I think the MH industry needs to stop treating patients like prisoners. I know that is how I felt after my first meeting with a psychiatrist. I went in looking for compassion and understanding, I walked out an hour later feeling like I was some kind of criminal. And my experience was "trivial" compared to yours. I don't want to even begin to think about what inpatient is like.

I can see the need for reasonable physical control of violent patients. Anyone else should never be subjected to physical control against their consent. If you are suicidal and WANT to be restrained for your own safety, I say fine.

But, even worse, there is no respect for personal dignity in the MH system. It's like, "OK, you're crazy, so who cares about your feelings."

I personally found my experience as traumatic as anything my father did to me in 18 years of childhood. And he did a lot to me, I have very bad memories of my upbringing.

IF stigma is such an issue, why does the MH profession itself engage in such stigmatizing practices.