I think each hospital is a little different but generally when I went we woke up around 7am and they gave med call and took our blood pressures. We had breakfast around 8:30am or so for about 30 minutes. Then we came back. Throughout the day you would have several groups as well as you would see your assigned doctor on a daily basis. As well as your social worker on how to keep your recovery going with outpatient treatments once you leave the hospital. The doctor will likely put you on Psych meds though you can refuse if you wish (though I am not too sure how well that would turn out,,,,) if you are on some already he/she will evaluate them and if they aren’t working change them or adjust them accordingly. You also get some free time. In the ones I was in, that didn’t mean too much though I have seen that some on here had computers and things to get on and unfortunately I didn’t. You have lunch around noon and dinner around 5:30 pm or so. Lights out is usually around 11pm but if you choose you can go to bed earlier. Some lock your doors at a certain time so you don’t go isolate and some let you go to your room whenever you want to. Some will let you go outside and some won’t. But of course all of them will keep you until they feel it is safe for you to leave. I could write more if you wish, but hopefully this has helped you a little. Personally, the places serve to terrify me. This should not cause you to be afraid though as it may have just been my personality. People might have been a little well, crazy but they never made me afraid so don’t take my word on that at all ok? Just my experience that’s all. But over all, it’s a wonderful place if that is your thing. I have never went “volentarily” but it is the same for both I think. At least it was for the places I went. As with anything I feel some can be helped by them and some can’t. It is definetly worth the checking out if you feel you really need some help to get better or in a crisis. Best of luck to you though friend and let us know how it goes ok? We wish to see you better!!! Have a wonderful day-as much as possible- ok?
I tried to refuse when I was being prescribed triple the amount of lithium that made me become catatonic, and I can attest that no, it does not go well. This was after they accidentally induced mania from the Prozac they prescribed me, again, you would get better treatment on your own because the assessments are so brief. They threatened to take me to court, and said it was very easy to get the state to sign, and I said that was fine, I would fight them in court. So then they threatened to withhold my visitation rights until I complied and basically isolate me. It was almost straight out of the “the one who flew over the cuckoo’s nest.”
General daily routine at the funny farm:
Wake up
Check vitals (daily, or sometimes not at all)
Meds (before or after meals)
Breakfast
Free time: wander the halls, read, watch tv, lay in bed
Meds
Lunch
Free Time: same as above
Meds
Dinner
Free time: same as above
Meds (usually only for for insomniacs)
Each hospital has its own schedule and rules. One hospital gave our morning meds at 5am when they checked our vitals (sleepy people are more compliant).
thats how it was in my ward, but i guess because it was the teenage ward instead of free time, we had a group session every hour or so, between breakfast & lunch, then lunch & dinner.
This was our schedule at the hospital in Manhattan as well and Long Island was even worse. Again, it’s like a holding cell, in-patient is for acute treatment, ie. medication. There is little to offer in terms of therapy or group. Sometimes there was art, but most of it was just huge gaps of time where you try and find something to do. This is why I advise you see another shrink who has a better understanding of things. If you have been seriously considering suicide your shrink will definitely want you to go (and we here at SP certainly don’t want you in danger) but it actually will not help as much as he or she probably thinks.
Holy crap, I never thought I’d get this kind of response.
My thanks to everyone. I was reluctant to even consider this, and now I’m even more decided against it.
Disturbingly, the out-patient wasn’t even mentioned.
I swear, trusting your shrink to know what’s “best” for you is always a mistake. Every recommendation must looked over carefully for the fine print.
Hey Dallas, not long ago I made a thread in response to another member’s stay in in-patient. The mistreatment of our cases is rampant in these parts. I’m glad to hear you’re not going to be submitting yourself to the human-cattle-farm.
Good luck with everything, and remember, NEVER tell the docs you’re suicidal or you’ll be voluntarily committed.
Yeah, stay away from those places. My experience was a lot like dancebackthesea’s.
This was when I was 15 and 17.
My dad did n’t have adequate insurance so the first place was just a mental health ward in a hospital. I was taken there by police for the 72hrs but because of MLK day, I had to stay 96 for some reason.
I had to take meds constantly and do these personality tests. I remember a girl there who wouldn’t come out of her room and the nurses were yelling at her saying that she was only going to have to stay longer if she did n’t cooperate. I wanted to get out of there, so I wore my best mask and complied to whatever they asked.
I remember they took away any items they tbought I might hurt myself with, but the room had wire hangers of all things.
I couldn’t sleep much and any time I started to, I would wake up every time the night nurses would come around to check with their flashlights.
The second stay was in a different place and was because of my counselor. I was being honest thinking it would help, but I’ve found that counselors are completely worthless since they will always side with caution lest you would actually go through with plans. So I began wearing a mask there too, which made the whole experience pointless.
There were a lot of severely disturbed people in the second place and I was made to stay there for a week. It was awful. I remember the vacant stares and this one guy who was so doped up that he just sat there drooling on himself. I remember a person rocking in the corner, his hands covered in bandages and he kept biting out his fingernails. I remember someone attacked me with a chair and was tackled to the ground. He spit a tooth at me when he was put in his room.
I wasn’t like those people. I just wanted to kill myself. That’s not crazy.
As soon as I could, I stop taking all meds and stopped going to doctors. I stopped talking about the things inside altogether for the longest time.
My sister has been t, and she really didnt think it was that bad, It wasnt like it was disneyland or anything, but she did get a lot better there. The staff was kind, and the patients did not try to stab her or anything like on tv.
But im sure the expirience is different.
btw,
If you ever need extra friends on facebook or other social sites I would be happy to friend you. I like having online friends.
I was in the hospital 6-7 times, including one instance for two months, over the course of about a year and a half. I have also done ECT – twice. In my experience, hospitalization is a short-term solution. Every time my Psychiatrist suggests hospitalization or puts me on a 5150 or 5250, I fight it but once I am in the hospital I find it helpful and somewhat relieving because I can focus on getting treatment for myself without all of the outside distractions. But for me, it is a short-term fix to a very acute situation… it’s basically just a way to keep me safe.
A typical day, for example: Breakfast and morning meds, a group or two before lunch. Lunch. Another group. Dinner. You meet with your Psychiatrist every day (and you meet with a psychiatrist even if your assigned hospital MD us out such as in weekends). Evening meds. Plenty of time for yourself. The hospital I have been to had a large grassy area outside with walking paths, basketball court, ping ping tables. It is very nice. Plenty of nurses around to talk to as well. The arts and crafts groups are my favorite. This hospital also has a computer for patients use plus a television and DVD player for movies (they even had popcorn bags for us whenever we wanted it). If course, there are visiting hours throughout the day.