[Monty_girl]

This topic was on the local news tonight. I've had very bad experiences in hospitals and I think this would of helps me a great deal. Does anyone have one? The local news stated that only like 25 states have these in their laws. Why not all states?

http://www.bazelon.org/issues/advanc...ives/index.htm

[eskielover]

I don't know much about how Kentucky works in their mental health hospitals. My friend Joan worked the mental health hospital in this area of Kentucky about the time when I was born (she is 90 years old). Mental Health hospitals were more scarry in those days than they have become. All my hospitalizations were in California in the late 1990's & it was scarry then....but had change a huge amount for the better. When I was in UCLA in 1995, that still had the old style mental health hospital treatment environment & I freaked out there.

I was never in a situation where I would have needed a directive......never was on more than a 72 hour hold. I knew many who had severe schezophrenia & other serious psycotic conditions where they needed this. So I think knowing the issues with your specific illness can determing the need for a directive.

Hoping I don't need a Ketucky mental health hospital but one never really knows what the future holds.
Debbie

[tulips30]

I was in a psych. unit of a major medical center in MO. recently. I was there for 2wks. I have to say that my experience was very good. It was clean and cheerful. There were group therapies daily. They had a wonderful activity therapy room available 2x daily. It was helpful to go in and do crafts, read, play ping-pong or pool w/other patients.

Most importantly, the staff was very caring and took a lot of time evaluating us and spending time talking with us individually. I was admitted for a severe case of acute stress disorder. I was very opposed to the admission. But, after 2wks, I felt 100% better.

I know there are horror stories and really bad psych units, but mine was not one of them.

[Monty_girl]

From what I've been reading about the APD's, is that it would be a document stating things like. If you don't want specific medications or treatments, ECT for example. It also would state things like who would be alloud to visit you, who would be notified when your admitted in an emergency situation and one thing I found important for some ppl is who your children would be left with.

One thing that I would want, would not to be forced to a strip search. I've had to be searched like this in more then one admission to 2 different hospitals. This caused more harm then good. It's one thing to look through my packets, it's another to have someone strip and stand there naked while someone goes through your things.

An APD is something I'm going to look into getting. With having DID there are many times I'm not aware of where I'm at, what year it is or how old I am. Having an APD on file at the local hospital would help out a lot with any confusion that might come up if I'm ever taken to the hospital alone.

If you have a NAMI office (National Alliance on Mental Illness) locally they offer a course called "Peer-to-Peer" taught by people with mental illnesses who have been trained to teach the 9-week course & part of the course is going through & filling out an AD. I don't know if they would let you copy it out of their manual or not. It is worth a try to call, if not, they may have a suggestion. But if would be a good idea to read theirs as it is VERY extensive & covers everything from what hospital you want to go to to who takes care of your pets to who visits you & what meds you will allow them to give you.--Suzy

[eskielover]

I can definitely see where the different mental illness conditions do create different hospitalization situations.....just going in for depression, or anxiety...or even the suicide attempts I had years ago, never created a situation where anything like that would have been necessary, but I can truely see where your situation would need an AD for your own piece of mind.

Debbie

[PsyChris]

I would give the same message that they give about advanced medical directives. You do not know when you will be incapacitated next. Many common Mental illnesses can have psychotic components to them and it is better to have an APD on file so they will know what treatments you do and do not want.