Can you request to be admitted to psychiatric hospital?

[Roxy1988]

Just that really... I posted something else not long ago but has been deleted by mumsnet HQ! Must've gone against talk guidelines

The threshold for admittance is extremely high and there's a massive bed shortage. You can ask but there's no guarantee. Are you under psych care in the community?

You can only ask and be honest about the reasons why you want to be admitted. Btw I read your last thread and have the exact same thoughts. You're not alone OP.

@missbipolar not at the moment no but I have been referred to the first response team, just waiting to hear from them.

@Olimar how do you deal with the thoughts if you don't mind me asking? Where they are quite new thoughts for me, I don't know how to deal with them and am afraid I will act on them.

What area are you in? Do you have the number for your local crisis team?

You can request it, but the threshold for admittance is high, and without the support of a doctor lobbying for it you are highly unlikely to convince them it's necessary. The very fact you are cognisant of the fact you are struggling will be viewed as having capacity to cope without being hospitalised.

If you have a CPN it would be advisable to contact them to discuss it, because if you can convince them it's necessary then you stand more of a chance of convincing the assessing team, and if not, at least your CPN might be able to support you.

@Roxy1988 I cope with it by finding lots of distractions and reminding myself of things I have planned for the next day/ week etc. It doesn't always work unfortunately and I've been in hospital quite a lot.

From experience, if you have the insight to know you are unwell and want help, the (crisis team) will work with you at home and try to keep you out of hospital.

I hope you get the help you need

Honestly OP, if there is any way of keeping yourself safe at home, you do NOT want to go into hospital. People think its somewhere you go to get well, that there will be therapy and support and they can just rest and get well. It isn't like that. It's scarcely more than a holding area.

You don't get any more therapy than you would aa an outpatient and you certainly can't rest. The lights are on all night, the other patients scream and cry all night, some take your things or are violent. There is no privacy even in the toilet. If you are considered a suicide risk, they will literally watch you take a shit.

The nurses are stressed and understaffed. If you persist in self harming or become agitated, you are sedated or restrained so that you cannot harm yourself.

They will try you on different medications. You do not have a say in this. If you refuse it will be given against your will.

This was over a decade ago and I doubt these wards have improved since, given the chronic underfunding and mental health crisis.

By all means, ask OP but know what you are asking for.

Sorry to hear you are struggling OP. Your crisis team should be able to help and advise. Not all hospitals are bad - there are some excellent wards and smaller mental health units that could really help you. Don't give up hope

I'm afraid I don't recognise your description @Notanotherwindow - my friend was on a mental health unit that was nothing like what you are describing, and they really helped support her to get well.

Sadly my experiences were also like @Notanotherwindow ’s. Wish it was otherwise, being watched while I shat was necessary as I would’ve died without intervention, but it was horrible and caused setbacks in other ways. If you can be treated in the community it’s miles better, not only because it’s less scary and unsettling but also because you’re more likely to maintain recovery as otherwise you learn to manage your illness in one environment (hospital) then have to cope with another (home) without the same tools. For many people you end up then in the cycle of relapsing at home then recovering enough for discharge on and on and on.

also they’re not admitting people where they can help it because they’re short of beds and staff.

Yes just to echo what @Notanotherwindow has said, don't fall into the trap of thinking that psychiatric wards are all some sort of hippy-dippy safe-space where it's all about serenity and recovery. They are not. The ones I've been in both professionally and as an inpatient are nothing of the sort. They tend to be stark, unpleasant, chaotic places, and even if the staff are good, you still have to run the gauntlet of dealing with the other patrons. They tend to be noisy, unsettling, and certainly to me have never felt like the safe, comforting places you would hope.

If you can get some help and care to manage while you are still at home then I genuinely believe you'll have a better outcome than doing everything you can to get yourself into hospital voluntarily. Of course, with a voluntary hospitalisation you would be entirely at liberty to leave, but there is also the matter that once you involve yourself with that level of care, it's often difficult to extricate yourself from in entirely. Please think carefully.

Yes- if you are prepared to pay and go private. Otherwise, no chance.

Thank you everyone for your replies and advice!

How are you doing op?

@missbipolar thanks for checking in. I'm ok, just taking it day by day. Waiting to hear from the first response team!

I hope you heard from the first response team.

@SnowyMouse no I haven't yet :/ the nurse at A&E said within 2 weeks so another week of waiting

I hope you hear soon @Roxy1988

If you google your local area you might be able to find a number for them

I turned up at A and E in the early hours in a right state. I was seen by the crisis team within half an hour and supported at home in the weeks that followed. At one point, I begged to be taken into hospital but the nurse told me ' we're not at that stage yet'. It has been the hardest few months of my life but you can get better. Sending love and healing wishes to you. You're not alone and nothing lasts forever. .I hope you find the support you need. x

Has anyone been admitted into a Private Psychiatric hospital? (Using private medical insurance through work)