5 ms·

It is unfortunate that stigma around mental illness causes most people to view psychiatric hospitals as places to avoid at all cost, as they have a stigma so te

It is unfortunate that stigma around mental illness causes most people to view psychiatric hospitals as places to avoid at all cost, as they have a stigma so terrible going to one is like dying multiple deaths. After that you're 'legally' crazy (whatever the fuck that means)! In fact, if you need one, if you are severely depressed or hallucinating, a hospital is exactly the place for you. You will most likely love it there. They can help. They can really help. Everyone gets better in the hospital. Everyone. Not "1/3 get better, 1/3 stay the same, 1/3 get worse." Everyone in that sheltered environment rapidly improves. It is a vacation for the mind. The question then becomes staying out of the hospital. Many people come back every few years, get to know the staff quite well, etc. Others develop a plan to address mounting depression early through ongoing treatment, partial hospitalization, etc.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
tptacek 8y ago
I wish this were the case, but "vacation for the mind" is not a good description for the hospitalizations I've been a party to (and have had to work to get people out of). Hospitalization is better than physical harm and is an appropriate response to an acute crisis, but our acute mental health care system in the US is very problematic. I think it's important to be clear that there are interventions that work that precede crisis hospitalizations, and that even if hospitalization is the right call, you can improve the experience by getting people connected with a good doctor first. The belief --- not irrational --- that there's no available intervention other than psychiatric lock up is a part of the problem for some people.
- rjurney 8y ago
  Partial hospitalization would be way preferable, but that generally requires more engagement on the part of the depressed than "show up and say you're gonna kill yourself."
rjpr 8y ago
Personally I'd avoid them at all costs due to the loss of control. You can't just decide "I'm done" or "I don't like it here", you getting released is at the discretion of people that you don't even know.
- soared 8y ago
  You are part of the problem - you're making it seem like some evil doctors tie you down. The reality is if you bring yourself to a hospital you just request to leave and . Doctors have the ability to petition the courts to keep you there. It goes to a US Court, not some evil medical doctor's back office. http://www.disabilityrightsohio.org/when-person-wants-released-psych-hospital http://www.disabilityrightsohio.org/when-person-wants-releas... Even if you're forced to go a mental facility by family/friends/other, it must be legally addressed within 72 hours, and a physician must see you within 48. http://www.lcnewschronicle.com/opinion/columns/4390185-judges-view-how-civil-commitment-process-works http://www.lcnewschronicle.com/opinion/columns/4390185-judge...
  - rjpr 8y ago
    Did you read this at all? > If you have admitted yourself into a psychiatric hospital, you can not simply sign yourself out and leave when you decide to do so. There is a process which must be followed in order to leave.
    - soared 8y ago
      That aligns with my previous comment. There is a fast legal process, not some arcane movie-like entrapment like your comment implied.
      - rjpr 8y ago
        My comment implied no such thing. I was simply stating that you can't just up and leave should you so wish, you getting released is not in your control.
Kenji 8y ago
They also harvest your mental health data. If that surfaces at an unsuitable point in time in your life (e.g. you want to get into politics, you want to operate heavy machinery, you want to serve, etc, etc.) you will pay a huge price because you're one of the crazies who cannot be trusted.
gowld 8y ago
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/suicide/inpatient-suicide-identifying-vulnerability-hospital-setting http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/suicide/inpatient-suicide-id... " Of the 35,000 or more suicides per year in the United States, about 1800 (6%) are inpatient suicides. It is estimated that a psychiatric nurse will experience a completed suicide every 2½ years on average."
Regardsyjc 8y ago
I'm from New York City and I've had the pleasure of being in 3 different psychiatric wards from adolescent to adult. If you have never been in a psych ward and never met crazy people, you will now be surrounded by crazy people and you will also be considered a crazy person. While crazy might be offensive, the people in these wards need serious help and most of them are people you do not want to be around. And you definitely do not want to be locked for days with them either. If you have never experienced this, it will be traumatizing especially if you come from a sheltered environment. If you're suicidal, you were a threat only to yourself. Some of these people in the ward are there because they can be threats to others. That means you will probably see someone be knocked down by nurses and tranquilized. You will hear people yelling, singing, talking to themselves, doing destabilizing things. You will literally be in a horror movie. You will lose most of your clothes and your belongings. Your first day you will probably be in a hospital gown. You won't be allowed to have shoelaces or even pens or pencils until they determine you're not a risk. You have to listen to everything an authority tells you to do and comply. You need to eat even if the food is bad when it's meal time. You need to make sure you do everything right so you can leave as soon as possible. Don't want to do some bullshit music, meditation, or arts therapy? Not cooperating. Not socializing. Negative marks. You need to take the medication they give you, even if you don't want to. If you had the great misfortune to be admitted to the hospital on a weekend, you might be screwed until business hours so they can get the medical records they need or when the regular doctors are back. Want to make a phone call or use the computer? Last one I was at you were limited to less than 15 minutes, there were only 2 phones, and they were always being used. Can't sleep at night because you're sharing a room with someone else or just anxiety ridden because you're in an uncomfortable psych ward? Negative marks or ask the nurse for benadryl. I was grateful to be in a safe place and get the help I needed but every psych ward I've been to has not been a pleasant place because I was stuck there for almost a week without much freedom surrounded by crazy people. That's why most people never ever want to go back to a psych ward even if they're suicidal. It can be that bad. I knew how to follow the rules and get out as fast as possible but some people don't or can't. They're not good at following the rules. Some of the people I met in these wards had been there for 2 weeks, 4, or even longer. It was really sad and even more depressing. Children whose families abandoned them. Adults who didn't have anywhere to go.
chris_wot 8y ago
> After that you're 'legally' crazy (whatever the fuck that means)! In Australia, what it means is that you are involuntarily held in a psych ward, you have no right to leave and you don’t get a say in your own treatment. That includes no choice in your medication.
ridgeguy 8y ago
The quality of life, if you will, varies enormously in psychiatric hospitals. It may be extremely conducive to treatment and recovery in one and just this side of Bedlam in another. source: Personal experience helping member of wife's family who was hospitalized for disabling chronic refractory depression and intense suicidal ideation. This was about two years ago. One institution (in San Mateo County) was great, the other (in Santa Clara County) was awful. She was very lucky in being transferred to the better facility after two days in the awful one. It's not clear she'd have survived a more extended stay at the first. Slightly over a week in the second helped her enough to go back home and live safely.
- rjurney 8y ago
  This is good advice: go to the nicest hospital you can.
wglb 8y ago
I have direct personal experience to know that Everyone gets better in the hospital. is absolutely false.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

tptacek 8y ago

I wish this were the case, but "vacation for the mind" is not a good description for the hospitalizations I've been a party to (and have had to work to get people out of). Hospitalization is better than physical harm and is an appropriate response to an acute crisis, but our acute mental health care system in the US is very problematic. I think it's important to be clear that there are interventions that work that precede crisis hospitalizations, and that even if hospitalization is the right call, you can improve the experience by getting people connected with a good doctor first. The belief --- not irrational --- that there's no available intervention other than psychiatric lock up is a part of the problem for some people.

rjurney 8y ago
Partial hospitalization would be way preferable, but that generally requires more engagement on the part of the depressed than "show up and say you're gonna kill yourself."

rjpr 8y ago

Personally I'd avoid them at all costs due to the loss of control. You can't just decide "I'm done" or "I don't like it here", you getting released is at the discretion of people that you don't even know.

soared 8y ago
You are part of the problem - you're making it seem like some evil doctors tie you down. The reality is if you bring yourself to a hospital you just request to leave and . Doctors have the ability to petition the courts to keep you there. It goes to a US Court, not some evil medical doctor's back office. http://www.disabilityrightsohio.org/when-person-wants-released-psych-hospital http://www.disabilityrightsohio.org/when-person-wants-releas... Even if you're forced to go a mental facility by family/friends/other, it must be legally addressed within 72 hours, and a physician must see you within 48. http://www.lcnewschronicle.com/opinion/columns/4390185-judges-view-how-civil-commitment-process-works http://www.lcnewschronicle.com/opinion/columns/4390185-judge...
- rjpr 8y ago
  Did you read this at all? > If you have admitted yourself into a psychiatric hospital, you can not simply sign yourself out and leave when you decide to do so. There is a process which must be followed in order to leave.
  - soared 8y ago
    That aligns with my previous comment. There is a fast legal process, not some arcane movie-like entrapment like your comment implied.
    - rjpr 8y ago
      My comment implied no such thing. I was simply stating that you can't just up and leave should you so wish, you getting released is not in your control.

Kenji 8y ago

They also harvest your mental health data. If that surfaces at an unsuitable point in time in your life (e.g. you want to get into politics, you want to operate heavy machinery, you want to serve, etc, etc.) you will pay a huge price because you're one of the crazies who cannot be trusted.

gowld 8y ago

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/suicide/inpatient-suicide-identifying-vulnerability-hospital-setting http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/suicide/inpatient-suicide-id... " Of the 35,000 or more suicides per year in the United States, about 1800 (6%) are inpatient suicides. It is estimated that a psychiatric nurse will experience a completed suicide every 2½ years on average."

Regardsyjc 8y ago

I'm from New York City and I've had the pleasure of being in 3 different psychiatric wards from adolescent to adult. If you have never been in a psych ward and never met crazy people, you will now be surrounded by crazy people and you will also be considered a crazy person. While crazy might be offensive, the people in these wards need serious help and most of them are people you do not want to be around. And you definitely do not want to be locked for days with them either. If you have never experienced this, it will be traumatizing especially if you come from a sheltered environment. If you're suicidal, you were a threat only to yourself. Some of these people in the ward are there because they can be threats to others. That means you will probably see someone be knocked down by nurses and tranquilized. You will hear people yelling, singing, talking to themselves, doing destabilizing things. You will literally be in a horror movie. You will lose most of your clothes and your belongings. Your first day you will probably be in a hospital gown. You won't be allowed to have shoelaces or even pens or pencils until they determine you're not a risk. You have to listen to everything an authority tells you to do and comply. You need to eat even if the food is bad when it's meal time. You need to make sure you do everything right so you can leave as soon as possible. Don't want to do some bullshit music, meditation, or arts therapy? Not cooperating. Not socializing. Negative marks. You need to take the medication they give you, even if you don't want to. If you had the great misfortune to be admitted to the hospital on a weekend, you might be screwed until business hours so they can get the medical records they need or when the regular doctors are back. Want to make a phone call or use the computer? Last one I was at you were limited to less than 15 minutes, there were only 2 phones, and they were always being used. Can't sleep at night because you're sharing a room with someone else or just anxiety ridden because you're in an uncomfortable psych ward? Negative marks or ask the nurse for benadryl. I was grateful to be in a safe place and get the help I needed but every psych ward I've been to has not been a pleasant place because I was stuck there for almost a week without much freedom surrounded by crazy people. That's why most people never ever want to go back to a psych ward even if they're suicidal. It can be that bad. I knew how to follow the rules and get out as fast as possible but some people don't or can't. They're not good at following the rules. Some of the people I met in these wards had been there for 2 weeks, 4, or even longer. It was really sad and even more depressing. Children whose families abandoned them. Adults who didn't have anywhere to go.

chris_wot 8y ago

> After that you're 'legally' crazy (whatever the fuck that means)! In Australia, what it means is that you are involuntarily held in a psych ward, you have no right to leave and you don’t get a say in your own treatment. That includes no choice in your medication.

ridgeguy 8y ago

The quality of life, if you will, varies enormously in psychiatric hospitals. It may be extremely conducive to treatment and recovery in one and just this side of Bedlam in another. source: Personal experience helping member of wife's family who was hospitalized for disabling chronic refractory depression and intense suicidal ideation. This was about two years ago. One institution (in San Mateo County) was great, the other (in Santa Clara County) was awful. She was very lucky in being transferred to the better facility after two days in the awful one. It's not clear she'd have survived a more extended stay at the first. Slightly over a week in the second helped her enough to go back home and live safely.

rjurney 8y ago
This is good advice: go to the nicest hospital you can.

wglb 8y ago

I have direct personal experience to know that Everyone gets better in the hospital. is absolutely false.