Psychiatric Wards

[PerfectEmpire]

When you are an inpatient, do they tell you everything about every treatment and medicine they give you, and can you refuse a medicine or treatment if you don't want to do it?

I have yet to meet a psychiatrist that will explain the drugs and why he/she is prescribing what they are prescribing.

Inpatients cannot refuse meds, for they usually sign a contract (or their parents sign one for them) that consents to treatment as the doctors see fit. You are signing yourself in as unable to make proper decisions for yourself. After all, the whole reason for going is feeling unsafe. So you are surrendering your rights to make your own medical decisions. That is my understanding of it. My brother once went into the hospital, admitted himself, as an adult. We had to sign him out when he didn't want to be there anymore. So make sure that you have a friend/family member who trusts your judgement well enough to come to your rescue if you find yourself in a sinister place!

Do you have any civil rights? What happens if you do refuse, say, ECT or a medicine you don't want because you have had it before and you didn't do well on it?

The hospital I was in would just tell you that you are crazy and use it against you that you refused something. Then they would force it on you anyway. Usually by sedating you first. For some reason, the facility I was in had a painful rule: if you stayed longer than 10 days as an inpatient, you could be taken against your will and permanently committed to a state mental hospital and you would be considered property of the state! I stayed exactly 10 days once and was lucky enough that they let me discharge into outpatient programming that afternoon. Several of the other patients were transferred to state wards against their will. They were taken away from their parents and officially owned by the government. I don't know if such rules exist for adults.

Just be careful what you sign. Know what the laws are before you go anywhere near a psych ward. Again, be careful what you sign!

Do they listen to you or simply treat you like furniture?

Well, the psychiatrists were the worst. The nurses were great. The janitors were awesome even though they weren't technically part of the treatment plan! LOL

***

I don't want to scare anybody off from at least looking into inpatient hospitalization. There is a right way to treat patients and a wrong way. There are good hospitals out there. But some are corrupt, like the one I went to. This is just how it is over here. Different countries, states, counties can vary dramatically in their laws, and different facilities can vary dramatically in their treatment of patients.

There really needs to be a website devoted to reviewing psychiatric hospitals. A place for former patients to rate their hospitals and share their thoughts. If anybody finds a site like this, please message me with a link!

 

[2quilt]

Are we allowed to name names of bad or great inpatient hospitals on this site? Anthony?

If you need the name of a good one that will take your insurance, contact your state ombudsman's office, or go over there if it's local, and sit in a private place with one of the ombudsman will feel like he can speak honestly in private. They know all the rest homes and drug rehab places and mental health facilities very well/

 

[sigh]

Actually, you can by law request information about your medication. Every single hospital I've been in has some kind of patient group referring to the medications and almost always, one of the shrinks drop by.

You can refuse medication. However, the law in the US can intervene and force you to take medication if you are deemed a hazard. Your insurance carrier will not like you not taking your meds and will eventually drop you and you will be kicked out, meds or not.

You have civil rights. There is something called a Patient Advocate. Every hospital must put a notice up about this. A Patient Advocate is someone who makes sure your civil rights are not denied (like they don't walk in on you while you're in the shower). There is usually a phone number. It is up to you to call.

ECT totally depends on the situation. When I had my ECT, i was at the end of the line with meds and nothing made me feel any better. I was very depressed, and it was a decision I made with my doctor, social worker, nurse, and the head of the department. How much you have is dependent on the doctor. You can stop though, but you're pretty fogged out.

You do get the feeling that sometimes they treat you not like furniture, but a bunch of big, poorly adjusted kindgergarteners.

I hear PE's response. I have been hospitalized around 20 times in various hospitals, in various situations. I have been in crisis houses (one step down from a hospital) and they are terrible places. I've been in day treatment for a total of years. The hospitals I've been in range from New York City (there was a hospital there that was an abombination, there was one that was oh so nice where DR. Kernberg, the man of BPD, lived or worked or something). I have been in hospitals in socal.

I advise don't be pretentious, keep your head down, make best friends with the techs and do what you can do to be friendly to the nurses (they are BUSY). You can change your pdoc once, I think. Do not touch anyone, do not be touched, there are rules about touching even though you might feel like slugging someone. Do not go to the hospital expecting therapy--they are there to medicate you and kick you out. Have a plan in order with your pdoc and therapist (I called my t on the phone a few times). Usually if your outside pdoc calls the ward, they have to go by what he/she says (which can be annoying).

Hospitals are as varied as the meals. You might lose ten pounds, you might gain ten pounds. You might suffer from intense allergies because the hospital isn't clean enough, or, like me, you might find yourself with a bacterial infection that can be fatal. No one believes you because you're mental. They kick you out. You end up back in the medical part of the hospital for over three weeks and practically everyone from the psych ward comes over to apologize.

Good Luck and remain Long in the Tooth

s.

 

[sink or swim]

Yes, I've been sectioned, by civvys. What can I say, they're the real nutters...drug and control. You could say I was lucky as they saw me as a military problem, but I would like to mention in particular the system. It creates the ideal environment for staff who don't give a s..t about you to abuse you if given the opportunity. Power goes to their heads, and the bad staff outweigh the good, so they're able to get fun, power, and their kind of structure discipline, under health and safety. And the regulations of the mental health laws, you will never get justice as they close ranks, and are good with their paperwork. And don't forget once with that tag, you're taken with a pinch of salt. No-one will ever believe you...and don't shout too loud if you've been in one, because they're in the process of building inhouse places, modern day asylums, and they're not for coming out.

 

[Deleted member 541]

I have been hospitalized I think 4 or 5 times throughout my life, and I have a much different take on this. Could be because the hospital I was in, is a teaching hospital so the care was MUCH better.....

I was sectioned every time, not once was it my decision... I was never forced to take meds, I made it clear that I would not take any. The food was ok, not 5 star by any means, but it was edible....

We had structure everyday. That was important. They stressed the fact that you needed to be busy, keeping your mind from wandering. There was group therapy, individual therapy, music, yoga, painting, more group, and drawing spread out through the day. They would take the smokers outside 3 times a day for smoking breaks. Visitors were allowed in, on 2 nights, and for several hours on Sunday. There was a pay phone for all of us to use, and people could call in using that number.

The staff were friendly, and helpful... I only had one problem ever. The last time I was there, I had a new shrink. Her and I did not mix well at all. I had a huge fight with her, and she kept threatening to put me up on the 3rd floor, till I calmed down. The 3rd floor was lockdown. I didn't back down, I stood my ground with her. I didn't go to lockdown, and I did get what I wanted. I got released.....

Not a great place, but by the sounds of everyone else's experience, I will take this place anytime....

 

[ISupportHer]

As a carer, I've been reading this thread just to kind of see what others have experienced. Sink or swim's comments triggered me to respond.

As a visitor, I have seen both good and bad with staff.

Some Nurses made no attempt to hide that they were there to help and probably because of their mental health background. Things like "I'm on this medication too" or "this (treatment, therapy, concept) really helped me whem I was depressed"

Saw the other side too. Once It was almost time for visiting hour and I hit the intercom. I was told I was 2 minutes early and I would have to wait. Then 5 minutes or more AFTER the start of visiting hour, rather than remotely buzzing me in, the aide came walking down the hall toward me, eyes locked on mine through the window, twirling the keys on her finger and let me in. Clear message was that she was in control. So, I just kind of felt sorry for her really. That her life maybe was such that she has to feel better by exerting this little control over those who have no way to fight back. Anyway, there were little things like that on at least once per admission.

Most staff were very supportive when I was around anyway.

 

[Dylan]

I was in a neuro-psychiatric hospital in my twenties, involuntarily.

However, after the "5150" time period of 72 hours, I followed my therapist's advice and stayed in voluntarily (for 3 months).

I was offered, and refused, medication. I was not in a state institution and so was not forced to undergo treatment (e.g. ECT, heavy medicating) that didn't fit with what I and my therapist thought would work best for me.

After the 72 hours, all my civil rights were in place (the first 72 I was on 24 hour watch in a lock-down unit, so civil rights were somewhat suspended for my safety).

For me, it was exactly what I needed. The removal from the toxic lifestyle I'd inadvertently/unconsciously created from a toxic past was imperative to save my life.

The programs, the health care workers, the doctors - all every good and helpful. But what really made the difference was having, for the first time in my life, a safe, closed environment where I was allowed to have all the thoughts, feelings and issues I'd struggled so hard to hide. I've heard, "you can't save your face and your ass at the same time" and for the first time, I was allowed to drop the face and just concentrate on saving my ass.

It was a good experience for me. If we lived in a different type of society, people in distress would have a loving, supportive response from family, friends, spiritual counselors, etc. But since we don't, this is the best our society could come up with and it was a fine substitute for where I was at the time.

I would never sign myself into a state institution. Uh uh, no way. A friend's mother had that happen and she was forced into ECT and heavy, heavy drugging. She had a horrible life.

HTH-
-Dylan

 

[sigh]

I agree. I think Anthony has guidelines about posting about suicidal thoughts and gestures, but I'd say if you're thinking of making a post like that--to contact your therapist, your doctor, or someone IRL who can help you (e.g. a crisis line).

 

[Lyn]

Hi I was just wondering if any one knows how restricted you are on making phone calls and such?

 

[wife of]

Which country/state?

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Every place is different.

In one psych ward I had my cell on me 24/7.

The other places had phones you could use any time from 6am-11pm as long as group wasn't in session

 

[Srain]

Hi I was just wondering if any one knows how restricted you are on making phone calls and such?

I've been IP 5 times and each time there was a community phone available to patients between activity hours all day long starting with wake up hours until bed time. My husband, friends, and family could contact me every day and I could call out, usually there was a 10-15min limit. I never had trouble. Visiting varied.

I just wanted to respond here for a minute.

I think that in each case and setting it can vary. I have been to 3 different hospitals but on 5 different wards. Needless to say the upper, less "guarded" or severe wards were better. These tended to have more functioning clients and therefore the staff were less rigid because they could be. There was less potential for a serious incident happening whether it be mental or physical.

I will say that it was much more difficult to be on the extreme ward but in response to my actions, I was where I needed to be until my meds could be straightened out, it didn't take long. I had to request to be transferred and was. The other ward was sooo different and I soon myself getting the breathing space I needed and rest. I still wanted to go home as soon as possible but it had nothing to do with the hospital.

It was a MUCH needed stay, it helped my husband regroup and get the rest he needed. It helped me to get back on track and get help. I also got information in my area I otherwise did not have.

I would say to research your area and get information as to which ones are the best. Call and talk to staff, ask questions. I've done it and now I have my info there and they know me. I know there are staff that are cranky, I steer clear, but there are those that are there because they care. I have always found this.

**It is never easy to have the doors locked behind, it can be scary but I've found one or two - sometimes more people that I really connected with each time and it was such a relief to among people again. I'm a HUGE loner so this was the very good experience for me each time.

peace,
Rain