Voluntary hospitalization was brought up to me a number of months ago and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe standard protocol or something else. I don’t know. If you are not a threat to anyone, are not delusional and don’t hallucinate, does someone have any legit reason for bringing this up?
If someone has had anhedonia, long term dysthymia, major depression, GAD and such do you actually get better in a hospital or do you get used to institutional life and want to stay there so you don’t have to deal with life?
I knew two people in high school that were in and out of mental hospitals (one for sz and one for depression) and it sounded like it was part of life for them and they didn’t seem to mind.
I went voluntarily the second time but I got worse before I got better. After I adjusted they were very trusting with me and let me go home in the afternoons if they could see I was responding ok and doing all the OT etc.
@Gollum and @naturallycured. All the hospitals near me only have maximum security wards. No one is let out until their last day when they get to go to the cafeteria with staff to eat. If you try to get away from the group you get a longer stay. This is for all people who have delusions, suicidal ideation and homicidal thoughts. If it’s delusions, you can’t leave until the delusions are gone. I go to county health where the doctors don’t always send delusional people to the psych ward. But once you’re there you can’t get out until the delusions are gone
Sorry for painting a false picture. My hospitalisation I refer to was in 2001 and things in UK wards are different now. The ward I was on has closed and most institutions near me are for acute cases / very ill people only. Lack of resources has affected mental health services very badly.
The only time I went voluntarily was when they told me if I didn’t go voluntarily for 10 days they would have a judge commit me for 30 days. At first I wouldn’t sign it. I spent 12 hours in the emergency room that day. My wife and the doctors kept trying to get me to sign it and I wouldn’t do it.
My boss ended up coming and I finally signed it.
Every other time I was out in against my will.
I don’t know why some one would just voluntarily go. It’s not a fun place.
I’m sorry to hear this. I would feel very conflicted if I was threatened like that. My normal response to threats is ‘Go right ahead!’ but maybe saying that to a psych doc is a really bad idea. I don’t know.
All the people that I know that have been in a psych ward have described them as boring but little more. I’ve been in a non-mental hospital for a week an considered it boring but nothing more. A nurse came in, told me to roll over in bed and stuck a needle with blood thinner in my backside ever few hours.
A year ago I would have gone voluntarily if asked to nicely but think I’ve improved to the point where I think I would get worse I was horribly depressed with dysthymia for a long time.
Were you in an open or secure ward (if you don’t mind me asking) ?
In my experience the hospital is really only beneficial if you’re a danger to yourself or someone else and need to be kept safe and isolated from the world for a bit until you calm down. Life doesn’t stop when you’re in there and everything piles up and then the stress causes people to relapse and go right back to the hospital.
If you need something a little more than therapy but still want to be able to take care of life stuff try IOP, it’s like 3 hours a day 3 days a week.
Where I live, you can’t go voluntarily unless you say you are suicidal. Why a truly suicidal person would go voluntarily to a mental health ward is beyond me. All three times I went it was because I was hallucinating. I had to lie the last time and tell them I was suicidal when all I wanted was to get back on meds. I called the county outpatient clinic to get put back on meds, but they said I had to be severely depressed/suicidal to get put in outpatient. But that standard would make a person qualify for voluntary inpatient. See the conundrum I was in? Be honest and live in hallucinatory hell. Lie and get treated.