I could really use advice. I know every one and every hospital is different but it would help to hear experiences. I had a bed ready but chickened out because they said they’d take my phone and no smoking is allowed. I’m already in a very bad place and I can’t see that being helpful. Also I don’t want to get stuck there forever. They said a week is generally it. I just don’t know. My voices are so loud I can’t concentrate. I can’t sleep even though my pdoc gave me olanzapine to help me sleep. I think It made it worse. I haven’t slept a whole night without waking up at least three times. I know I’m annoying my family. I just don’t know what to do.
I’ve been to one once but it was involuntary and I don’t remember much.
Personally I hate hospitals and never found them helpful and never want to be in one again. The hospital isn’t made out of some magical material that blocks the voices, they just take away your freedom and lock you up on the psych ward. Talk to your doctor, try different medications in the comfort of your home, and then report back to him. Repeat until you find a medication that works.
I wouldn’t want to check myself into a hospital unless it was absolutely necessary. Your Pdoc can do just about as much as a hospital can. I would just talk to them about your options. hospital admission is for emergencies only IMO. Hospital stays are generally not enjoyable. Just extreme boredom.
Hospitals seem to have one thing in common, they’re boring. They all have exactly 7 things to do and those 7 things don’t last more than a couple hours and you have to either keep doing something you’re totally sick of, or sleep. The seven things are sleeping, eating, pacing, playing ping-pong, playing pool, watching TV or going to the bathroom. That’s it.
After that, the day is broken up by meals, the only actual fun thing inside is to eat.
Seriously, they’re pretty boring. When I was in, PC’s had not been invented yet or cell phones. Or anything more complicated than a cassette player.
I was in during the old, old days when kids actually read books and went outside to play.
IDK if you should go in. I kind of agree with the person who said they don’t help. I feel no hospital made me better and only a few of them were safe.
But as patients and schizophrenics, that’s what we have. I think there’s two ways of going in. One; you wait until the last second when you are about a minute from going stark raving mad and you are barely hanging on. Or two; you make a pre-emotive strike (so to speak) and go in when you’re feeling bad but you still have your sh*t together a little bit. I think the smart people go in before they are at the end of their rope. You don’t want to dragged in or escorted in by the police for sure.
The question is this: Are you a danger to yourself or others? If yes → go to hospital asap. If no try and ride it out. You can ofcourse go to the hospital for a while before you are a danger to anyone and ride out the symptoms till your meds kick in. Just remember eveything will pass
Ofcourse when you are a danger you probably don’t realize it anymore.
Also olanzapine takes about 2 weeks to kick in and a couple months to work completely.
Try and find a hospital where you can smoke and keep your phone. I cant imagine going through an episode and not having any cigs to keep me calm. Id go full postal
IMO as someone who works at a psychiatric hospital, you really should not do inpatient unless you are seriously concerned about your safety or the safety of those around you. For example, if you are having voices commanding you to hurt yourself or others and you don’t feel like you can resist them for much longer, by all means PLEASE do inpatient.
But if you are just passively wanting to die, or feeling depressed, or stressed out by your symptoms, outpatient is the way to go. Inpatient is so disruptive to your daily life. You could be there as long as 2 weeks, hospitals will do everything in their power to hold you as long as insurance will pay for it, I have seen it happen before many times unfortunately. And inpatient honestly isn’t very nice you could be sharing a room with someone nasty (most psych hospitals do roommates, which I don’t agree with at all). And you will have someone checking on you every 5-15 mins or less, even while you sleep, are in the bathroom, etc. And you can be in an environment with some pretty scary unstable and even aggressive people. I honestly don’t think inpatient is very therapeutic at all unless you find some fancy private clinic. I really would only recommend it, like I said, if you legitimately think you are a danger to yourself or others.
Some outpatient options available to you are PHP, which is like all day outpatient therapy and you get to meet with a psychiatrist weekly to manage meds, and IOP which is a few days a week for a few hours a day where you can also meet with a psychiatrist. Now when you go to a hospital and they see you have insurance, basically no matter what you tell them they will recommend inpatient to you because that makes the hospital the most money. Unless you are an active danger to yourself or others though they can’t hold you so be firm that you don’t want inpatient if you don’t think you need it and that you want PHP or IOP.
But again if you really fear for your safety or others please do go inpatient as it is the best option as far as safety wise. But if you are just feeling overwhelmed, outpatient.
Dont worry, yes check in the hospital, if your hearing voices and your feeling scared its the right choice.Thats the right place to be right now for you. Its not bad idea at all.
I would make the choice that you want.
Based on what you said, if the voices are so loud you can’t concentrate and you’re not sleeping; then, you check yourself in, if in your mind and heart, you can’t wait for your pdoc to find the right medication for you.
Maybe, based on what Anna said, you could do outpatient, IOP/PHP, where you see a different doctor.
A second opinion and a different medication might help TheldlerWheel.
if you feel you can’t handle things by yourself anymore and do not have enough help around then i’d go to the psych ward for sure.
I have been 2 times each for 4 months and even if the second time it was ok experience i wouldn’t wanna go anymore if it’s not really necessary… i rather stay with my parents. I don’t know if you live alone or not?
I never really had the option to “check myself in to a mental hospital.” Some doctor always had to ease the way for me.
But I did have some choice as to which mental hospital I was going to be placed. I learned very quickly that the nice private mental hospital was so different than the state hospitals.
I hate inpatient at the hospital. In my experience, the staff is usually mean, cold and callous. But if you think you’ll hurt yourself or someone else, go to inpatient
Personally I like psychiatric hospitals. I find them therapeutic. And also the fact I have no friends makes me appreciate the social contact I get there.
Think about it, is it the best thing for you at this time? weigh it up if you can, are you in such a bad way that a stay in hospital will help? or will it be better if you stay where you are? are you willing to sacrifice your phone and your smokes for your mental health. its hard decision. sorry, i hope you feel a bit better soon, i’ll pray for you if you like.
