Er

Has anyone actually gone to er when suicidal? What was your experience? I've only been when I OD'd twice and when I've gone to psych hospital for help but I'm wondering how ERs handle it.

This makes me wonder what the difference is between a psych hospital and a general hospital. I have not gone to either when suicidal, but was also in the ER for overdosing twice. After pumping my stomach they put me in an Intensive care unit to monitor me for suicidal thoughts and tendencies for 2 weeks.

The psych hospital was a independent hospital just for psych treatment. They do 24/7 intake assessments if you feel you're in crisis or just need help.

I have gone through the ER each time I have been IP..ER doc clears me medically and the Crisis team does an eval and I always get sent inpatient.. Both Psych hospitals are 90-110 miles away.

See the psych hospital is as close as the other hospitals as I live in the country. I've usually opted to go to psych because it takes a LONG time with crisis team. I forgot I have gone through er. I didn't have a choice.

Omg everything makes me cry today

I've only ever been admitted overnight to the ER crisis ward. Doctor's apparently think that IP will not be helpful for me. It's appalling. Even when i had 16 stitches in my arm they refused me admission. It's so demoralizing that when i finally ask for help i get thrown out. I don't know what their problem is.

Im sorry. I don't think that would happen here.

I have been after attempts and when I was suicidal. The er had a nurse to evaluate me and I was admitted. The hospital I use is in the same building as the psych unit. Everyone knows me there which does make it easier for me. If you need help go before you act.

Or call 911.

If asking, you probably need to go and check it out. I know when I od'd and tried to put knife into abdominal area was sent to ER. Pumped asked questions, knew what they were going to ask and was out of there within hours. Think it was hours? Unless you are stating, demonstrating, and at risk of harm in their opinion, you may be sent home. Be honest, factual. Hope you are safe.

The same would happen in NZ and has happened to me and my sister. Didn't stay over night, was just sent home after 6 hours. It's weird because you can be so desperate but because you show you want help they think that means you can continue fighting on your own. I think their thinking is if you let someone stay IP then they might keep coming back and become reliant on it; I don't know how true that is and I don't think it is fair to make that assumption.

My sister eventually went IP for 5 days at a youth respite place but only because my mum begged the crisis team to do something. And no, she didn't keep wanting to go back and it was a reaaaally nice place. It was a good break for her.

I wonder the same thing, but fear of getting placed inpatient under the care of people who would do what they believed necessary as opposed to what I believed is in my self-interest keeps me from finding out what it's like. Just the potential that some psychiatrist who 'knows better than the patient' might...well, I had very bad experiences getting 'helped' while inpatient/outpatient whenI was in adolescence.

The last time I ever went to the ER was in Oct 2003. I ended up there because I was prescribed Paxil by a doctor in a walk-in clinic. The drug caused strong suicidal urges. I wasn't suicidal just down before I started taking it. Because I was experiencing some psychotic symptoms as well the psych resident decided I had BPD and referred me to the outpatient clinic. The staff psychiatrist who saw me also diagnosed me with BPD and told me there was nothing she could do to help me. She then doubled my dose of Paxil to 40 mg and gave me Seroquel without any followup whatsoever. I AM CONVINCED I GOT THIS NASTY TREATMENT BECAUSE OF THE BPD DIAGNOSIS.

It turned out that I was misdiagnosed, because five months after this visit I was psychotic. I guess emerging psychotic symptoms can be misinterpreted.

I will never ever go back to the ER for psychiatric reasons ever. I made this very clear to my psychiatrist and family doctor. My psychiatrist has hospital privileges so if I ever need hospitalization she can set it all up without me having to set foot in the ER. She has admitted before and it was a much better experience.

This is what Ontario healthcare gives you: psychological trauma.


This sounds like what they say to people with BPD. They used to say that to me too when I was misdiagnosed with that disorder.

I overdosed and was in a psych hospital and had a Dr who is a jerk and Im not the only one to say so. At the time I had a BPD dx and he told me being there would do me no good and he couldn't help me. I just needed DBT counseling. (Im not BPD.....it was mixed state impulsive OD). I have a very good Dr I see now and shes removed the BPD dx.

After my nasty experience I keep my symptoms to myself. Last winter I was suicidal for two weeks and didn't tell anyone. I just suffered through it even when the urges got really bad and scared me.

I never recommend the ER for psychiatric reasons to anyone unless they need immediate treatment. E.g., severe self-injury There are other options in the community that can be very helpful for people who have suicidal thoughts but are not in immediate threat to themselves.


I'm glad you were able to get the correct diagnosis.

I can't get the BPD label off my records, because the psychiatrist who added it to my records no longer works at the hospital. My psychiatrist told me I could add a note to my medical records though.

She didn't dx it either. It was a dr in a hospital because I have traits. I mean, really? Cutting, mood swings and past trauma doesn't mean bpd. I charted my moods and she watched closely and after a few months with me removed it.

Cutting is enough to get the Dx. One doesn't even have to meet the minimum criteria with some psychiatrists. My experimentation with cutting along with an awful SSRI reaction that made chronically suicidal throughout the treatment was enough. The cutting and suicidal thoughts stopped when I got off the drug, but that didn't matter.

My autism symptoms were used to justify the BPD Dx even though they suspected I had ASD but they were too lazy to do the assessment. If they did they would have discovered I did not have BPD. I always knew and believed I was misdiagnosed. The BPD diagnosis made no sense and did not describe my experiences at all especially since my social issues had nothing to do with fears of abandonment and a poor sense of self.

After my BPD diagnosis they told me I had PTSD because I was sexually abused. I was never ever abused nor did I ever display any kind of PTSD symptoms. It was all a part of their game to fit me into the easiest label.

Once you get misdiagnosed with BPD it follows you. I can never ever get fair psychiataric care unless I am floridly psychotic.

We all get BPD traits from time to time especially during stress. This is why the disorder should never ever be diagnosed in the ER and during an inpatient stay.

Exactly. I was so angry because seeing me in bipolar cycling brings out some of the traits but I do not fit the personality and he didn't see me outside of there to know. But my pdoc listened to me and that's why she watchedy mood charting and symptoms Etc , she thought I'd been misdiagnosed too!!

I was SO happy to see it gone. People assume those with bpd are hopeless or something. That's how the other dr after OD treated me...it really hurt too.

It's hard to get a wrong diagnosis removed to I'm thankful my pdoc helped me with that.

From my knowledge mental health treatment depends on what hospital you go to. If you walk into an ER and tell them your thoughts or plans of suicide and you need to be there to be safe they would most likely have you admitted to their psych ward. Of they don't have a psych ward they would send you to the nearest mental hospital. In my area there are a couple hospitals that do this. If I ever need an emergency room for mental health reasons I'm going to the hospital er that sends patients to the best mental hospital in my area vs the hospital that would send me to the not so great psych hospital.

Also if you ever do outpatient check out the area hospitals and what they have to offer for your specific mental condition. For example some are great at drug and alcohol situations while other hospitals are more/better suited for schizophrenia or depression. Try to find a program where you aren't mixed in with court ordered folks. You don't want to waist your time with people who are only there because they have to be vs. Because they want to be there.

Hope you get the help you need!

I've only been to the psyche wards in general hospitals, and each time I went through ERs. They did a decent enough job of sending me up quickly. Once I had to wait a long time until a bed became available, but I was sedated pretty heavily so never noticed, lol

The times I've been to the ER have varied from being manic to depressed and also mixed. Each time they wanted to either admit me or send me to a psych hospital (60 to 120 miles away). One time I refused to be admitted, twice I was transferred to a psych hospital. This is in the past year. I can't remember how they did it years ago. As has been previously said, the ER first clears me medically. The staff have been friendly enough.