I set pretty specific criteria for going inpatient which sprang from a conversation with my therapist after my last hospitalization.

"When the impulse (to do something stupid) overwhelms the inhibition, it's time for ol' Aurelius to check himself in." That's my criteria for going inpatient, but my therapist added "When you lose insight into the reality of your condition and the state it puts you in, it might be time to go inpatient as well."

The last time I went impatient, I was bored as bell, but I was safe. I didn't have enough meetings with doctors or psychiatrists to make much of a difference, but I was safe (and made some friends on unit).

If I have to go to the psych ward, I go for safekeeping until the impulse clears and/or I get insight back. It's a last ditch effort but one I keep in the back of my mind.