Ive been told that, because of the unpredictability of my illness, at some point in my life... hospitalization might be necessary.

This idea scares me. I dont ever want to go to a hospital because that feels like giving up control of my life. Im still partially reliant on my parents- and until I move out for good (soon) I feel that hospitalization would just mean admitting to the world that Im not ready for my own life- and that I need a caretaker or something.

So. My questions are. Is the hospital really that bad? What is a stay generally like? How long do schizoaffectives generally stay compared to other people with other mental illnesses- longer? What have your experiences been with how people have treated you AFTER hospitalization?