MM, as you probably know I was VERY afraid of going to the hospital. I used to think it would be the worst possible thing that could happen to me outside of burning to death or drowning. Then the time came when I had to go, which for me was being more afraid of what was on the outside than what might be waiting for me on the inside.

I won't say that all hospitals are as good as mine was, or that acute inpatient is a nifty vacation. It's not---you work hard in therapy, and sometimes it gets pretty uncomfortable. You see a lot of doctors and therapists. There are often med changes. You don't have much freedom, although I found that to be less distressing than I thought it would be because I felt safe in there. The beds are hard, there's no TV in the rooms, and the food may or may not be good (it was where I was at). The weekends are a little boring because there's only the morning and evening meetings and no therapies, but there's always something to do, even if it's just puzzles or making things. (We painted pumpkins on Halloween.)

Long story short, inpatient is NOT the worst thing that can happen to a person. I understand you're scared, but like I said before, I was too. It'll never be my favorite place to go, but now I won't hesitate if I ever feel unsafe again like I did six weeks ago.

That being said, I hope you don't have to go IP, but if it's necessary, do it! ((((HUGS))))