ip lay out

To make it easier for people to go ip I'm going to give my experience. There were 18 patients varied from one day to the next the guy/girl ratio . Every room had a room mate and bathroom. The beds were cabinet for clothes and a nailed down side table. They provided all personal items. You could only bring 3 sets of clothes because they had a washer. No electronics were allowed.

Day one - getting use to the unit, group
day two- see pdoc, social worker, get new meds, group
day three on- see pdoc daily group

7 vitals
8 breakfast / fill out menu's for tomorrow
8:30-9:30 personal care
9:30-10:30 group a
10:30-12 group b
12-1 lunch /meds
1-2 group c
2-4 group d
4-5 free time
5-5:30 dinner
5:45-6:45 visitation
5:30-7:30 free time
. 7:30-8:30 group e/meds
8:30-10:30 free time
10:30 bed

That is pretty much identical to our program here. Our last group is at 4 however. The rules are the same as well.

Sounds like the hospital I use.

Yep, pretty much describes the routine where I was IP. We couldn't have electronics but there was a tablet kept at the nurses' station for us to use in the evenings (10 minute time limit). That was a lifesaver.....it was good to be able to stay in contact with the outside world just a little bit.

I remember almost nothing from my IP experience as a teenager but as an adult, it was nothing like that. I went to the university hospital so my pdoc could still have control of my meds. It was filled with the sickest of the sick. There were two 1/2 hour groups (except on the weekend--there were none). Other than that, the only structure, was breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and meds. You could use the phone as often as you needed between 8 AM - 10 PM (approximately) and there were 3 visitation hours. It was more just a safe place and it was boring as hell. Your experience sounds much better than mine!

That's a lot of groups! Mine has morning OT and afternoon OT and then a group that varies in the later afternoon from social work (group talk therapy) to nutrition to healthy lifestyle to this one group that I've never figured out what it was supposed to be about but the topics rotate and I've hit the same one 2 or 3 times. I think there is daily art therapy or I just do a lot of art therapy stuff in free time. So 3-4 groups. There is a dr every day except there is only one day on the weekend. The dr is the same except for the weekend dr. Weekends have no groups. When I was in with a bunch of people who were more functional we made up our own weekend groups. Otherwise I tend to make collages because it takes up many hours, especially tearing out everything since I can't have scissors.

They allow shoelaces as long as you turn them in every night but nobody wears shoes. No electronics but there is a computer with free access and a Wii that can be used in free time. plus a tv with dvr for exercise videos and I think movies although I've never watched one. There is no individual therapy; I've been allowed to do phone sessions with my therapist because they let me try it and the dr felt I did better after the sessions. That is a huge gift, even though I am sure they listen in which is weird. There are 2 visiting hours each day and all day on weekends. They don't really make you get up at a specific time or go to bed at a specific time although you have to be in your room by a certain time depending on the night nurse (some let you read in the hall if you are agitated) and I think they wake you for breakfast if you aren't up. I always take a shower early and then spend most of the night trying to sleep. The only time I slept in there I was in a single room which only happens rarely (2 singles, 6 pairs). There are a max of 10 patients. They don't limit what you bring in but don't want more than a few days of clothes because they have washers but I usually have about 4 days plus some layering because it is freezing in there. They are nice enough to provide really comfortable beds (memory foam, regular hospital beds), and you are responsible to change your own sheets. I tend to grab a blanket every time I get a chance because I'm always cold and can't sleep because I don't sleep well anyway and the noisy hospital is worse.

I hope you are doing well and are done with the hospital for a long time or forever!

The hospital here used to be like that. Then they got bought out by a huge network and now you might get one group a day....if they have the staff. It's now just a holding station run like a prison.

That sounds a lot like my hospital experience, lots of groups, etc. We only had visitation two weekdays (Tues and Thurs) and on the weekends, though, not everyday. If your doctor approved you, you could get gym privileges, and on Fridays you could go to the hospital gym (escorted, in a group, of course!) to ride a stationary bike or play volleyball. There was a little garden connected to the gym with pretty flowers; I almost forgot I was in the hospital there until I noticed the 20 ft high fence around the garden haha.

We were not allowed to have electronics, and there was no computer we could use on the ward available. There was time dedicated for the phone every morning and evening, but outside of that you could not use the phone.

Groups had diverse themes-managing symptoms, coping skills, meditation, art therapy. I liked art therapy the best.

The best part about being IP was the other patients. I don't know what it is, but people with MI are very special. They are sensitive and kind and creative...I love my neurodivergent friends. I made more friends in the 10 days I was IP than I had in the 10 years prior. Unfortunately, I haven't kept in touch with any of them...

Were there a lot of people going through drug withdrawal at your hospital? That was something that surprised me, how many heroin addicts there were on the ward. I didn't mind it; it gave me the chance to meet a diverse group of people that I wouldn't have had contact with otherwise. It just confused me, because I thought the hospital was for patients who were suicidal, severely harming themselves, or really psychotic...these people seemed relatively stable, they just needed help getting off of drugs.

Were there a lot of people going through drug withdrawal at your hospital? Yes but my doctor withdrawe'd anyone with benzos, or on a large quantity of meds.

I never knew that hospitals did drug withdrawls on the same floor. Where I go they just moved substance abuse to the same hospital so all psych services are in the same building but substance abuse is a separate area. They have gero-psych, mood disorders, a transitional unit that I don't know a lot about except that people are always glad to come up to mood disorders from there, and I think 2 more traditional wings or floors. I know the transitional unit is fairly small; I have no idea about the other 2 floors but I assume they are larger groups of people just because I know there are about 80 psych beds in the hospital total.

I've seen a lot of people in caffeine and nicotine withdrawl (it's a 6th floor unit so no smoking and no smoking area and they keep everyone off caffeine) and sometimes people are coming off benzos because the unit dr doesn't like them much and takes them off those and moves them to something else but never anyone severely withdrawing. I've seen that professionally and it's hard to watch so I imagine that some people would be having a rough time of it with that to cope with.

Our hospital is 18 beds for psych and it is normally about 50/50 for substance abuse and psych on the floor normally. They used to be separate, they used to also have adolescent psych beds but things have changed.

my unit is co-ed 20 beds. mixed substance and psych.

Every few days you might see a pdoc for a few minutes. No therapy, no groups, no social worker, no help. Just drugs morning and evening and the nurses hide the rest of the time. No crafts, though I think they provide some crayons and you can scribble on old newspapers. No access to fresh air or exercise or sunshine. There used to be a courtyard with grass but they gave it to the hospital visitors so their dogs can poop there and we are now locked out. Food is all canned. It's the least possible effort at my local hospital. It really is a useless place, just a jail, really, though in jail you'd have the right to fresh air and exercise once a day at least. There are no Pdocs where I live and you have to wait until you try to kill yourself to get in. I'm appalled by the lack of services. When you get out there's no follow up. I'm always amazed when i hear people get help in hospitals. I wish, I just wish.

I had no idea it was so bad so many places. I knew that I was very fortunate with the mood disorders unit because those are still rare and proving themselves to be worth the money. There is only the one in my state as far as I know. But I also know that if I couldn't get into that unit I would not be completely bored. There would be groups and things to keep busy with and accessible nurses.

What you are describing Zippo sounds like torture. I'm so sorry.

"What you are describing Zippo sounds like torture. I'm so sorry."

Actually, I have a friend who likes it. She may have been better at entertaining herself and she was manic and had a better time. I find it useless but necessary at times. I did see a good pdoc there once who took an interest but he retired. Last time I was in was Christmas and that's the worst time. When the cleaning and food was privatized it got bad, really dirty. It was better the first time I was in and there was a courtyard and decent (sort of) food and a few limited sort of programs and really friendly cleaning staff. The cleaning staff were the most helpful and compassionate. Even brought in strings for the one string guitar. But everything was cancelled for us in the ward. Cut backs, I guess. Another hospital almost as close is apparently better and I may try to get to it next time. I'm glad others have some decent experiences. It's so helpful when they make an effort. The nurses aren't rude or mean or anything and I'm sure they mean well. They're just earning a living, though, with no real interest it seems.

My IP layout was pretty simple where I was last week.

My own room rather spacious own shower own nurse appointed to me each shift two visiting psychiatrists seeing me daily 2 members from a crisis assessment team visiting me daily and then of course heaps of activities that I was free to pick and choose from if I felt like it - I joined the exercise group a few times - but that was a state hospital as I was placed voluntary IP by a state appointed psychiatrist and certainly not by my own psychiatrist.

The pdoc said I was 15 out of 10 for mania when I first arrived.

He said I'm "just" a 10 out of 10 for mania right now

(that's not my psychiatrist it's a state appointed one - my psychiatrist is pretty cool but she's a private one not a state appointed one - and of course as mania does I had a long appointment with her yesterday because I loved chatting with her - what should have been a 20 minute consult landed up being over and hour) She's pretty cool.

I did Christmas IP once too. And I'm sure it was better than yours but that was not my favorite stay. Although honestly now that I think about it Christmas wasn't what was so bad, it was that I was so sick. They tried to pretend to have a holiday meal. It included "holiday cocktail" which turned out to be the same canned fruit cocktail they served every meal and they had some different meat the usual menu that was impossible to cut with the flimsy psych unit plasticware. That time was the most diverse group I've been in there with and yet it was the only time everyone was there for the exact same reason: suicidal thoughts. Although one person wasn't so I guess most of us were. As usual I was by far the most manic and probably annoyed people. It was pretty boring b/c there weren't the usual groups for several days and this one person wanted to join in if games were played but made them so miserable I pretended to have to nap to end one. He also liked to sit behind people on the computer and read their emails which got you off the computer so he could get on which was not fun. But at least the computer is there.

I had a roommate who I'd actually been in the hospital with before on one of my 2 previous admissions. She apparently likes the hospital and spends many weeks there per year. I do not think it is THAT good. I can't imagine wanting to go in unless I were so sick that I couldn't make it outside anymore. I'm glad it is there if I need it. I never am sorry to leave and do not look forward to going back, ever. Right now the risk is higher and I've gotten used to the idea that it could happen but I still dread the thought.

There is one nurse who dislikes me (she got in trouble my first admission for giving me my bedtime dose of Seroquel at 6:30 pm when I asked for a PRN and wasn't due and then waking me and forcing my crying self to go to PM group and sit for 90 minutes of stupidity (her groups were BAD) and I refused to say why I was crying so then she pestered me in my room until I told her that I had been taught that I was strictly to take Seroquel, get ready for bed and go to sleep when it made me sleepy because I only got one chance at that and now I would have a terrible time sleeping and she didn't tell me I had to go to group or even give me a choice about the early Seroquel. The dr asked about it the next day and started to tell me I was responsible to go to groups but when I explained what my own dr had taught me combined with not being told I had to be at group when I was going to be quite sleepy he said something to her and she's hated me since. Last time I was in she was my nurse almost every evening, one of her 5 patients and 2 or 3 of those were male. Yet the night before I went home she said "Lisa could you get Karen and tell her dinner is here?" I ignored her given that Lisa not my name nor is it close to my name and I assumed someone was behind me that she was talking to. AFter a minute it was clear she meant me. 2 weeks of giving me meds and being my nurse (including one night I was her ONLY patient) and she didn't learn my name (and that was my 3rd admission, 2nd in just a few months). So I hope she's retired before I ever go back. But she's about as bad as it gets. The social worker tends to be unhelpful but again, could be so much worse and last time she didn't get with me after promising for 2 solid weeks and in front of another staff member; I needed an IOP referral outside their hospital system. The OT and nurse managed to get the stuff together for the referral before I left. I couldn't actually go to that IOP but they did try, which is a lot.

You've certainly changed my perspective about that kind of annoyance.