Psych Hospital

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Just curious--if you ask your doctor to put you into a psych hospital...and then once you are there and you change your mind, are you allowed to leave? What happens if you DO leave even if you are not technically allowed? Also, how long would they keep you there by force?

I recall that a person who has chosen to go to a mental hospitial in the UK can leave if they so choose as long as they have not been sectioned under the mental health act.

There are a series of sections, a person can be detained under one section of the act for a short time at the hospital for observation so that the medical staff can work out if they have a mental illness. I am aware of one case of a man who escaped from a hospital and was later found by the police, it was not good for him. He was moved onto a different section of the act which allowed him to be then kept at the hospital for much much longer.

So my advice would be do not try to escape from a UK mental hospital

It depends on what country and state you live in. In the Police States of America, state laws govern this. If you live in the P.S.A. you can search for the state name and mental health confinement.

I'm curious how they do this in Australia...

Most states let you leave 48 hours after you submit a form. However, if the hospital strongly objects, they can petition a court to hold you on a 72-hour hold, and possibly get you ordered to stay on a 2 week hold after that if you object to staying voluntarily after 72 hours. You also might end up getting transferred to a less desirable facility that way, and your insurance might refuse to pay if you leave against advice.

If you work out arrangements to go to the hospital voluntarily with your doctor, you should be able to go to an agreeable facility and you will probably be out in a week or less. It's not a place you would go for fun, but it is a safe and tolerable place and you will eventually feel better in the long term by having gone.

I've been there and done it before myself and I do recommend not putting it off if you get to that point.

In my country, we have a very special mental hospital, where only the craziest psychos can go. There are no doctors, so the patients just spout insane ideas all day. I believe it's called "The Floor of The U.S. Senate".

(I'm sorry that wasn't relevant at all. I just couldn't resist. )

it may be helpful to say why you would like to be placed in a psych hospital ?

do you feel observation is required to decide if you are ill, or do you wish to be observed while changing meds for safety reasons ?

of course a person would be anxious and have anxiety about such a decision.

you may ask you doctor to write on you intake papers that you may leave of your own free will. to alleviate your anxiety.

however, be aware that if you do truly become a ill to the point of harm to yourself, legal requirements may not allow you to leave. this is for your safety.

when i went to the hospital for an out patient psych evaluation for work, to me the anxiety was debilitating. while there i saw ppl arrive with overnight bags as they were in for observation. they looked like it was a routine matter for them,.

ppl get ill, and require treatment.

if you were required to have an xray to mend a broken leg, would you not accept the treatment?

if you require observatio to treat your condition , then it is no different. yes you will be anxious but that is normal.

One piece of information that can help us answer your question is where do you live? There are different laws and rules in different states and most likely in other countries as well.

Thanks for the replies so far!

I am in Canada, btw.

I live in London, UK. I went to a psychiatric ward voluntarily (for once I wasn't sectioned lol) after presenting at A&E. A few days later I tried to discharge myself but was threatened with a section 2. And they wouldn't give me leave. So I was voluntary but I felt like I was sectioned. Most of the times I've been in hospital I've been sectioned and its really not nice at all.

In Australia, each state has their own Mental Health Act so there might be some slight differences, but generally speaking, if you are entering the hospital voluntarily, then I believe that you can ask to leave at any time during your treatment. You can even arrive at the gates and say that you no longer want to be admitted, and as long as you are deemed to not be at risk for yourself or another person, the hospital has no reason to hold you. The doctors may examine your mental state before they grant your leave, though.

Involuntary is a completely different story. If you are admitted involuntarily, then you are only released at the discretion of your treating doctors. They may release you back into the community on a treatment order which you must comply, or otherwise risk being sent back into the hospital [i.e. meet regularly with your doctor, meet regularly with your therapist, attend any outpatient programs, taking your medication regularly]. In order to have the treatment order removed, you need to make an application showing that you are mentally well enough to look after your own mental health without the need for such close treatment.

My own experience at the psych ward of a regular hospital was close to that in '77. I had asked to be "locked up" while in fear I might harm someone, and then three days later my fear was gone and I wanted to leave. A psychiatrist (and even the president of the hospital!) tried to hold me against my will, but the police told him he would have to let me leave and then go see a judge about some kind of commitment order.

As far as I know in Indiana one does not just choose to go into a mental hospital, they have to be admitted. But, when I was in one they wouldn't just let you leave. You have to be cleared.

In the UK it is much easier, both legally and practically to detain ('section') someone who is already in a hospital than someone who isn't. Hence the state of being 'informal until you try to leave'.

If you enter one of these places you are putting your freedom in the hands of people whose interests and motives may differ significantly from your own.

Discuss all this with the very same doctor you might ask to admit you. Actually you might find it enlightening what you learn about a stay, it might not be what you think. But chances are, they might ask you why you would think such a thing needed to begin with, if you've had an ongoing conversation with them to start with. I asked, several times, but they wouldn't let me take my computer with me and dictate my own hours. Wasn't needed, still isn't and I would like a vacation, that isn't the place...see aforementioned reasons ;p