Can a therapist IVC you for having sex?

[susannahsays]

The therapist does not want me having sex. I got angry last night and sent her a text that said, "I don't care about abuse! [the therapist is obsessed by abuse] I hate C! You can't lock me up for having sex!" I am not legally underage, do not have any diseases, and am not forcing anyone to have sex with me. In short, I am not a danger to myself or others. Yet the therapist has said she will "pursue hospitalization" if I continue "acting out" when I have been sexually active in the past. I am concerned that she will try to do this. Is this outrageous, or am I missing something?

 

[EveHarrington]

What country are you in?

She can pursue hospitalization if she so desires. The danger is in that many people have been hospitalized by heavy handed therapists and doctors, when hospitalization wasn’t in their best interest.

Is the sexual acting out a part of a larger picture?

 

[Justmehere]

Do you have PTSD? Is this a therapist trained in trauma?

In the US, one must be in danger of commuting suicide, homicide (a threat to self or others) or “gravely disabled” which roughly means unable to feed or clothes ones self.

One can have consensual sex as much they want, and it’s not groundsfor being locked up in a hospital. If it was, there would be a lot more people waiting in ERs for a bed to open up in a hospital.

If that promiscuity is one of many ways you are acting out, and other ways that you are acting out indicate you are becoming a danger to yourself or others, then she might have grounds to attempt to place you on a hold.

 

[susannahsays]

Do you have PTSD? Is this a therapist trained in trauma?

In the US, one must be in danger of commuting suicide, homicide (a threat to self or others) or “gravely disabled” which roughly means unable to feed or clothes ones self.

One can have consensual sex as much they want, and it’s not groundsfor being locked up in a hospital. If it was, there would be a lot more people waiting in ERs for a bed to open up in a hospital.

If that promiscuity is one of many ways you are acting out, and other ways that you are acting out indicate you are becoming a danger to yourself or others, then she might have grounds to attempt to place you on a hold.

The therapist claims I have DID. I think I just have a few imposters due to schizophrenia. One of the imposters has been diagnosed with PTSD, and yes, the therapist is familiar with trauma.

 

[whiteraven]

I have DID and an alter who used to claim to be very promiscuous - I'm not entirely sure she was, though - and would tell my then-therapist this over and over again. As @Justmehere said, in the US you can't be hospitalized just for wanting to or having sex. The criteria are a) danger to self, b) danger to others. My therapist used to just laugh at her (he was kind of an *sshole) and tell her she was welcome to do whatever she wanted, that it was her choice. He would, though, try to talk about *why* the sex was so important to her.

 

[grit]

Hi susannahsays,

I hope you find peace and love. I do not know what country you live in where a therapist has such power but here in Canada, I think honestly (not sure 100%) but a doctor can admit you unless you are out of it like full, violent psychosis...then I suppose anyone can call 911.

I hope you are feeling better. Is it possible this is your version of what the therapist think of you but not really a fact? Also if your therapist ever threatened to imprison you while you are in therapy, I think that is not therapeutic and almost (to my abused ears) sounds dangerous.

Do you have anyone you trust in your everyday life that you can talk to about how you are feeling?

 

[Sideways]

As an alternative perspective - I have DID as well as PTSD. One of my parts used to act out promiscuously. Her attitude was it was just sex.

In my case, the ‘casual sex’ scenarios I was getting myself into? Were actually dangerous. So in addition to retraumatizing my child parts, I was actually putting my safety in jeopardy.

I’m not sure that an Involuntary Treatment Order would have stuck if challenged (I’m in Australia, but the criteria is similar - I can be committed if I’m a risk to myself or others). But my pdoc would have had a pretty strong argument at the time. We agreed to a voluntary hospitalisation instead.

 

[susannahsays]

I have angry texted the therapist. Today I texted that I wasn't coming to our appointment tomorrow. She replied that she thought I had misunderstood our conversation, and to please come. I asked if I was in trouble, and she claims I'm not. So I'm going to go and hope it's not a trap!

 

[susannahsays]

Well, I went today. I had not really misunderstood our conversation. She had misunderstood what I meant by "lock up" because the definition of abuse she had read to me the previous session had mentioned incarceration. She thought I was under the impression that she was saying I would somehow get sent to jail for having sex.

Anyway, I ended up admitting that the deed had occurred, and getting upset because it did not go as planned (I don't want to trigger anyone, so I won't say more about that). At first I told the therapist that I left C to deal with it, as usual, but then she seemed mad, so I admitted I had kept my promise not to involve C. I just don't like the therapist to know that anything bad has ever happened to me!

 

[Friday]

In short, I am not a danger to myself or others

At first I told the therapist that I left C to deal with it, as usual, but then she seemed mad, so I admitted I had kept my promise not to involve C.

This sounds like someone IS getting hurt?

Why is C involved in your sex life / what is it that they have to deal with “as usual” ?

 

[shimmerz]

Not really too keen on feeding this posting with a 'NO, your therapist can't just throw you into hospital for having sex' thing, Pretty sure your therapist knows that she can't admit you unless there is some form of harm to yourself or others. And I get the impression you either 1. aren't fessing up as to what her concerns are OR 2. your DID part is so removed that you don't know that what you are doing while in that part is self harm.

So - any thoughts as to why your therapist thinks you are hospitalization material because I don't buy into this innocent me thing?

 

[Justmehere]

Are you willing to give her request a try?

She’s not trying to stop you from having consensual safe sex where no one is at risk of harm and your recovery and stability is well supported, but rather she is worried about the dissociation, schizophrenia, and etc.

Are you willing to consider a higher level of care? Perhaps intensive outpatient or partial hospitalization? Perhaps a time of being more closely treated will help address your therapist’s concerns, get the acting out and safety issues under control, and still let you have greater freedom than if you were inpatient.

If what is happening is safe and healthy, then there wouldn’t / shouldn’t be so much shame and secrecy about it between you and even your therapist.

We can go around and around on what she said, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t seem like your symptoms are under control - so how about focusing on getting on top of that?