Inpatient Hospitalization

[Kubash16]

Thank you for that @bellbird. I am safe right now. I go through cycles of some serious instability and I had one of those fairly recently. I’ve leveled out for the moment. I have an appt. with a pdoc coming up in a few days so I should be good and hopefully he can help find something to level me out a little better.

I had a therapy session last night that really helped too. Different therapist then my normal which sucked but that’s life. She was nice. Anyway, she gave me quite a bit of information. Apparently near my therapists office is a trauma/mental health hospital that has several different levels of care. I think I’ve stabilized enough for the moment to avoid full inpatient, I am tempted by their partial program. They offer an evening one that would work with my work schedule and she says they take my insurance. I’m considering it, but since I’ve got a pdoc appt set up now I kind of want to wait and see.

 

[bellbird]

I am safe right now.

Really glad about this :)

Apparently near my therapists office is a trauma/mental health hospital that has several different levels of care. I think I’ve stabilized enough for the moment to avoid full inpatient, I am tempted by their partial program. They offer an evening one that would work with my work schedule and she says they take my insurance.

Hey this sounds like a really good option.
Hopefully pdoc will be very helpful, but the trauma facility sounds really worth considering regardless :)

 

[Kubash16]

I agree.

 

[Cypress]

If there is a partial program focused on trauma then I would encourage going for that first. Keeping your job is important for lots of different reasons, not just financial. If you get overwhelmed during the partial program then maybe they could fast track you to inpatient if you need it.

 

[Changing4Best]

I have found it helpful for the most part. They updated all my meds, making sure that I was not allergic to any of the new ones. They gave me some therapy every day, either in with a Dr. or in a group. They also taught me several coping techniques, which have come in handy ever since!

 

[Kubash16]

I have found it helpful for the most part. They updated all my meds, making sure that I was not allergic to any of the new ones. They gave me some therapy every day, either in with a Dr. or in a group. They also taught me several coping techniques, which have come in handy ever since!

I am so glad it helped you! I may be going tomorrow, so I'm nervous. I meet with a psychiatrist for the first time and plan to be extremely honest about some major ideation that has been happening.

 

[Changing4Best]

I wish you the very best. I have been numerous times, but lately, since I changed pdocs, I have not had to go anymore. When you get the right Dr., and the right meds and coping tech, it makes a lot of difference.

 

[pamcoco]

I understand your search Kubash16 and hope you are able to find a good fit. I wanted to go inpatient for several years but simply didn't have the outpatient support to maintain my life or the finances to afford it.

Recently, I was admitted to the mental ICU unit the day after a suicide attempt. I don't remember anything except waking up with three docs/nurses or whatever, punching me in the arms. I suddenly became completely alert, opened my eyes and yelled "Stop hitting me!"
The medic to the left said they would if I "behave". "Otherwise, you are never getting out of here."

I responded that I was raped, trying to explain that they were scaring me. "You weren't raped and you better stop fighting if you don't want to be hit."

I asked for my boyfriend or mother. They told me no one was there. I asked them to call. They said only if I could remember the phone number.

Unconscious again.

Besides for this solo recollection, once I regained consciousness, I felt rested for the first time in many, many years. I had new clarity and became vocal about my needs. I was calmer than I have been in sometime.

Unfortunately all hell broke loose again since my stay, and I have had one of the more difficult few weeks in my lifetime.

I have lost much of what was gained, but believe that if it weren't for incredible recent stress and if the medical staff had been more gentle, I would rank it as a positive, feeling more peaceful and clear than before.

 

[lux.]

I’ve been hospitalized somewhere around 25 times, not including drug/alcohol rehabs. Some were general psych, some eating disorder, some dual diagnosis, and I think 4 in Sheppard Pratt’s trauma disorders unit.

A lot of psych wards are really just to keep you safe for about a week. Most do not have individual therapy and the group therapy has never been very helpful for me. Sometimes the patients can really trigger you, especially when you have a trauma history.

The trauma disorders unit was definitely the most helpful for me. I loved Sheppard Pratt. But the problem with them is that one of your clinicians has to fill out an application (they won’t take you if you don’t already have outpatient providers), then you wait a while for them to approve or deny, and then there is usually a wait list. But in order for insurance to approve, you have to be a danger to yourself or others. So suicidal, homicidal, and/or actively engaging in self-injury. For which you sometimes can’t wait a few weeks.

For me it always took about 3-4 weeks for the whole admissions process. Sheppard Pratt identifies itself as for PTSD & dissociative disorders, but most of their clients have DID, and their treatment is largely focused on dissociative symptoms. They have longer stays than most psych wards—they say the average is about 3 weeks, but I’ve found that 3 weeks is more like the minimum there. But I also think that one week really isn’t enough for trauma disorders. Med changes won’t take effect in that time, nor will therapeutic interventions have much of an impact.

Sheppard Pratt is really intensive. You’re busy in groups most of the day, you have the psychiatrist every day, individual 3x a week, and plenty of homework from therapy. I would imagine most trauma programs are like that. In other psych wards, you usually have a lot of downtime.

I would definitely recommend a specialized trauma unit if you can get in and can wait that long.

 

[Kubash16]

I’ve been hospitalized somewhere around 25 times, not including drug/alcohol rehabs. Some were general psych, some eating disorder, some dual diagnosis, and I think 4 in Sheppard Pratt’s trauma disorders unit.

A lot of psych wards are really just to keep you safe for about a week. Most do not have individual therapy and the group therapy has never been very helpful for me. Sometimes the patients can really trigger you, especially when you have a trauma history.

The trauma disorders unit was definitely the most helpful for me. I loved Sheppard Pratt. But the problem with them is that one of your clinicians has to fill out an application (they won’t take you if you don’t already have outpatient providers), then you wait a while for them to approve or deny, and then there is usually a wait list. But in order for insurance to approve, you have to be a danger to yourself or others. So suicidal, homicidal, and/or actively engaging in self-injury. For which you sometimes can’t wait a few weeks.

For me it always took about 3-4 weeks for the whole admissions process. Sheppard Pratt identifies itself as for PTSD & dissociative disorders, but most of their clients have DID, and their treatment is largely focused on dissociative symptoms. They have longer stays than most psych wards—they say the average is about 3 weeks, but I’ve found that 3 weeks is more like the minimum there. But I also think that one week really isn’t enough for trauma disorders. Med changes won’t take effect in that time, nor will therapeutic interventions have much of an impact.

Sheppard Pratt is really intensive. You’re busy in groups most of the day, you have the psychiatrist every day, individual 3x a week, and plenty of homework from therapy. I would imagine most trauma programs are like that. In other psych wards, you usually have a lot of downtime.

I would definitely recommend a specialized trauma unit if you can get in and can wait that long.

Thank you for all this info!