Hospitalization??

My T and my pdoc both want me to check myself into a hospital to get some "rest." I've never been hospitalized before. I'm considering it, but I don't know what to expect. My T wants me to go in right away, but I have questions about insurance and how much it costs per night, how many nights they suggest I stay, etc. My pdoc is going out of town this weekend for the holiday so its either before the end of this week or I wait until next week. My T doesn't like the idea of me waiting, but honestly, I'd feel better if I could get some stuff taken care of before going in. That's IF I decide to do it at all.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

I don't know about costs, you should contact your insurance company for that.

I spent 8 days inpatient once. I can't say I got any extra rest but unplugging myself from my day to day seemed to relieve a lot of internal pressure. I was noticeably less messed up after the stay.

I was really bad at the time; I could barely string together a coherent sentence. I was given a "choice": 'go in willingly or we will make you'. Some choice. I went willingly because I had a rational thought from somewhere that it would be easier to get released if I walked in instead of getting "dragged" in. Turned out I was right about that. I discharged myself against medical advice and that would have been difficult if they were able to legally hold me more than 72 hours or whatever it was. My pdoc was ready to call the police to start the involuntary process. I don't know the letter of the law here or where you live, but, in my very limited experience, going voluntary is better.

It is also better for your well-being. The people in the ward that were there involuntarily had worse attitudes because they were forced to be there, didn't think they should be there so were very angry and disruptive.

I can't say what is best for you and your current situation or that your doctor would go the route of an involuntary commitment but I can say that I never want to return but it was helpful and really boring. Doing balsa wood "art" and hiding from group therapy is not as exciting as it sounds.

I don't know if any of that is helpful to you, I hope you make the right choice for you. Getting better, even a little bit, is a good thing and if it takes inpatient to do it that is okay.

I have to say that a rest is the biggest lie I have ever heard. No one sleeps well in the hospital. It is really only a place where you are locked up for a few days. All of your freedoms and rights are taken away. They can abuse you if they want and you can't do anything about it. My hospitalization only cause me pain. I have nightmares about all the time. Maybe talk about doing a partial hospitalization. I had a good experience with this. You keep your rights and freedoms, but you get multiple groupe therapy sessions. If you can keep yourself safe at night I would recommend this. As being imprisioned is miserable and I never felt safe. I was even assaulted by staff during one hospitalization.

being in a hospital is not a bad thing. if your therapist said you should continue checking it out. some hospitals are good others not so much. try asking your t where she thinks you should go

Not a bad thing at all.

I spoke with my pdoc about this. Apparently, she wants me to admit myself to a long-term/in-depth hospitalization in a different state. I'd be there for 30-60 days..... Umm... NO. How in the heck could I even begin to afford that? No thank you. I'll deal with my garbage on my own.

30 - 60 day stay - that likely is not fully covered by your insurance, but you can call to find out. I tried to commit suicide back in 2014 by overdose, and ended up in my local hospital's mental health ward for about 10 days. I did find it helpful, and the other patients were nice people. I never felt unsafe. They had a lot of great group sessions that I found very helpful. Of course not every facility is the same, and could even vary from week to week depending on who the patients are at the time. I'd ask my therapist for another suggestion for a facility/hospital offering shorter term stays.

Call the place they want you to go and ask. Treatment centers pay people to figure out how to make a stay financially feasible.

If you have trauma in your past, Two Rivers Psychiatric in Kansas City has a good program. They only take people who enter voluntarily, you spend all your time with other trauma victims, staff is knowledgeable about how to help people who are having dissociation or flashbacks, it pretty structured, there are always groups of one kind or another going on and they are pretty good. And you will sleep. There is a lights out time
and everybody is quiet. They won't keep you for 30 days either.

Whether this is a good idea or not really depends on the quality of the hospital.

I'm curious. Is the hospital they want to send you to a Menninger Clinic? They are supposed to be one of the best for trauma and they are very nice facilities, from what I have seen. But yeah, very expensive, too.

I was sent to a state hospital involuntarily and was there a month and got no rest at all and no therapy either.

She mentioned The Meadows and Sierra Tuscon, both in Arizona.

I've decided I'm not going into a hospital, in-patient or out-patient.

I had a horrible time in a Swiss psychiatric hospital. You're locked up, and they can keep you against your will, even if you check in voluntarily. I hardly slept at all, because you share a room with a stranger. There was no therapy, only medication and "relaxing" board games. You have no freedom, and are never alone. Everything "dangerous" (medication, nail clippers, even deodorant with aerosol) is taken from you. It is like prison. They check on you several times per night. There were terrible screams from other patients. My doctors were arrogant, rude, and obviously enjoyed their power to keep patients locked up.

I had to lie and beg to be discharged after 3 weeks, even though I had only agreed signed to try for 1 week. I've gained nothing, only lost my self-esteem.

I had mixed feelings about my voluntary stay in the hospital. I was really depressed and was pretty likely to hurt myself so at my T advice I checked myself in. I was safe and didn't have to worry about outside stresses. I didn't get good help though. It could have been the hospital I was at. I decided to discharge myself after two day but I had to wait 72 hours.

There are intensive outpatient programs. My therapist said she had some other clients who have been to these and they helped. Its basically like a program where you go five days a week and spend a few hours in therapy and group therapy. You get a good amount of help and don't lose your dignity like being in the hospital. I didn't feel like I had any control in the hospital. Plus I shared a room with a guy who cried himself to sleep.

Me personally I'm not at that point but therapy and meds aren't doing enough. I'm thinking about doing group therapy. I don't have much support in my life and feel very alone in dealing with my depression.

I have been hospitalized in the past and I am currently in an IOP (intensive outpatient program). There are partial hospital programs and intensive outpatient programs... The difference being the PH is an all day program generally offered with all of the treatment--therapy, education, group therapy, doctor--that you would get in a similar hospitalization except you sleep at home and have the weekends.

This would generally be 5 days a week and when you are doing better you would transition into IOP which is the same program but you go for only half a day. The other half a day you can spend practicing the skills you've learned in PH and transitioning back to work and life.

Then usually they cut the IOP back from 5 days a week to 4 or 3 then to 2 until you are ready to end it.

You would be expected to have therapy and a pdoc set up for the end of the program. The PH/IOP is intended to be a very short, intensive treatment to get you back on your feet it is not intended for long term.

The difference in PH and hospitalization is that hospitalization would be necessary for someone who is in danger of hurting themselves or others. i.e. in need of 24 hour supervision. A PH program would be suitable for someone who would be trusted to show up on their own every day, take their meds properly, behave while home (no alcohol, etc) and report honestly about any problems that crop up at home.

I've only been hospitalized once but I've been in three different IOPs. All three varied wildly in their procedure and the daily schedule and treatment. One was not to my liking. The first was a continuation of my hospitalization in the same programs and therefore a very similar program to what I was getting in the hospital. The second wasn't really suited for me, but it did get me out of the house for two weeks on a daily basis so that aspect was helpful. The third, the one I am now, I think I have to say it saved my life.

So yea do some research and if you don't like one program find another with a different atmosphere.

What type of therapy? (my current is DBT) How many people? Is it for high-functioning people? How long is the expected stay?

I don't know what has been said this far but for me it was a waste of time & money to go to a mental hospital. You have NO freedom at all. You eat when they tell you to eat. You goto bed when they tell you to goto bed. (As someone who works until 2am this was a big problem for me.) There is only so much you can do before you are just sitting around bored. For me the best way to past the time when I am bored and can't do anything else is to sleep. They don't ask you why you are sleeping they just assume you are still depressed. You only meet with a Pdoc once a day for 10 minutes max. It is treated very much like an adult daycare.

I'm sure the hospital and the program matters. I don't know that most people have a choice. I was given a choice of two programs in the ER, I have no idea if the alternative would have been better or worse than the one I had chosen. At the time I wouldn't have even thought to ask or even to think that they might be drastically different.

But my hospitalization experience was much different than yours. Yes waking, sleeping, and eating time were all dictated by the program. But we were made to rise early to begin the program, and the day was filled with therapy, education, learning coping skills, all on a tight schedule. There was little free time available to get "bored". There was free time in the evening to read or converse or use the phone.

My alternative was suicide so the time I spent in the hospital was both frustrating and healing but ultimately saved my life. It:

• Took me away from my immediate stressors while I was in there, giving me time to process them in a safe environment;
• Got me stable on a new medication;
• Taught me a lot of new coping skills and depression management techniques so that I wouldn't flounder when I got out; and
• Helped me with the transition back into the life that the suicidal thoughts had dragged me out of.

After that it was a long road back to health but the hospitalization put me on that path.

I've never been hospitalized, but I've been to a crisis ward five times voluntarily. My longest stay was five days. Therapy, group sessions, learning coping skills. I saw the pdoc once before being discharged. I felt safe, and the staff was very friendly. I have there number programed into my phone if I ever need to go back. I haven't needed to in two years.

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I'm glad it helped you. I just know from my personal experience my 2nd hospital stay made things much worse for me.