Anyone been admitted to a psychiatric ward and recovered afterwards?

[MarmadukeM]

I’ve been admitted to a psychiatric ward after an intentional overdose. I’ve been unwell since last August and yesterday I reached a crisis point and just snapped. I’m so upset about how I’ve ended up like this and I don’t feel like I’m going to get better. Anybody else had similar and can give me a bit of hope I’m going to get out this hole?

Different circumstances but I have been on a mental health ward - sectioned - as I had no idea what was what with episode of hypomania and also had a paradoxical reaction to diazepam in A&E.
I was so worried that my life was over but it has returned to 99% the same as it was before. It did take me a couple of years to process everything that happened.
I have bipolar so have had some suicidal ideation when very depressed late last year. Just felt like I couldn’t go on living the way I felt. Medication sorted those feelings out for me - but it’s very individual so did take a couple of years since i was sectioned and they found out I had bipolar to get what worked for me pinned down.

A few of the people I was in were in because of suicidal attempts. Great care was taken to keep them safe. I guess next steps for you depend a little on whether you have underlying mental health conditions and that treatments options are available.

Do you have any support from family or friends?

I think the key here is decent quality aftercare.

Absolutely. A close relative was sectioned and spent 3 months on a ward. It was really helpful for him and he has a good life now, working and living with his family. He was really grateful for the help.

I've been on a section two before.

Was under psych team for a total of five weeks. I was lucky in many ways as the specialist ward they wanted to put me on had no beds. So I was sectioned to the ortho trauma bed I was occupying anyway as I had broken my hip and shoulder.

It was really annoying being watched all the time. But I do know that it saved my life.

I know lots of people who were in a psych ward and managed to recover and never needed to go back there.

They want you to get better, they don't just want to keep you there forever. But these things do take time.

I hope you're allowed regular visitors? And I hope you get better soon x

Yes I have been @MarmadukeM . Just over five years ago now and it's been a difficult journey but now in a place where everything is different.
It was so, so bleak back there - I hope you have good people around you who you can trust, for me I needed that through the time I couldn't trust myself.
There is so much goodness and life and love out there and you can get through this part of your journey to reach that goodness. I can't pretend it's easy but it's worth it x

A relative was almost sectioned - voluntary admission after suicide attempt. She spent 6 weeks in hospital for physical recovery and a couple of months on a locked psychiatric ward.

She's doing well now and the happiest she has ever been in terms of her mental health.

Im so sorry you're going through this but so glad you're taking the steps to get help! My sister was sectioned for a few months years ago and while she says in the immediate it didn't help much (these places obviously arentthe nicest environment to be in) honestly after she came out her life really transformed for the better and shes now absolutely thriving and loving life. It was like a light switch went on, that experience gave her the push she needed to get ongoing help and take steps to change her life, she finally felt hopeful that life could be good. Life can be good! Keep the hope and keep fighting, you're so worth it.

Thank you so much for the replies. I am in voluntary so I can go out if I want. Yes it’s not the nicest environment but I do think I need to be here. I have bipolar disorder so that’s what’s been the catalyst- a really bad depressive episode that I’ve never really got myself out of 8 months later. I have a really good husband and friends so I will be able to have them visit/go out with them. I’m in a nice area so I can go down the local town if I feel like it so I am quite lucky really - I could’ve ended up somewhere far worse. Just want to feel like myself again x

Hope you’re feeling ok tonight, Good to hear you’ve got some real support around you. It can be tricky to get bipolar depression back under control but there are loads of options. Have they tried medication changes over the last few months you’ve been feeling depressed? My depression didn’t go with time and lifestyle efforts but went instantly when they finally upped my medication.

I was on a lovely ward actually and after they logged the diazapam reaction, I was allowed out daily for a walk and then sent home for a few days before the section was lifted. The good thing about being on the ward is that all I had to think about was me. There were a few people on the ward who’d been living with bipolar for a while and they were really supportive. I was never able to say my diagnosis then when I was newly given it but I suspect they guessed.

I hope you get some really valuable medical support now you’re high up on their radar. It can be hard to get support for bipolar but there are lots of really good treatment options which they’ll be able to look into for you now. Take care.

Not myself by family member and a good friend have had more than one psych admission in the years. Bipolar disorder for both of them. Fully functional and wonderful humans with great lives and lovely families also both of them. Psychological ill health is no more a person fault or unrecoverable than physical illnesses. You’d go to hospital for your gall bladder to be removed or to get iv antibiotics for a bad infection, rightly so. So you’re in the right place to get some help for your poor mental health and make a good recovery. All the best to you.