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The_little_didgee
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Member Since: Apr 2013
Location: Ontario Land
Posts: 3,549
10 yr Member PC PoohBah!
Default Mar 16, 2021 at 06:17 PM
 
You are definitely not alone. People are traumatized by hospital stays. The medical profession knows this. Psychiatry knows it, too.

I’ve been in an inpatient psych unit a few times in my life. The experiences have definitely left a permanent mark on me, mostly in a bad way. My worst experience was in an adolescent inpatient psych unit at a children’s hospital. The place was about power and intimidation. Teenage BS, social contagion (e.g., self-harm), and the wordless psychiatrist who preferred psychoanalysis type therapy made the place hell. When I entered that place I was sad. That is it. Eight weeks later I came out broken and despondent.

The adult inpatient unit at a general hospital was a better experience. The patients were more diverse and there was more privacy. The staff were a lot more respectful. There was no emphasis on shaping people to conform to society, which I appreciated. People rarely acted out and fought with the staff, unlike the drama filled adolescent psych unit.

I’ve been a medical patient as well. It wasn’t as traumatic, even though some procedures felt violating at times. I didn’t particularly enjoy getting pocked for blood and IVs. They were way worse than NG tubes and Foley catheters.

I don’t know if it is possible to fully recover from iatrogenic harm and hospitalizations. I certainly haven’t been able to. The only thing that has helped me is avoidance (as much as possible). Whenever I have to go I keep to myself. For me that means not revealing history, diagnosis etc to any patients. This has helped tremendously.

My experiences have taught me to be cautious especially around medical personnel. I’m a lot more reluctant to go to the doctor for medical issues. Psychiatry is different. I won’t reach out even when I am suffering. The fear of being judged and misdiagnosed is overwhelming enough that I would rather suffer in silence than subject myself to those people.




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*Beth*, Open Eyes, ReveuseTroublee
 
Thanks for this!
*Beth*, East17, pachyderm, ReveuseTroublee