hospital question

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I mainly enjoyed the times that I was in. I could relax and know that things were going to get better. If you talk and act like a normal person and treat their precautions as matter of fact, you will do a lot better than if you complain.

so what I'm hearing, it could ether be great, or it could be really awful

this isn't making me any less scared >.>
at least I have more information now.

anybody else have any input?



~

Well basically the more you cooperate with the nurses, doctors and psychiatrists, the nicer they'll be and you'll earn more priviledges and probably get out faster.

You just go along with the program for a week and it will all go smoothly. The program is really simple: there's a time to wake up by, time for breakfast, time for a shower (privacy won't be an issue unless they have some unusual cause for concern), time for scheduled meals, simple activities, and fairly basic group therapy sessions. At the end of the day there is visiting hours and free time, then a lights out time. There is time in between activities and the schedule is set so if it's not posted someone can still tell you about it. Also, at least once a day you will talk to a psychiatrist like you would in an office visit. Throughout the day you will either have set times to go outside or they may have it open when there is nothing scheduled. It's designed to keep structure in your life, but at the same time it's made to be really easy to follow.

If you haven't been picked up and committed by now there is no need to worry about state hospitals and long term commitment and stuff like that. Once you are there, if you feel like you might freak out, give them as much advance notice as possible so they can try to help you. Restraining people is a physical and legal/paperwork hassle so they will exhaust all other options first, and there are a lot of options, like talking you down, xanax, time [semi] alone or outside, etc. If they want you to stay longer, by all means calmly ask questions and express concerns (being careful not to argue), and agree to it. They aren't trying to keep you long term. They just want a few more days or a week. It's common for them to do. When they discharge you I recommend inquiring about outpatient treatment. That's where you go to another part of the hospital where you are there typically between 9 and 3, get your meds monitored and get more in-depth group therapy, then go home to your own bed at night. Inpatient serves it's purpose, but outpatient is a really good experience to have.

Perhaps ask your psychologist about going straight to an outpatient program? Even if you end up having to go inpatient first, they usually tend to like to move people to outpatient as soon as they can. Believe me all this does sound scary. I know first hand. It all works out really well in the end though.

I don't know... I'm scared to ask her about anything, because I'm scared of being in the hospital

I'm really just scared about lots of things.

Sweet Pea hugs

why do you always say that?

My advice is to go in remembering you are a customer. You are there to purchase their survices to meet a specific goal. I talk with the doctor and we plan out how we will achieve that. Some things may not be to my liking but I'll try them as I believe that real experts know more about it than I do. It's like anything else, getting something worthwhile can suck.

I've gotten permenants before in my hair. The rollers are tight and they hurt. The solution stinks to high heaven. It sometimes burns or itches me. Either way I know that the professional knows more about getting me the kind of result I want than I know how to do it. Otherwise I'd be home with Dippety Do and sponge rollers still. So, I'll agree to be inconvenienced some, if it's part of the plan.

Make your plan with your doctor. Discuss your goals. Have a set thing you want to accomplish. Usually I just wanted to be able to get through a day without wishing I was dead. That was an accomplishment.

Ask what to expect. Tell them that you are cooperative but you aren't good with surprises or things that aren't explained to you.

Even when I was brought in unconscious in an ambulance and woke up tied to the bed, I thought like a customer. "What are they going to do to help me fix this?" I did not go about it like I was better than them or talked down to them. Politeness matters. Even if it's from being tied down in the bed and saying "Scuse me, Maam, honey can I brush my teeth please? I'm not gonna do anything when I get untied" If she can't it's because she can't not because she wants to be mean to you. Rules are made by administration not made on the spot by individuals in the department. Realize that they have a job to do and thats how they survive. They are probably trying to be as cooperative as they can at the moment. Have some sympathy for them too, they probably want to give in much more than they can.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Good points.
1) Ambulance crews do use restraint arbitrarily (they may or may not at their own discretion), but they work under a different set of ethics than a hospital so it is not a sign of things to come if you get transferred by ambulance. If that happens, ask questions if you feel the need, but stay cool and don't resist because they will let you up when you get in the facility. I've seen that a bunch of times. My brother is a firefighter and used to be on an ambulance crew and they don't get calm psych calls much, so they will reciprocate. Is you take that trip, it's a non-issue if you don't make it one. I've never taken that ride but I've seen many people take it, and I would not worry about it if I had to take it.

2) If you come in calm and rational, either coming from the ER or straight to the psych ward with a doctor's referral, you won't have to worry about getting tied to a bed. They will check you in, do your paperwork, check your things (a couple may have to be put in storage), show you your room, and either send you to the group or free time.

Forget whatever you learned about psychiatric hospitals from TV and the movies. Those portrayals are made to entertain by scaring or amusing people. In the real world, they are very mundane.

Could they have been joking?

thank you for telling me that stuff, the more I know, the better I'll be if I get put in(I like to be well prepared)

any more information? everything is useful.

While you are there, take advantage of the time and use it to ask for help with any psych/mental/emotional problems you may be having. You could be there for depression but while you are getting the depression treated you could also bring up a seperate problem you have with say, social anxiety or with expressing yourself. Even if you can't put your finger on what's wrong you can tell them "I really don't know whats wrong or what I want to achieve here, can you help me figure it out?"

They are specialists with those kinds of problems and by cooperating with them you not only probably shorten your stay and have more privelages while there, but you get things accomplished and treatment started.

Many times people are there to get their medication adjusted. Sometimes new doses or new meds can cause a bad emotional reaction in people, so being in the hospital where professionals are right there 24/7 to notice the reaction and change dosages etc is important. It's much easier to start a new med in the hospital than at home.

Even if you aren't a danger to yourself and others, you have to remember that some other people in the unit are, and the precautions that are silly and uneeded for you may be very important to have in place for the others. They will put you in the least restrictive environment they think is safe for you, but even the lest restrictive place in a psych unit may have ridiculous rules that some people don't need. Don't take it personally. While you may not need those restrictions to protect you, others do need them. An overall across the board set of rules on a unit is easier to enforce than each individual patient having a vast difference in what they are allowed, and this way, less mistakes are made.

Be as honest as possible with the staff. Without knowing whats wrong, they can't treat you properly.

They are not your enemy. Use their knowledge and talents to help yourself and to allow them to help you and see it as a positive experience and you will be treated much more civilly.

ETA; An example would be at medication time. If you are handed a cup of meds that you are unfamiliar with, don't blame the nurse. She didn't prescribe them. Rather than refuse them outright, say something like "I'm unfamiliar with these. Can you tell me what they are please and what side effects I might have with them before I take them?" Then if it's something you are really uncomfortable with say "I'm pretty uncomfortable with this particular med, can you call my doctor and see if there is an alternative, or could I possibly just refuse this tonight and then talk to him about it tomorrow?" Requesting it that way and being rational and treating them like they are someone you are working toward a common goal with instead of treating them like they are a tyrant and arguing or shouting about the meds or refusing rudely will make you seem irrational and they may think that you are unable to actually make an informed decision at the time, because sometimes people are unable to. Your actions and words are the only way they have of assessing how "all there" you are mentally and whether or not you are competant enough to make decisions. Being upset and screaming like a lunatic will get you treated exactly as if you are a lunatic insted of someone with legitimate concerns.

If you have a problem with something, ask what the hospitals policy is on it and if it can be waived. Do not do this with every little thing, only with something important to you. Remember, you are not their only patient and it may take some time before a request is fulfilled.

All of this is so scary to me. I'm so glad to have these tips. I have a friend with significan problems. We don't know when to trust her, but she told us of electro shock therapy she went through. Honestly I would act normal and I would run away to another country. Change my name to Juan and try to farm. That is so scary.

I have a 'everyone thinks I'm nuts and their going to lock me up, throw away the key and hurt me' paranoia. I try to not think of it, but it's always there.

In the US, ECT, casually known as 'shock therapy', is only done almost entirely on a voluntarily basis. A court order authorizing that is extremely hard to get and it's only given if someone cannot feed or take care of themselves, and is unable to make an informed decision in the matter. I've known people that had it including a really good friend I visited in the hospital while they were receiving it. Not only is the procedure light-years more refined than it originally was (and is NEVER, EVER used as a disciplinary measure anymore), but they also use a small fraction of the current than they originally did.

I have been in the hospital before, in fact in May of this year. I had to enter because of a psychotic break and self harm. It took longer than normal for me to get in because I had to go to the emergency room. It is because I took an overdose and cut myself up pretty badly. So, they had to check it out first. It took a total of 12 hours between when I got there to when I got into the psych ward. I went in there voluntarily. I had tons of paperwork to do, and at my hospital they do a depression test. I always score highly on them. I have never been strapped down. I am always cooperative. I don't fight them. If you are feeling actively suicidal it is a good idea to go in. They can get you on anti-depressants. At my hospital there are several groups. I mostly sleep and go to groups, although I do love talking to the other patients. I only had one bad experience with the patients. That is when they ganged up and bullied me. That usually doesn't happen. I normally stay a week at a time. I might be wrong but I don't think I ever stayed more than a week. You shouldn't hold anything back while talking to your doctor. I try not to. Except when its a doctor that doesn't believe me. I have had that experience. Don't worry, you will probably not have that experience since 99% of the other people are believed. I am not.

thank you for adding more, it's very helpful!

the more the better