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Originally Posted by chickenfoot
Don't see what the problem is with people going into hospital for high levels of anxiety or self harm. Generally anxiety leads to self harm and can lead to thoughts of suicide. Are these not valid enough reasons to be an inpatient? Not everyone is psychotic and I learned that from my stays, there's quite a number of different reasons why people end up in hospital. There are also very different levels of self harm, some episodes can be very serious and an inpatient stay could prevent potentially dangerous instances of this.
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Anxiety is definitely a valid reason for hospitalization. I've been admitted for extreme anxiety. At the time two major life events were happening and it was hard to cope. I also had a really bad case of cold sores that made me quite ill. The psychiatrist felt a stay in hospital would help and it did.
I have moderate to severe GAD. It doesn't cause me to self-harm at all probably because I have been struggling with anxiety since childhood. I've had suicidal thoughts from it especially when my stomach flares (gastritis). The chronic nausea and pain are hard to cope with.
I self-harmed a bit when I was a teenager. A fellow patient taught me how. Stupid. I discovered the behavior frustrates hospital staff. Most don't know how to deal with the issue and they often judge those who do it. The assumptions that staff make often lead to misdiagnosis especially if the self-injurer is a young lady.
My behavior alienated me from clinicians, friends and family so I stopped. It was so out of character for me. Actually I disliked myself for doing it. I used the behavior to communicate my distress. One day I decided to stop and haven't done it since then. It has been over 16 years. Words are so much more effective and they don't leave nasty scars that are constant reminders. Now I tell people what I need and express myself frustrations without harming myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chickenfoot
Is psychosis the only valid reason to go to the hospital?
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No. Most people on the unit I was in were not psychotic. A lot of them seemed to have gone through nasty breakups, were grieving the death of a loved one or dealing with a chronic medical condition.
What I don't get are people who admit themselves every year around Christmas. I don't know what they say or do. This is misuse of the hospital. I guess they get dependent on the service (which is only a problem if you were diagnosed with BPD).
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Dx: Didgee Disorder
Last edited by The_little_didgee; Dec 04, 2014 at 05:28 AM.
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