I lied for years.
I started seeing psychiatrists in my teens, while very depressed. I was institutionalized at 16 during a psychotic episode.
The staff at the hospital had been told I was suicidal. I wasn’t; that’s just what my mother told them to get them to hold me there. Every day they would come in and ask if I felt like hurting myself or others, and I’d tell them no, because I didn’t.
At one point I told one of the nurses – a young lady I felt I could trust – that I heard voices and sometimes saw things that no one else could see. Then the everyday questions became “Are you hearing anything? Like what? Seeing anything? Describe it. Do you feel like hurting yourself or others?”
Well, yeah, now I did, because they were asking invasive questions.
I figured they wouldn’t let me out if I was honest, so I lied.
I kept lying for years, because I was afraid that if I told anyone about my hallucinations, I would be REALLY crazy.
I’ve been getting worse over the past few years. I told a psychiatrist about the hallucinations, but she stopped seeing me because I missed a couple of appointments. Now I have no psychiatrist, but I am honest with my doctor and my therapist.
Yes, my honesty got me hospitalized once. I needed to be hospitalized; I was panicking and suicidal. It was a good experience, overall. I got on better meds, I met some really neat people, and I got two weeks of sleeping in a comfy bed and eating decent meals three times a day (which kinda sucked because at the time I was struggling with eating). I was terrified going in, but it was good. Don’t be afraid of getting the help you need.
Now if only I could be honest with everyone else… but there’s still that lingering fear of being “kicked out” of society…