I was in UCLA psych hospital right after the Northridge earthquake & before they rebuilt the hospital because of the earthquake damage....the original OLD hospital. I was treated well though the know it all students were a joke trying to figure out what was really going on with me....they never figured it out. It was my first psych hospital experience ( many after) but was so freaked out by it they actually let me sleep in the common room. Unusual but very thoughtful & it helped me feel safer.

All my experiences with 5150's in Calif they NEVER put one on me unless there was a real reason....& they won't because of the legal ramifications.

If I didn't have actual suicide plans or had attempted suicide before arriving at the hospital they NEVER put me on a hold though they would admit me.

As for the gun laws, my understanding is that it is only for 5 years that it stays on your record.....though I'm not going through normal lines except when I go for my concealed carry. Its been about 15 years since I was on a hold though a pdoc threaded that if I left the medical hospital with the anorexia at the point it was to go to my moms funeral he was going to put a hold on me but my MD looked the other way & let me go AMA with the promise to come back for IV nutrition after the funeral. I now live in a different state 2100 miles away...one that is gun savvy with all their hunting unlike Calif.

I agree with the bad effect of meds that many people have. I have such horrible side effects no way would I ever take meds.. I hope you get things straightened out....I have seen people have paranoid reactions to MJ, so if you are already bipolar....it can just aggravate what is already there. You may not see how you are acting but others around you sure can.