I spent 3yrs in a mental heath hospital including low and medium secure aged 17 to 20.

[expsychmedlowopen]

Feeling brave tonight
I was admitted aged 17 to a adult ipcu for 6ish months before being moved down to a young person's medium secure unit in Northampton.
Aged 19 i was then moved back home to a open rehabilitation unit in Scotland.
I spent the vast majority of my time detained under the mental health act.

Are the strongs as itchy as they look? I always thought they looked scratchy to wear.

Hope you've found your peace now.

Did it help you heal? If so, how? If not, what do you think would have helped that could be offered but isn't, to young people with severe MH issues?

Strongs?

I think being transferred to a unit so far away from home didn't help no. Spending 6 months in a ipcu where I was sexually attacked more then once didn't help.
When I moved back to the open ward that definitely helped as I got a lot of psychological work done. Mixed really as I needed that level of service but at the time Scotland didn't any ( they do now)

What was your diagnosis?
Who do you remember really making a difference to your recovery?
What would you say NOW to a professional as a word of advice to help you back then?

I worked with a lovely young lady in a similar MH hospital many years ago and I often wonder how she is and hope she got everything she needed to heal.

Also had family in MH hospitals, it’s scary. My parents thought it was ok to visit a family member when I was about 9 and I shit myself.

The 'in house' outfit you get to wear until you've earned your clothes back, you can't hang yourself with it

Sorry I thought it may be the same in all medium secure facilities. James cook you get strongs and 3 sheets of toilet paper. Have to earn bedding/pillows etc

How have you been doing since with your mental health? My daughters a mental health nurse in IPCU, she says she'd try everything possible before having a family member be admitted to IPCU and that some of the nurses have absolutely no empathy left to show patients and it makes her so angry, how did you find you were treated? I'm so sorry you were sexually abused.

My diagnosis changed quite abit during my time there. The day i left it was borderline personally disorder and complex pdsd. All the staff at the rehab unit. There was one ot who taught me how to make mac and chesse which I now make my own children. Will always remember a nurse telling me she never wants to see me again in the nicest way possible.

No not everyday but if you were put into special care you did. They were called something that I cannot remember now

Apart from when I had my children ( was referred to the mother and baby mental heath team as a precaution which i didn't need as I stayed well) no contact with mental heath services for 13 yrs. I still take citrapram but have been off other medication for 8 yrs now. My life is far away from back then tbh most would be shocked to find out my history
Staff used to steal from us ( stuff in locked cupboard only they had keys for) I was once told to wait until im out then find somewhere no one can find me then kill myself.
and much more.
The hardest part was not being believed even now people think because j was unwell it didn't happen. This was including a time a Staff member put his hands around my neck and left marks

You have unlocked some memories now. Our bedding wasn't standard. The cover was like a waterproof blanket in a way but no cover the sheet was almost like baking liner ?

What events led you to being sectioned?

Do you think that if it had happened now, you wouldn’t have been detained for so long as (hopefully) treatments and rehabilitation these days has progressed?

Hi OP, so glad to hear that you have been doing so well these past years, well done! I want to ask how you got on with the transition from hospital back to every day life? Did you have help in place? What happened and how did you get to such a good place? My nephew has been in mental health hospitals since he was 17 years old and is not yet out at 25. I would love to see him settled in the community and able to live a normal life.