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

[whatyadoing]

If you're not too scared!

If you're sectioned against your will, you're not exactly a 'free woman' are you? Your basic human rights are taken away. You are locked in. It feels very much like being an inmate.

My ex is and was an absolute asshole 99% of the time, but credit where credit is due, he NEVER ONE DAY missed visiting hours on any of my admissions. If I hadn't that break in the day to look forward to, I don't know what I would have done.
On one occasion though, I had just been admitted (sectioned) and they wouldn't let him in as they told him I didn't want to see him (some of them can be sadistic). And there is sweet fuck all you can do about it!

I’m currently having daily visits from the Crisis team following 2 attempted overdoses, self harm they’ve been amazing so far. I don’t want to go in so complying with their treatment options

The crisis team are ok, I was under them for many many months. They found me accommodation (sat with me for 3 days in the local council offices) until I was offered temporary accommodation - even though I didn't meet ANY of the criteria to be housed. It became a case of head of psychiatry and head of housing having a stand off. Psychiatrist won in the end Thank God!
There was one lovely psychiatrist who actually came and brought me for a walk around the block as I hadn't left the flat in weeks. He was so genuinely kind and caring. Quite young too.

Also, the time I had attempted suicide and was booted out of my accommodation, one of the housemates made a statement to police that he was 'in fear of his life'. I was charged with affray and remanded in police custody for 36 hours. When I was released, I ran in front of a bus, thus commenced the last admission. While I was admitted, I had to appear in court on the charge of affray and a nurse obviously had to accompany me but the case was dismissed due to lack of evidence as the guy didn't pursue it any further. I think he just wanted rid of me!

From the ages of 15 - 26, I had many admissions criss crossed between 3 hospitals and different wards inc one EMI unit which was my first experience, the psych thought acute ward would scare me. There was no option available for adolescent ward.

I stopped counting admissions after 30+, my average length of stay over about a 5 year period was approx 6 months.

Ive had suicide watch for weeks at a time, 2 to 1, 1 to 1 and then finally being on my own, confined to ward, then off ward leave, then days out and then weekends home and finally discharge.

Hated every minute of it but I credit it with keeping me alive when I was pressing my self destruct button

Agree with OP no therapy in the units I was in even during long stays. It was get through the day and keep head down. They made you sign a patient contract" on admission with your responsibilities as a patient and their responsibilities as staff - inc that named nurse would spend at least 20 mins 1-2-1 with you per day (that was always a laugh as rarely happened), you saw the psych twice a week, Mon and Fri and lucky to get 10 mins across both days in the "ward round" where the room was full of people you hadn't a clue who they were.

I called a halt the last time and asked who everyone was, psych wasn't happy but apparently, there are people wandering around who don't have names and are just called their job titles instead.

8/11 people in the room I hadn't met before and didn't know who they were and they weren't relevant to me in any way.

There is an OT room on the ward which is only accessable with supervision, where we can colour to our hearts content and listen to the staff giving us talks.

Your experience sounds very much like mine, OP.

Boredom is what I remember most of all. You could smoke back in those days. I did a lot of sleeping and smoking. And cross stitch. I happily accepted sleeping tablets just to sleep away the time. At first I declined them but then thought, if I take them I won't know i'm in this place. Took me years to come off them again.

Ye, I had previously been addicted to sleeping pills so knew not to touch them. It's bloody hard being in there cold turkey though I tell you! More like torture than treatment. :(

My Mum had an equally shit experience. She lost my brother to still birth, hospital dealt with the funeral apparently while she was in Intensive care with collapsed organs expected to die too.

She survived but with PTSD and spent some time as an inpatient because she fell completely apart after going home. They were awful.
She got mumps on weekend leave and couldn't go back (was in voluntarily)
When she rang to tell them she had Mumps the nurse in charge said 'oh at least you've got something real to worry about now' - - twat--

There was no therapy and she was on a ward with those with severe mental health issues post major surgery both emergency c section, emergency hysterectomy and surgery related to collapsed organs and was terrified.

It sounds to me that you were on a bad ward OP.
No psychological therapy
No gym
Iv worked in a few psychiatric wards and never seen that
Sounds awful, glad you're well now

I'd love to know where those places are blankiesandunicorns.......

@whatyadoing I "arranged" for my brother to be sectioned, he was extremely unwell and definitely a risk to himself. It was traumatic as you know for him, but for me also. My family were angry with me, because they said he said that he was fine and was taking his medication......he wasn't. When he was first admitted he wouldn't see me, it took three weeks.

Do you think anyone is sectioned without justification?

If I hadn't been sectioned I would have died, so I guess there's that! I really don't like the idea of a family member sectioning someone though.

It's difficult to comment though without knowing exactly what was going on. If it took him 3 weeks to talk to you, I am guessing he was cognisant enough to know that you were being a bitch (in his head).
On the other hand, was he retained under section for that length of time? Unusual to be retained longer than absolutely necessary.

What I'm saying is that maybe you did what needed to be done. How did it all work out in the end?

And really, legally, a family member can't section someone (thankfully), so presumably police or psychiatrists sectioned him.

How does he feel about it now?

How was he at the time? Was psychiatry the only option open to you or was it the cheapest? Was there alternative less drastic support you could have but didn't provide?

He was there for about five weeks. I didn't explain that week, I didn't section him I couldn't do that but I pushed for an assessment, so the usual two doctors, social worker etc were involved and they agreed that he was extremely unwell. I felt the rest of the family were putting their heads in the sand and not dealing with an extremely unwell family member.

He was admitted to a PICU unit.

Why do you think a family member is not best placed to understand that their sibling is ill? Whose responsibility is it then?

I felt that we had exhausted every avenue, he'd not taken medication for months.............. I didn't see an option.

Now he's fine, my family have apologised for their lack of support. It wasn't the first time he'd been sectioned and it only happens when he doesn't take his meds.

I e now been appointed his "closet relative" I can call a MHA at any time, not needed to for years! We share a GP who is AMAZING, if I ever get a bit concerned I'll call and he will call my brother in and either say you're being paranoid or yes, we have an issue.

This is very very infrequent, but good to have.

My reticence towards relatives having any say is due to the potential for abuse and malice.
My relatives may think they know what's best for me, but they know sweet FA about me when the truth is told.

I don't feel terribly comfortable about the breach of confidentiality you have going on with your GP either.

@whatyadoing I suppose your family is very different to mine. I'm trustworthy and looking after my brother. Most likely saved his life and potentially others, he hadn't taken his meds for months and wasn't able to look after himself.

Maybe you're not as close to your family? I spotted signs weeks before sectioning, tried to get him back on meds by working with the GP but to no avail.

As you'll know, being sectioned is not on one persons say do, I can call for an assessment but it's down to the medical team to decide. Long gone and rightly so are people hospitalised on a family members say so.

Are there more male than female patients? Only asking as I visit a certain medium secure psychiatric hospital for work and most of the inmates there are men however I appreciate these people at criminals who are too mentally ill to stand trial so slightly different scenario

I have no idea what the ratio is male to female. I suspect male admissions to be higher but that's just based on personal observation.