I was hospitalized once due to severe mania. The first night was hell because I was paranoid that the night nurse was going to try to rape me (I was really bonkers at the time), but once I gave in to them giving me a shot (Ativan I believe), I calmed down and slept.

The experience overall was very comforting. I felt safe and my doctor got me straightened out quickly (3 days). The group therapy and occupational therapy was nice and the food was really good considering it was hospital food (they made sure to accommodate my dietary needs as a vegetarian). There was a lot of downtime where we weren't doing much, but I felt like they monitored my progress with interacting with the other patients (I have memory of doing puzzles with one of the other patients).

I would go back in a heartbeat if my condition was ever critical again. Best wishes!