I've only been hospitalized once (so far, anyway) and it was a good experience as these things go. I went IP last fall when it became apparent that I was either going to go in, or kill myself.....it was that bad. A week in the hospital got me away from my life on the outside, which I desperately needed, and made me safe, which I definitely wasn't at home (not with access to a revolver and a pharmacy's worth of pills).

The worst part of the whole experience was when I was transferred to a different hospital from the ER and had to ride in a secure transport vehicle, which was exactly like a police car with the cage and locked doors. I'm pretty claustrophobic and it took the transport team a little time to talk me down because I was getting panicky. But they were very kind and I calmed down pretty quickly, and it didn't take all that long to get to the facility. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I ever get that freaking depressed in the future.