[Rhys]

So this past week I was in a psych unit for some good old suicidal manic-depression. I had been going through some serious ups and downs that included some not-so-fun psychotic symptoms, like seeing bugs, shapes, and people in my peripheral vision along with some voices in my head. After a few months of going through this mess, I was admitted to the nearest mental hospital to get things fixed. It was an interesting experience.

For a week, I was essentially locked inside a dormitory like unit with some other people going through similar issues. Going in, I was already under the impression that I was being watched constantly, and that everything I said and did was being monitored by someone somewhere. My paranoia was confirmed when doctors would come by every 15-30 minutes to check on the patients to make sure they hadn't killed themselves or worse. During the day time, we were restricted to our rooms and the lounge area which had a TV and some board games we could play. Being a computer kind of person, this was absolute hell for me as I was just spending my time pacing around in my room for hours or writing things in my journal. Each morning we would report to one of the nurses to receive medication followed by a few hours of group therapy sessions on how to manage things like depression, stress, and substance addiction. Then came lunch where we would be escorted to a cafeteria like place where we could choose from a variety of meals. The food wasn't actually that bad, but some days you could tell they had left some things out over night. Gross.

After lunch, we could spend time in this small gym area where we could either play basketball or walk around outside in a courtyard like area. Afterwards, we would have another therapy session followed by hours of free time in the unit where we could do what we wanted as long as we were in sight of one of the doctors. Of course, we couldn't shut the doors in our rooms for more than a few minutes at a time, so privacy was relatively non-existent outside of the bathrooms/showers.

The evenings were the worst part. After receiving the last dose of medication, we would return to our rooms and either read or go to sleep. The doors had to remain open, and every 15 minutes someone would come by with a flashlight to shine in your face to make sure you were still alive. Staying asleep was difficult for this reason. Honestly, the lack of sleep only made things worse. Not only would you see the shadows of the night doctors move along the wall all creepy-like, you could hear the sounds of the really whacked out people from the other units throughout the night. They would also talk about how the place was haunted, and that you could sometimes see ghosts in the hospital. I don't believe in that crap, but I do recall seeing some white figure appear in my room when I was trying to sleep.

This went on for about a week until I was discharged from the hospital this morning. I am so glad to be out of that place with my sanity relatively intact. I have no intention of returning there anytime soon. 

Now don't get me wrong, these places do help, but it is definitely not a fun way to spend a week.

[deathfun]

No, that certainly does not sound like a fun way to spend a week
It also seems rather counter productive in some areas

[An4ximandros]

Holy Fractal Cheese-Bus. That sounds seriously ****ed and traveillié. Hugs, brother. Guess I will avoid mental hospitals evermore.

[Kolgena]

What country is this?

[The E]

I am not sure what to make of this. In the past decade, I've been a guest of various psych wards three times due to acute depression. My last stint was four years ago, and I was in the hospital for three months.

Now, the circumstances were superficially similar to those Rhys described, with the staff doing a suicide watch for all patients at all times, but I never felt like this was a big intrusion. After all, that's their job, and I knew this would happen when I went into it. Point being, time spent in a closed ward like that isn't meant to be like a week at a spa. It's purpose is to monitor people, stabilise them so they can get back on their feet through medication and talks.

I don't know if I was particularly lucky, but I always felt safe with the staff. Here were people who I could talk to about my problems who had a genuine outside experience. Benefitting from that perspective was a big part of the therapy for me.

I don't know. For Rhys, the experience wasn't worthwhile. For me, it was lifesaving, and even positive, and I wouldn't hesitate to get back into the hospital should the need arise.

Basically, if your takeaway is that psych wards are bad, please for the love of kittens remember that not everyone's experience and reaction to that experience is the same. You might end up agreeing with Rhys. You might not. But the important part is to not build a mental block against a form of therapy you have no personal experience with.

[Rhys]

I did find the actual therapy sessions and medication very helpful, and I'm better off because of them. It was mainly everything else about the experience that I was not so fond of.

The E is absolutely right in that nobody's experience in a psych ward is the same. If you really do need it, it helps a lot. I didn't want to scare anyone away from getting the help they need.

[The E]

And yeah, there are massive differences between countries and hospitals; the clinics I was in wouldn't let someone with Rhys' symptoms go after just a week.

Also, there's a world of difference between the treatment you got (Which sounds like you were confined to the premises for the entirety of your stay) and the treatment I had. I was never suicidal or psychotic, so I was free to leave the clinic in the afternoon and on weekends, which makes the more regimented parts of the day that much more palatable.

[666maslo666]

Two years ago I was admitted to a hospital with an infection and while there I had a two day long psychosis, probably a reaction to a specific antibiotic. I heard nonexistent voices, it was like my brain tried to interpret every little environmental sound as words. Also feelings of paranoia. I had trouble sleeping at night too, because it is hard when something is speaking to you all the time, and other patients snoring was a fertile ground for my psychosis to turn into speech. I did spend a lot of time browsing the internet on my phone (what a bill) and playing UT2004 to get my mind distracted.

[DarkBasilisk]

I am not sure what to make of this. In the past decade, I've been a guest of various psych wards three times due to acute depression. My last stint was four years ago, and I was in the hospital for three months.

Now, the circumstances were superficially similar to those Rhys described, with the staff doing a suicide watch for all patients at all times, but I never felt like this was a big intrusion. After all, that's their job, and I knew this would happen when I went into it. Point being, time spent in a closed ward like that isn't meant to be like a week at a spa. It's purpose is to monitor people, stabilise them so they can get back on their feet through medication and talks.

I don't know if I was particularly lucky, but I always felt safe with the staff. Here were people who I could talk to about my problems who had a genuine outside experience. Benefitting from that perspective was a big part of the therapy for me.

I don't know. For Rhys, the experience wasn't worthwhile. For me, it was lifesaving, and even positive, and I wouldn't hesitate to get back into the hospital should the need arise.

Basically, if your takeaway is that psych wards are bad, please for the love of kittens remember that not everyone's experience and reaction to that experience is the same. You might end up agreeing with Rhys. You might not. But the important part is to not build a mental block against a form of therapy you have no personal experience with.

Main issue I always had is you never know that first time which you're going to get, and once checked inside in a lot of these cases it's not like there's a takebacks rule. I think that's what bothers a lot of people. The medical profession in general tends towards a lack of accountability when things go wrong, and some of the bad stories for mental hospitals indicate mental health in the US and many other countries is even worse on that. I wouldn't say it makes for a mental block, but it certainly effects the risk calculus for a number of people, I'd imagine.

[Mars]

I have a family history of bipolar disorder, and I myself seem to have a set cycle. I don't want to see a doctor, and in the event my suspicions are correct, get diagnosed. The last time I had a basic blood panel done it cost me $200. I can't imagine the extended cost of properly treated bipolar disorder.

[The E]

All I can say to that is that the cost of not getting proper treatment (in terms of lost time due to not being able to function properly in day-to-day life for periods of time) are most certainly higher than the cost the treatment.

[headdie]

I think Mars' post is more about means than cost.  you pay $200 for something, that is then $200 less that you have available for daily living, start looking at long term issues such as mental health where there is a possibility of needing medications for the rest of your life, medications whose withdrawal symptoms often include exaggerated presentation of your pre existing symptoms, combined with the need for professional intervention then that $200 will soon escalate.

Its one reason I am seriously glad I live in the UK and have a government funded Health service available, while politicians in nations like America might decry the idea it means that I have a core level of service for all immediate and long term health needs available regardless of severity and my financial standing.