hospitalizations for DID???

Not really sure if this is triggering or not--so i won't take any chances.

has anyone done inpatient especially for DID?? I've been in for threatening to hurt myself and for eating disorder--they missed the boat both times. bad, bad experiences.

wondering if inpatient for this specifically would be beneficial to really get a handle on things or should i double up on therapy? want to get this under control or does that not happen?? Long time in therapy--nearly half my life and feel like i am just beginning all over again. i'm really tired and pretty done with all this.

doesn't leave my much time to persue my studies--sign language--i so want to teach this fall. have the job, taking a serious sign class. trying to keep a positive attitude toward life because i have one--and the promise of good things to come if i can stay focused and present.

any input is really helpful. you guy are all i have for support until i get brave enough to share outside.

Love w_i

white iris, i have never been in hosp. period, so i can't tell you anything on that.

i have talked with those who have gone to some pretty renown DID inpatient programs. they were still DID they did, however, seem to learn more about themselves...good and bad. overall, i haven't heard from anyone who achieved anything monumental thru the programs. having said that, i haven't talked with many who have gone thru the programs, so i'm NOT saying it's not a good thing. it certainly didn't seem to be a bad thing. i think that's something you should exlplore more with your t. btw, how often do you see t and for how long. t and i have 2 hour sessions once weekly. anything less than 2 hours, and we couldn't get comfortable enough for anything to happen really.

gl, dear. let us know.

kd

Hi w_i,
We've done inpatient six times during the past four years- two of which were 'planned' - i traveled across the country to a hospital that had a trauma unit because a friend online had recommended them.
They were helpful a little - i don't think it made a big difference in practically helping me other than to keep me safe and distracted at a time when being home was not a good idea. It was a struggle to save to money and travel alone- and a huge leap of faith.

There was a very bad stay at the hospital where my T works - in trauma unit. i had an 'old school' dr who thought it was a good idea to put me in isolation (or she didn't understand why i was acting out- isolation made me so much worse) . i became so destabilized when there was nothing to ground to- no one to talk to for days and days in a row. It was the worse time in my life. My parts have their identity from the people and places we live in. When away from everything we fell apart- further each day.
There were many other people, mostly other women, at that hospital that had a 'good' stay. They were allowed to go to groups, learn coping skills, journaling, etc, there was therapy everyday. There were classes like exercise and art.
i've never done well inpatient because my parts need their surroundings to ground.

If you need to be safe then you should go anyways.

Take care,
kerria

I never been hosp, tho I've thought 'bout it many many times. I've heard good things & bad things. Just have to make sure 1- the hosp. believes in DID, 2- you get good care for your disorder.
Always do what you need to do for yourself. We're here for you.
Love,
RM

Now on to a reply for sign language.
You know SL? I've taught myself for 3 years. Never took a class, too anxious. You teach it? Are you deaf, hoh (hard of hearing)? You do ASL, PSE, or SEE? I prefer PSE (pidgin) as I can't grasp the grammar of ASL. This is just so cool that you mentioned SL. I wanted to comment on it in a different reply tho!
Please tell me more. I'm so interested in languages period.
Love,
RM

ff_topic: I also know ASL, yes, it's a foreign language with it's own structure, but once you know it, you can speak any sign language within the romance languages pretty much (local signs exepted as usual)

As for hospitalization, I will say what I always say:

hospitalization is only for the short term ... it is for stablizing a patient, and for giving doctors and patient time to make long range plans that will work to keep the patient safe. (Who will give what therapy, how often, contracts etc.) Hospitalization, within that stablizing period, are also good for beginning medications in case (like me) a patient is allergic or does not otherwise tolerate medications.

It's not a life time experience, at least not because someone has DID.

yeah as to the last line
DID is a part time experience and you can leave the unit without grounds priviledges when youre in your head not in your body

kathyanita--not sure i understand your post--but then again i'm not sure if i understand anything today. please explain for me.
Sky-do you mean that going to the hospital is not something that you have to do all the time or that one stay isn't going to "cure" or "fix" anything???

sorry i seem so dumb today-i feel like i'm in some kind of fog or surreal slow motion video...weird--and my grand kids are coming over with my son and his wife. AHHHH
w_i

Going is not something you have to do all the time. Only when you are unable to keep yourself safe. Use the hospital stay for making long range plans with your T and Pdoc. Often one stay can be all that's needed... because of such agreements and understandings that develope because of the stay.

Maybe if you have other non-cooperative parts, you might need to go back to help them make the same plans for safety? It's up to your system, up to how good your T can communicate with it. But, no, it's not a way of life just because you are DID. TC

the crazy thing is i don't know all of who's there. i know a couple and have been able to know what they are doing. i feel/know? there are others that just aren't ready to come out but if they are cooperative or not, i have no clue. i feel really lost like i am in some kind of maze without a map and can't see because all the sides are too high and the corners are hidden. make sense???
wi

<font color="purple">Hello. We have been to into a hospital. I did not go buuuut some of us did and we got a new person in the circles from that too (her name is deidre and she only does hospitals). nona had tourble and got put in the quiet room for hours she says. I do not want to ever go there. jj

Don't know if i will be of help, because i do not have DID...anyways

The first 3 times i was hospitalized were for suicidal ideation, and self injury, although i was psychotic at these times as well (i have schizophrenia) the hospitalizations were more for the suicidal ideation and SI
I was hospitalized for a fourth time last March. This time it was just for my "psychosis" i was having hallucinations and paranoid delusions and what not. I was not Suicidal or SI'ing at this time.

I have not been suicidal or done any SI'ing for a long, long time, yet my schiz symptoms are still progressing, so i have been thinking about going to a residential. My problem though, is really that i don't want to get "better" because i feel so uncomfortable being without the schiz symptoms, since i have had them all my life. Yep, i actually hate NOT having the hallucinations and such.
But right now i am doing ok. I am still having some symptoms, but i recently came out of my last relapse, so things aren't so bad right now.

If your talking about a short term hospitalization for the DID, i don't know how much that would really help. The short term hospitalizations (the ones that last from about 3 days to 2 weeks) are more for people who are a danger to themselves or others and they go into the hospital to try and get stabilized on meds. But maybe a more long term hospitalization--like a residential would help. because this would give you an opportunity to have intense daily therapy and such and may help you recover.

good luck

-Becka

DID can become undercontrol it just takes some time. The goal that your therapist probably has is to unite all of the alters... This takes some time and may be hard at times but you will be able to do it just remember to respect all of the alters and everything will be fine after time.

I don't have DID, but I have been hospitalized. It has groups all day, there are always people to talk to. I don't do well with hospitalizations (I tend to isolate myself in those situations so it doesn't benefit me).

I took ASL (levels 1-3) at my school! Both of my teachers were deaf, so I picked it up quickly and I still remember most of it. The grammar is tough! They cut the ASL program at my school though

My T wanted to send me to a hospital in washington d.c. She says it's a really good hospital, and alot of people get alot of good results.

I think hospitalisations can be beneficial sometimes...
I have heard that they can be used at strategic times such as when abuse memories are just beginning to resurface.
Or if someone is in danger of hurting themselves / someone else.
Would you be able to continue working with your current t if you go in?
Continuity of care can be important.

You do have to be a bit careful about whether there is anyone there who specialises in DID or has experience with treating it. Same with regards to the nurses etc. Also about their policy on treating it.

Therapists / hospitals that are more sympathetic to the post-traumatic model would provide a very different sort of treatment from ones working more with the socio-cognitive model (which seems to endorse 'punishing' alters by making use of seclusion) for instance.

I'd say you would want to find out more about it before making a decision.

Do they have an inpatient treatment program or will you be fairly much left to your own devices?
Art therapy?
Sports?
Therapy?
Etc etc.

alex... especially the "continuity of care" that is a legal medical term here in Fl anyway... and with the federal rights of a mental health patient... it's easier to get cooperation than it used to be. Inpatient can be more difficult too, if you are required to attend the group therapy sessions of talk around the circle. Also, the staff often lock you out of your room during any art, group, therapy session time that can be distressing .. and for DID patients, it would be important that "all" involved understand it might happen...

thanks all of you for your input in this.

vicki has been our main concern for awhile now as she has been threatening to hurt herself/us. she wanted to go into the hospital so that she could be cared for. our T does not think it is a good idea because T won't be able to work with us and that would be really traumatic because we are just beginning to be able to trust her--esp. vicki.

we did hit a compromise for right now. vicki is getting as much T time as she feels she needs. that meant 3x this week. but it seems to be working. she has calmed down alot and isn't as quick to say she wants to "go away" or "sleep for a long long time". she never felt listened to or taken seriously before. she has much more to say than we thought. she knows alot about the "inside people" as she calls them.

i am being shut out of the conversations--we were co-conscious before. she even gets to drive there and home. it is keeping us safe for right now. it is still really stormy waters and tightrope walking, but so far we aren't in the hospital.
w_i