I spent time in a psychiatric hospital on a few occasions. AMA

[whatyadoing]

If you're not too scared!

What happened for you to end up there?

Did they treat you well?
What kind of therapy were you offered?

Patient, visitor or staff?

Suicide attempts. I'm 99.9% stable now so it seems like another world. But yeah, they had no other option really!

Christ, this suddenly seems like a bad idea. I guess I was expecting a question about what it's like in there moreso than why exactly, such a sane member of society might be in one!

What was the after care and transition back into the community like

What were the other patients like? Did you befriend anyone?

No, you are not treated very well in there. I've been in a few times and on any occasion you see a psychiatrist on admission and maybe once again after about a week (I've always managed to get out within a short period). I don't know how they monitor you really, I guess with reports from nursing staff.
My first occasion I was sectioned. Because I was sectioned I was visited by a solicitor and an independent psychiatrist within the first 72 hours (and discharged a day later). You have more rights ironically if you are sectioned i.e. admitted against your will.

There is no inpatient therapy. I think if you're there long term they do gardening and art but you don't get talking therapy or anything like it.

What’s the point of a psychiatric hospital if you don’t see a psychiatrist?!

Was there support/input from any other staff such as a mental health nurse or therapist of some kind?

What do you do all day in there?

Cross post. I am absolutely baffled that there is no inpatient therapy.

Yes, you do befriend people there. I am a smoker and we were not allowed to smoke really, but we found a way around it so that became a bonding matter! Visitors would bring in lighters and tobacco. You befriend the ones who are up and about. Some are heavily medicated though. I seemed to befriend a lot who had been diagnosed with bipolar!
It's quite odd. You feel more like an inmate than a patient I guess, so there is a bit of bonding against authority.

Did you smoke/have to quit?

Do you fear going back there?

Was it a frightening place or just very boring, or both?

Please only answer if you feel comfortable, I am not that desperate to know that I want you to get stressed answering.

You're really only in there to either A keep you safe or B stabilise your meds. There is no such thing as therapy - I guess it's psychiatry (meds) rather than psychotherapy.

Aftercare is literally an outpatient appointment maybe in 6 weeks time.

Do you think it's useful then, given you don't get much time to get any therapy?

No - I smoked in there. Anyone who has tobacco becomes very popular. A lot of people never have visitors, so when my ex came to visit, he would bring tobacco to share around whoever didn't get visitors.

There is plenty of inpatient therapy. And I can assure you that you have far less rights when sectioned!

I guess it stopped me killing myself. It's very much a band-aid over a gaping wound though. It is literally just trying to stop the tide. I can't think of the words to describe it, but it's a front end emergency service only really.

Hello whatya my mother has been sectioned a few times. I always felt like I was visiting an open prison. She did see a psychiatrist in there and she also attempted to take her life in there too.

She was physically assaulted by a male nurse during one of her stays. How did you find them towards you ?

Mummysparkle. Nope. I disagree on both counts.

What do you think the NHS should do to make the service better for inpatients?

I was manhandled but never sexually assaulted. You get used to having no rights, no say. You very quickly learn to keep your mouth shut and try to get out of there as soon as possible. While I was in there though, a female patient was assualted (she says), but staff say not, where a male patient put his hand down her knickers to retrieve a lighter she was hiding.

It would be crucial to try to introduce some immediate talking therapy to even just deal with the trauma of being imprisoned for want of a better word - to begin therapy to address why you're in there would be even better. I know there is zero chance of that happening.
Something to do would be great.
Visiting hours are very limited.
A gym would be extremely therapeutic.
You're not even allowed out for a walk (for obvious reasons perhaps).

That should read a male nurse not a male patient.

We clearly have very different experiences of hospital then. Although in stays shorter than a fortnight there isn't much therapy offered I'll agree with you there. Short hospital stays really are a band-aid over a gaping wound, I'm with you there. Therapy I received during my long hospital stay saved my life, and still saves my life today