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

[whatyadoing]

If you're not too scared!

Do you have to work hard at keeping stable? Do you find it harder accessing services now if needed opposed to before cuts.

Would you have advice for any person caring for someone caring for someone with MH issues.

Whatyadoing
Everything you say mirrors a relatives experience. It's a holding pen til the meds kick in, nothing else. Her Unit had visiting 9 to 5 which was stressful as no supervision by staff & no separate visitors area: so visitors gawking & vulnerable patients in unsupervised situations with other patients male visitors. The fights were also constant. The staff were openly aggressive if patients dared to knock on the office door. It wasn't due to understaffing, they were fully staffed & only 20patients max, so usually 15 who would do 3weeks til meds worked then a rotating few regulars who came in for 2days then out again. If I'd been a journalist theyd have been well & truly f**d. I reported them to QCC.

I work very hard at being self disciplined. When I was a child I was disciplined harshly constantly. I never knew anything really other than fear and pain. I was never given the scope to self discipline.
Now, I have learned to self discipline.

In my 20s and 30s I just ran riot really.
Now, health issues have compelled me to regulate my living or death basically.
I work out at least 5 days out of 7. I restrict alcohol. I try to restrict crap food as I have issues around my weight. The main one I need to watch is alcohol.
The main thing that I have had to learn is self-discipline. I never had the opportunity as a child to develop this, so it's a newly learned and constantly worked on skill (I am 40 now).

I was in one years ago in Twickenham. In a time before mobiles. It was 1995. I wasn't sectioned. It was nice enough but felt v brain-washy. I left after 2 months. Convinced them I was sane.