[SunAngel]

My 1st hospitalization was when I was about 26 years old.

My husband has figured out that we have spent 4-1/2 months apart due to my hospitalizations.

I have been in the hospital at least 14 or 15 times.

How about you guys?

[grandmaof3]

Only once and it was not an experience i want to repeat

[jen29]

Over 30 times according to my pdoc. Pretty sad have been in so much and still can't do nothing with my life....

[Trippin2.0]

Once, and I don't even know if it counts coz the 'hospital' was more like a BnB with medical staff... Would only go back if 1) I really couldn't cope 2) if I could afford to go back there. Scared of govt institutions

[Resident Bipolar]

My first hospital admission was at 14... I'm 17 now and have had four inpatient admissions. One completely voluntarily, one partly voluntarily (got the whole "Come with us by choice or we'll be forced to section you and detain you against your will" option) and two involuntarily.

Hoping this year will be my first year outside of a psychiatric unit. So far so good haha. Only 343 days left until I've achieved my target.

RB

9 times total in about the span of 3 years. Haven't been in the hospital in over 7 months though, which I'm really happy about.

Although they weren't pleasant experiences for the most part, I am grateful for the help I received. Without the psych hospital, I would be dead right now. That being said, I hope to never go back.

[Secretum]

I've never been hospitalized, but if I had actually been honest with my T and pdoc last semester (or if I had been in contact w/ the MH industry at age 12) I'm pretty sure that things would be different. I'm hoping to continue to avoid the hospital for the rest of my life (while learning how to be honest w/ pdoc and T-guess that means that I've got to continue to get better) but if it happens, I think I'll just accept it as life experience. Probably won't be that easy if it actually happens. :/

[venusss]

Never............. and I hope to keep it that way. Since they still use cage beds where I live and all the jazz

Originally Posted by VenusHalley

Never............. and I hope to keep it that way. Since they still use cage beds where I live and all the jazz

Yikes!

[dragonfly2]

I've been hospitalized nine times. My first time was when I was 14 (I'm 41 now) and my last time was almost six years ago. Well, inpatient anyway. I probably should have gone inpatient at the end of 2010, but I only did a partial hospitalization then.

And OMG Venus - what the hell is a cage bed??! No wonder you don't want to be involved with the mental health system there. Sounds barbaric.

[AniManiac]

Never - but like Secretum, if I'd been more honest about things, that definitely would not be the case. If anyone had known how bad things were, they would've sent me to the psych hospital somewhere between age 13 - 16, and again around 19 - 21. I had some friends who had similar stuff going on and they were sent away, so I stayed very, very tight-lipped about everything.

From what I've heard from others, I'd have to be drastically f'd up for it to actually be good for me as opposed to being extremely distressing. I can't imagine not having access to my work, much less my husband!

[thelittlethings86]

I was in a psych ward for 2 weeks following a suicide attempt. It was voluntary and I haven't been back since.

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

One hospitalization and one inpatient therapy. I was 15 at the time. I would have gone back since but I have a 3 year old and her father is crazier than I. No way I could risk him getting her because I was in the hospital.

Sometimes you really need it. I volunteered. I actually brought it up myself, told my mom I could no longer handle things, that it was just too much and she sent me off. It was very beneficial. It was a private hospital though. When I got out I was still having trouble, mom didn't realize but was causing the stress to resurface and peak again so I was inpatient for 2 days before I quit and have been on my own (aside from therapy of course) since.

They can be scary but they can be very beneficial as well.

Originally Posted by AniManiac

Never - but like Secretum, if I'd been more honest about things, that definitely would not be the case. If anyone had known how bad things were, they would've sent me to the psych hospital ... so I stayed very, very tight-lipped about everything...

Now you're telling my story, lol! How 'bout we just lob it back and forth? Half as many posts to write(!)
Never. Should have been. VERY guarded and secretive. (Not as much here, but IRL? BIG TIME.) The one and only time I let down a small wall (for lo, there are many) at a session, I had a bit of an interior freak out that maybe I'd said too much and was going to have to go. Having made it past that worry, I worried for the whole next week that I was going to be watched. Outside of that session and that incident, I have never said anything. To anyone. THAT tightlipped and stubborn. It's a wonder I made it through. It really is.

[greylove]

Three times, all within the past two years. One week while manic, one week while depressed......and three weeks following my suicide attempt. (Read paranoid psychotic.)

[RapidFlyer]

Wow, this one is making me think. My first hospitalization was in 1989 for attempted Sui. After that I was in and out of Psych ward for various conditions until diagnosed Bi Polar and MPD in 92 or93. Then I was in and out for years dealing with those two until early 2000's. So total around (and I am giving my best guess) 12 to 15 times.

I don't really know. I got really good at playing the system. I would go in, stay just long enough to get stable and get out. My last few stays were so bad I swore after the last one I was never going back. I haven't. It's been at least 6 years. So even my year count is a little off. My docs know I won't go back and work with me to keep me out. The agreement we have is I call the minute I notice something is off and we start playing with the meds to straighten things out or I have to go in.

I consider it quite an accomplishment that it has been nearly 6 years since I have been in the hosp. That doesn't mean it won't happen again.

Good Question. Thanks.

Once at 20 because of a suicide attempt & once a yr ago (my choice) because of suicidal ideation/Self Injury.

[hartbroken]

Twice, and they were the worst times of my whole life. But, I got on some meds. That was good. Ages 21 and 28.

[tnlibrarian]

So far once. There have been two other times when I probably should have gone, the most recent being a little over a month ago, but I haven't. I have three young children and we really don't have much help as far as childcare goes so my doctor does her best to keep me out of the hospital. I'll go see her every single day if I have to in order to stay out of the hospital.

I will say--in addition to those two times I should have gone--there have been numerous times I badly needed to be in a hospital. At the time we had no idea what was wrong so I didn't. Despite my complaints about my husband, I have to admit that I've made life difficult at times. I know there have been several times when my husband didn't even want to leave me alone long enough to take a shower and when he's hidden the gun we keep in the house becuase he was afraid I'd kill myself. I stay afraid he's going to leave me one day due to the bipolar but I do my best to be open and honest about how I'm feeling.

[Confusedinomicon]

I've only gone once when I was 19. (22 now)

I am pretty close to my support team so meds change when they need to. I haven't had to go to the hospital since.

[Moreta]

i've been hospitalized 3 times, and have done partial hospitalization 3 times. it's been over a year and 3 months since my last hospitalization....even though i probably should've went in november....

[Beebizzy]

Four times inpatient in about 6 years in my late teens/early 20s, and once outpatient. Some of them were long stays - the longest inpatient was 3 months and outpatient was 9 months. I haven't been hospitalised now in 12 years or so and planning on keeping it that way.

[Anneinside]

About 20 times, 17 since 2002; the other three were between 1992 and 1995 after my daughter died. I have been hospitalized for suicide attempt, strong suicidal ideations, and to get ECT started.

[SunAngel]

Originally Posted by Moreta

i've been hospitalized 3 times, and have done partial hospitalization 3 times. it's been over a year and 3 months since my last hospitalization....even though i probably should've went in november....

Moreta, I was also in a partial hospitalizaton program for 2 years until I released myself from it. They told me not to leave, but I had had it with all the depressing things that went on there. However, I got a really good understanding of mental health issues from people who were also in the program. There was one paranoid schizophrenic who always looked at you and said, "Are you talking about me" when nobody was saying anything.

It must be so sad to have to live that way.

[~Christina]

Once at age 26 ( now 44) and 3 times in 2011 .. Probably should have been a few more times in 2011 but Im compleltly honest and open with my therapist and each time I went in it was my request so he knows if I ask for it then things are that bad .. altho Im certain since I see him once a week if I started acting compleltly differant he would be all over me trying to find out whats going on.

At this point I look at trips to the psych ward as last resort for me .. I have gone to the same place the 3 times in 2011 its the same ole same ole they lump together bipolar schizo and people detoxing in the same wing... so Each time I went I would learn where to buy the best meth , coke pot etc ... lucky for me I dont have addiction issues and i found it bothersome that the mental health techs let that kinda talk go on as much as they did ... I asked my nurse about it once she said " it seems to help the drug addicts to talk about where they went for the drugs" Ummmm okayyyyyyyyyyyy???? anyhow .. My goal for this year is to stay outta the psych ward