I'm in Southern California. I would imagine that procedures at hospitals vary from county to county as well as state to state.

My first time, I walked into the ER about 1 pm. My wife was with me. As soon as I was checked in at the desk, they took me into the ER and I was changed into hospital gown with hospital socks and placed on a hospital bed under Suicide Watch. There was even a sign posted -- "Suicide Watch". A hospital worker was with me at all times. When he had to go eat or something, he had to have another worker take his place. There was another person next to me, so one worker was on Suicide Watch for both of us.

My wife was told that I had to stay for 24 hours and then the hospital would transfer me to a psychiatric hospital where I would have to stay for at least three days.

My wife was allowed to stay with me in the ER but she did not qualify as the person on watch. The next afternoon, I was transported to the psychiatric hospital. I was not allowed to take anything with me..... just me and my hospital gown and socks.

The ER staff were very nice to my wife the entire time she was there. Whenever someone had a few minutes, they would ask her if she needed anything. Sometime during the night, the doctors and nurses finally convinced her to go home and get some sleep. She came back after about 4 hours or so.

The staff was nice to me also. Every once in a while, some doctor or nurse would come over and ask me questions about how I was feeling. It was difficult to get any sleep in there what with all the goings on with the other ER patients, but I dozed off every once in a while. Both of us were offered breakfast.

The next time after that, I went to a different ER (for their trauma unit) via ambulance, unconscious after a suicide attempt. I've got no idea of what went on, but my wife said later that the staff couldn't do enough for her or for me. She said it took almost three days to get me stabilized enough for transport to the psychiatric hospital. I remember nothing.

Both hospital ERs had an "open visitor" policy. Immediate family members (but no children) of the patients in the ER could come and go as they pleased in order to provide support for the patient.