Mental institute?

[Spinder]

Have any of you ever been committed to a mental hospital, either voluntarily or not? If anyone is comfortable with sharing their experiences, I would really like to hear about them.

I have been twice. The first time I went willingly because I thought the place really wouldn't be that bad, and that maybe it would help me. Everything I'd been told about the place made it seem like it wasn't so bad. But, within hours of arriving, it became clear to me that I had been very badly misinformed about, well... everything. It didn't take very long to realize what a horrible, horrible mistake I had made walking through those damned doors willingly. Luckily I only spent 2 nights there, because I was able to convince them to let me leave by saying I was being sexually harassed by another patient (which was true, but I needed to exaggerate a bit to make my case).

The second time was involuntarily, a few months after the first. And it was at the same place, too. My second experience there was far, far worse than the first. Those 3 days that I was locked up in that hell hole were by far the worst 3 days of my entire life. To say it was an extremely harrowing experience is a massive understatement... I don't think I will ever be any closer to hell than that place.

But thank the dear, sweet, merciful Maker I was allowed to go home after those 3 days, that I wasn't forced to stay there a moment longer... oh, God. :cry:

xx

[Atonement]

I've been once. It was called a "Behavioral Health Center". But yeah, it was a similar idea. When I went in, I was excited to get help because I was at a really bad time in life. The lady was really nice. After I was in, the staff turned into monsters and were complete assholes who treated you like cattle. There is no way I nor my mom would ever let me go back there again. Bad experience. Now, I don't want this to deter anyone from going to where they can get help, this was just my center, I have spoken to many people who had positive experiences with this experience.

[Aspiringanonymous]

TWPR :arrow: Mental Illnesses

[Kaius]

I've been committed once unwillingly for continuous suicide attempts. I'd rather not go into too much detail but I hated it there. They claimed I was going in for help and ended up coming out more terrified than when I went in. I was nearly admitted again last November but wasn't because of a health problem. From the day I left the hospital after a suicide attempt until the day of my surgery I had someone stay with me 24/7. It was the same kind of conditions as the ward I was on but slightly more lenient. All I can say is after both experiences I never, ever want to be in either of those positions again.

[deadpie]

Yes. I was put in one because I couldn't return back to my school district without completing some type of recovery at a psychiatric hospital. The only thing good about that place was the friend I met.
They had a level rank from 1 to 4. They seemed to worry more about the discipline in doing what your told then trying to help you. I mean, I couldn't say the word "FUCK" there without getting a mark on my sheet.
They put you in the Quiet Room if they don't trust you, which is this white room with a camera big enough for a bed.
When it was group therapy, all we ever talked about was "Why we're here" and nothing else. That was always the topic. The therapists reason why is because "There would be new people and people leaving everyday, so it's nice to know everyone's story on why they're here." So instead of actually talking about our problems, we had to just talk about why we were there.
Even when you had one on one time with your therapist everyday, it was nothing more then, "How are feeling, how is the medication, any side effects, goodbye."
The worst, most annoying part is that what felt like every thirty minutes they would ask you, "On a scale of 1-10, how suicidal are you right now?" That was so fucking annoying.
The stupid Goal sheets were annoying too. They had these worksheets you had to do everyday, like, "List The ABC's of coping", "write five things you learned today", "name ten healthy things to do other than harming yourself."

During our Recreational Time we were given everyday me and a couple other people would actually converse about our lives and help each other out, three of those people are people I still talk to today.

I hated the place, but if I wasn't there, I wouldn't of ever met those three people. It's funny, because I actually had to write down their phone numbers on a napkin with a pencil I got yelled at for taking from a nurse.

[CantBeTamed]

Suicide Attempts 3 Times The First Time I Was Just Put In A Padded Room For 2 Days Being Pumped With Happy Meds The Other 2 Times Was Basically The Same Thing Only Longer Time Periods

[BeautifulDisaster]

I was sectioned for 28 days back when I was 13.
Hated it there.
Was restrained in there & bullied & managed to try to kill myself another 3 times, & managed to cut myself.
Was released despite being very mentally unstable.
Ah well.
I'd rather be out than in there,it was horrible in there.

[Zeh Crazy]

Yeah, I went once. And I never want to go again. I was in there for only 5 days, but it seemed like an eternity. I was with one guy who didn't talk to anyone and one time a staff member touched his shoulder and he went ballistic. He always stared at me. He would steal people's shoes and sit at the end of the hallway and throw them at people as they walked by. That was hilarious. Not everyone that was there should've been there, like me. Alright, I do belong in a hospital, but let's keep that between you and me, ok? :D I met lots of people; Some I talked to, some I didn't. It was absolutely boring in that place. I cried straight for the first two days. At night, too, because there was nothing else to do. The beds were fricken rock-hard. That's not an exaggeration. Take a slab of concrete and lay down on it. That's what it felt like. Also the first night, they woke me up at 5 in the morning to give me a TB test and draw my blood. I was so out of it that I didn't even feel the needle. I hate how you always have to ask permission to use the bathroom or something and how you only get like 10 minutes for a shower. Another thing, you can't shave. So when you get out, you come out looking like fucking Sasquatch. I hated the stupid goal sheets. It was hard to come up with a goal everyday. They had to fight with me about the meds. When I finally cooperated and said I would take them, they gave me a shot in my ass anyway. However, the food is good...

[Viral Death]

Nope but I had my brain checked and I am schitzo!!! lol I dont like it so much

[Kaya]

I was there for a week.

[deadpie]

Nope but I had my brain checked and I am schitzo!!! lol I dont like it so much

Most schizophrenics don't spell schizo wrong or call themselves schizo. They use the full word.
And it takes more then a CAT scan to tell if your schizophrenic or not.

[Syvelocin]

I've been twice, both willingly, both for a whole week, August '09 and April '10.

I always advise to never get hospitalization unless you are really thinking about killing yourself. In that case, it can save your life. But when you're like me, and just love being self-destructive, or if you're milder than I am, then you will not like hospitalization. They don't care about you, they care about the $1500 they're making off of you a day, not counting your prescriptions. They let you wallow in your misery for hours while they keep you in your room and only take you out to yell at you during group therapy. The food sucks, and most people find that by the end of the entire experience, they would like to blow their brains out more than before they got there.

I've even smuggled a razor into the place, it's not safety proof at all. They didn't even know, though I never used it because a friend of mine borrowed it and hacked herself up pretty well that she needed stitches. =P.

Yeah, I agree that the only good thing is the people. Mental patients are probably the most intelligent and understanding people I've ever met. You find that there really are people who are going through or thinking about similar things that you are.

The first time I went, it was quite mild, and I actually liked it after awhile when I had a room to myself. But when you go during the school year, like I did the second time, there are loads of other kids, a lot of the time they're the stupid ones that got sent there by their parents for very shitty reasons. They get all the attention, even if you're the one with open wounds on your arms, but when you return to the same place, they give you even less recognition than the first time. One of the counselors that remembered me gave me a lot of crap when I saw him for the first time since my previous visit, but didn't speak to me at all while in group therapy, unlike last time when he was picking on me.

Really, I think the only reason they exist is to make you even more depressed so your psychiatrists can make more money. Contrary to the popular belief, the top priority of mental hospitals is definitely not to cure you.

[jamieallover]

Yes, I have been in a psychiatric ward. I also checked myself in. I institutionalized myself for many different reasons. I have been struggling with extremely anxiety and depression for, ugh, over about 10 years now. About a year ago, I started cutting. I saw myself going in a downward spiral and I desperately wanted to get out of it. And the only way I saw that happening, was by checking myself in. I also had heard that the place did wonders for people. I heard it really helped people out. But just like you, the next morning I woke up, I realized what a HORRIBLE decision it was to put myself there. I felt like a complete outcast. I felt like I didn't belong there at all. I was petrefied to leave my room. I cried, I even fought the doctors. I called my dad every hour to come and visit me and to get me out of there. The reasoning that I checked myself in was because I honestly thought that if I didn't get help, that I was going to kill myself or hurt myself or someone else. I didn't plan on being there longterm, I just watned to be safe while these feelings were lingering in my head.

Also, the psychologist blatantly lied to me to get me to voluntarily put myself into the institute. He told me that if I checked myself in, I would be able to check myself out at anytime. He failed to tell me that considering I checked myself in on a Friday night, that the doctors who were able to discharge the patients wouldn't be in til Monday; so I had to stay there for 3 days.

Honestly, in some ways, I wish I took more of an advantage in being there. I wish I gave it my all because by the end, I made a ton of friends that I will never forget. I met people whose stories amazed me and crushed me at the same time. I wish that I gave it my all the whole time because maybe I would've benefited more and I wouldn't be struggling with my depression as much as I am now.

I don't know though, there's nothing I can do about it now. But I can say, that I've honestly thought about putting myself back in there because by the end of the stay, it felt like home.

[Kaius]

Don't bump old threads :locked: