[irritable4life]

My p doc wants to admit me but I am a single mom with no help right now..I have a feeling I will be going soon..have not been since I was a kid. It was like prison! Is it still the same? I am extremely antisocial in person and extremely irritated by others. Thanks.

[~Christina]

My IP stays have always been okay.. Its not a vacation, But your safe and your meds can be moved and changed quicker because you are being watched 24/7.

Mine has a set schedule , up at 630am , I see my pdoc daily , Loads of group therapy and activities, Time to call family, friends , Nurses always available if you need them for anything. You will also be checked over by a medical doctor to make sure you are also being cared for physically if you have ongoing health problems. A social worker will see if there is any programs or help you could qualify for.

My average stays where 3 to 7 days.

I am quite shy in real life actually. But usually by the second day I have no problems talking to other patients .. My IP has a total of 12 beds, so smallish group of people.

I will tell you If your Pdoc pushes you to go IP ,,ALWAYS ALWAYS sign yourself in, then as long as your not suicidal they really can't hold you longer than 3 days.. If you get baker acted then the IP Pdoc can hold you longer if they feel your not ready to be discharged.

Does your area have a partial hospital program? (PHP) or intensive out patient program ( IOP) ? That can be a huge help if you have access to one, Ask your Pdoc.

Ip is a great place to be when your not safe to be alone.

[Sinking Feeling]

Voluntary admissions are usually very nice and you may not want to leave!
Involuntary admissions can be HELL!!!!

[BipolaRNurse]

My stay was a good experience. I was a voluntary admit, so I probably had it easier than some, but of course you have to give up a lot of control and that can be frightening. By the time I went in though, I was ready for someone else to take over because it was either that or I would have died by my own hand.

Yes, the unit can be pretty regimented and there's not much privacy when you're on suicide watch. The main reason to go in is to be safe and to regulate your meds in controlled conditions. Therapy groups can also be helpful. And there's usually some activities like art and music therapy.

Wishing you the best. Feel better soon.

[UCMATH]

I've spent time in Sierra Vista Hospital in Sacramento. It's a private hospital and has the highest rate of state and federal violations in California. I think it's eight or nine times the average across the state. Literally the worst patient treatment record in California. It looks seriously nice, but hell-hole is an understatement. There have been rapes, a few accidental death caused by workers, and suicide. They've been fined for endangering patients more than once, gotten busted for defrauding Medicare, have been sued for releasing patient info, and the VA won't send vets there anymore.

They misdiagnosed me with a polysubstance abuse problem, even though my friend apparently made it clear to the admitting hospital that I was in a mixed psychotic episode. They never tested me for drugs, and I've never figured out how I got that diagnosis. I know it's happened to other people there, too.

I was taken in with a gaf of 25. They sat me in a chair for four or five hours before processing me. I'd actually begun to get tired and had a raging headache, so they let me go to bed. I kept telling them that I was cold, which is a common complaint there. The nurse, who was very kind, repeatedly woke me up to tell me I needed to participate in group meetings. I refused to get out of bed to participate, which didn't make the psychiatrist happy. I hadn't really slept in days.

My friend had told them I would want to take Seroquel, but they didn't give me anything. They released me with a GAF of 55 the next morning, even though I was floridly psychotic and still thought God was talking to me. They changed my GAF so they could empty a bed. I can't remember much, but I do remember that the social worker who sent me home with my roommate kept telling us to cut the drugs out. Once again, I wasn't on drugs.

My release paperwork says I understood everything, but I can only remember them having me sign papers without reading them after I said couldn't remember how to read.

Clearly, my friend wasn't happy about my release and I was sent back with a diagnosis of severe mania with psychotic features. It was actually a mixed episode, but the psychiatrist didn't pay enough attention to know. I think he spent a total of 30 or 40 minutes with me the entire time I was there.

I honestly can't remember most of the details of my stay, because they released me after the mania became depression, but it was a harrowing experience that left me afraid of psychiatric hospitals. One of my friends says I told her I would never forgive her if she let me go back to that place.

I do know that there are some excellent hospitals out there. I just happened to be in the wrong place when I had that episode.

[alienrock]

Go in voluntarily before involuntarily. Best advice.

i stayed 3 months in a psychiatric unit and the best advice i have is to go voluntarily and take all they have to offer. don't fight back against the staff or harm yourself because then they will keep you in longer.

it's okay. they do keep you safe, but it's excruciatingly boring, most of the time all we did was watch TV. the other patients could be very triggering and annoying as well. but if you feel you need it, go for it.

I would suggest hun is to do your homework because they are NOT the same. Some are worse or better than others. Be sure to read patient reviews to make an informed decision. The one I ended up at treated me pretty well whereas the one my spouse went to be treated at was like crude.

[raspberrytorte]

Boring, really bad food, pretty sure the kitchen staff hated us all up there. lol. I've been inpatient twice voluntarily, last time involuntarily. No difference in how I was treated either time. Does feel like a prison. This last time I frequently found myself walking to the door and looking out wanting to leave, but I was stuck there for five days.

[raspberrytorte]

Oh, and if you smoke you can't. That sucked.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Originally Posted by raspberrytorte

Oh, and if you smoke you can't. That sucked.

Some let you smoke actually. I've been to three where you can. Others might offer the patch.

I have had mostly good experiences. Keep you safe while things are chaotic and maybe some change in meds.

[msxyz]

I didn't have a good experience, the boredom was the worst though. There was no group therapy or individual therapy, but 2 meetings for the purpose of I don't know what, but they weren't therapy. We had to fill out forms and then everyone was asked what was going on for them that day. Once a week there was psych education. Most meetings were held by non therapists. They were out of art supplies, some crayons only. 1 board game. 1 TV for everyone. No internet or personal phones. Donated books and they were the worst of the worst, unreadable material. The only thing it did for me was get me the right medication.Oh, and the food was actually nice.

[Hopeful Camel]

I've been hospitalized about 30 times, in different states, in both public and private hospitals. I think it makes a huge difference if you are in a public hospital or not. Private hospitals have group therapy, programs, you actually can see a therapist, and I've generally felt like I was making some progress.

Public hospitals, on the other hand, for me at least, have been hell holes. Nothing to do, lots of screaming, rough staff, horrible food, and the distinct feeling that you are just being warehoused until you are "out of the woods" as far as being a danger to yourself or others.

I agree with the other writer who said shop around. I know in the town where I live, I've instructed everyone that I only want to be taken to a certain hospital, should the need arise. Good luck to you. A good hospital can be a very healing place.

[secretgalaxy]

Stayed for 12 days, would have stayed for more if I could have, as I wasn't stable when they let me out. Went in depressed, came out *super* manic.

The stay was awesome though! Amazing food! Like Oreo pound cake, chicken Alfredo, chicken parmesan, ham and cheese biscuits, pizza, etc. I really miss the food... :P

We played uno or BS most of the time and watch TV, had a "hospital name" idol where we sung. Messed with the nurses, had pet therapy (played with a dog), art therapy, and group was 3x a day. Got the therapist to do horror story Monday :P stayed up all night reading cool books they gave us, and made good friends.

It was literally the best vacation I have ever been on, lol.

OH!! Snack time was awesome!!!

The only thing that sucked was the showers. And we could only have two blankets and sometimes it was freezing. But that was fixed after a kid yelled at the advisor, lol.

That was the adolescent wing though, so the adult is probably different...

EDIT: This was a public hospital too, but we have good ones here, IMO

[irritable4life]

Ya..I don't want to go. I'm n Georgia and I'm guessing they would send me to barnesville or Columbus..either way I don't want to go but my p doc had said it would be real nice to meet your mom to get her view of how your moods are and history..can she involantaraly admit me if my mom is there to take care of my son..see..I just want to do this outpatient...she thinks I need to be stabelizeled on meds inpatiently but y..don't make sense..

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by irritable4life

Ya..I don't want to go. I'm n Georgia and I'm guessing they would send me to barnesville or Columbus..either way I don't want to go but my p doc had said it would be real nice to meet your mom to get her view of how your moods are and history..can she involantaraly admit me if my mom is there to take care of my son..see..I just want to do this outpatient...she thinks I need to be stabelizeled on meds inpatiently but y..don't make sense..

I *think* she can only commit you if you are a danger to yourself. Someone else will chime in to make sure.

[cashart10]

I have been IP twice. The first time I was 16 and for some reason I only remember one thing

Possible trigger:

and that is how humiliated I felt about scars from cutting when they checked me at admittance. The nurse gave me a horrendous look when she asked what had happened.

Oh, and I cried A LOT the first day because I was scared. The second time I was IP I was newly postpartum and delusional. The thing I remember most about it was how boring it was. I was in a public hospital and there was very little care. Minus two half hour sessions with a group therapist that were a joke, we just roamed the halls, watched TV, read, and colored. I was with very sick patients though. Admittance was fine this time, perhaps because I am older. I agree with everyone who has said to admit yourself instead of being committed if you are able. I was once threatened by my then therapist to be committed so I went to the ER voluntarily. I lied and said I was in no immediate danger so they had me do an IOP instead. I have done IOP twice and the experience is SO much better.

[raspberrytorte]

Maybe the food just sucked for me because I'm vegan and there weren't very many things I could eat - limp, undercooked fries, burnt questionable bagels, salads with rotten lettuce, and peanut butter sandwiches. My husband said I looked skinnier when he picked me up from the hospital. lol!

[raspberrytorte]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

Some let you smoke actually. I've been to three where you can. Others might offer the patch.

I have had mostly good experiences. Keep you safe while things are chaotic and maybe some change in meds.

They offered us the lozenge or the patch. I went lozenge.

When I was inpatient in 2006 there was a nice courtyard area where we could sit outside and smoke, but, at that hospital, you can't do that anymore.

The IP I was in let everyone out into the courtyard 5 times a day to smoke back in January. I have quit smoking, so I went outside just for the fresh air and to move around.

The food was from the elderly care unit next to us, and it got progressively worst. I got my doctor to put me on dietary nutrition supplement which meant I got fresh salad that had eggs and ham on it also with my meals and Ensure 3 times a day. That ended up being all I ate. I went to the store to price the Ensure, and they aren't cheap, like $10 a 6 pack!