psychiatric hospital
psychiatric hospital
Anyone here had any experience of being in a psychiatric hospital?
I know that a 'stay' in a hospital is an option for me if i so desire ( I only have to get a referral from a GP)
It is something i am considering if it helps get me on track, i have my ok days and then utter hopeless days so a short stay is on my mind.
I have been before but that was 11 years ago and my memory is foggy ( was hammered drunk at the time etc)
Anyways just wanted to hear from anyone with experience, as i am a little scared about it, the stigma and movies etc
I know that a 'stay' in a hospital is an option for me if i so desire ( I only have to get a referral from a GP)
It is something i am considering if it helps get me on track, i have my ok days and then utter hopeless days so a short stay is on my mind.
I have been before but that was 11 years ago and my memory is foggy ( was hammered drunk at the time etc)
Anyways just wanted to hear from anyone with experience, as i am a little scared about it, the stigma and movies etc
Member
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 2,950
My best friend has spent some time on psych floors of hospitals, after alcohol induced breakdowns. He has found it very helpful, and the staff were always very compassionate. So it does, as you say, help him get back on track.. and sometimes he will stay on track for a year, and then other times much less time..
So it's not a rehab of sorts, it's not really going to treat your alcoholism. It can help you detox and get you stable on the psych end of things, get on the right medications, etc. So then you'd need to get in to whatever type of treatment program might help you. Frequent counselling and periodic reassessment of your medications, for example.
So it's not a rehab of sorts, it's not really going to treat your alcoholism. It can help you detox and get you stable on the psych end of things, get on the right medications, etc. So then you'd need to get in to whatever type of treatment program might help you. Frequent counselling and periodic reassessment of your medications, for example.
My best friend has spent some time on psych floors of hospitals, after alcohol induced breakdowns. He has found it very helpful, and the staff were always very compassionate. So it does, as you say, help him get back on track.. and sometimes he will stay on track for a year, and then other times much less time..
So it's not a rehab of sorts, it's not really going to treat your alcoholism. It can help you detox and get you stable on the psych end of things, get on the right medications, etc. So then you'd need to get in to whatever type of treatment program might help you. Frequent counselling and periodic reassessment of your medications, for example.
So it's not a rehab of sorts, it's not really going to treat your alcoholism. It can help you detox and get you stable on the psych end of things, get on the right medications, etc. So then you'd need to get in to whatever type of treatment program might help you. Frequent counselling and periodic reassessment of your medications, for example.
Thanks for your input
Guest
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Ashburn, VA
Posts: 30,196
I was once in a "behavioral health center" after a nervous breakdown.
It was a life-changer!
That's where I was diagnosed as bipolar for the first time, and was appropriately medicated. The nurses were great, the psychiatrist knew his stuff, and the technician was out of this world!
The technician was the one who conducted the group therapy sessions, which I enjoyed; she was also the one who insisted I draw a timeline of my life.
That was the most revealing thing of all!
It was not at all like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; nor were the patients creepy like the pictures you see of asylums in the 1800s.
Even the woman with severe schizophrenia was not creepy. She was a former schoolteacher and very kind. She just repeated several phrases all the time like a mantra.
It was a life-changer!
That's where I was diagnosed as bipolar for the first time, and was appropriately medicated. The nurses were great, the psychiatrist knew his stuff, and the technician was out of this world!
The technician was the one who conducted the group therapy sessions, which I enjoyed; she was also the one who insisted I draw a timeline of my life.
That was the most revealing thing of all!
It was not at all like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; nor were the patients creepy like the pictures you see of asylums in the 1800s.
Even the woman with severe schizophrenia was not creepy. She was a former schoolteacher and very kind. She just repeated several phrases all the time like a mantra.
Guest
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Ashburn, VA
Posts: 30,196
Radiate your natural kindness in the hospital just as you would on the outside.
Not only will your hospital mates be more kindly disposed to you, but you will be inclined to appreciate them as fellow humans, each one wacky in a different way, but all in the same boat learning to row.
I was suicidal and extremely depressed when I went in; but I was glad to be there, even if it was a mental hospital, because I was removed from all responsibilities and pressure for a brief time.
If it had just been ten days in a hospital room it would have been a welcome respite--but it turned out to be very much richer and more rewarding.
Look at it as Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass! It's an interesting adventure: "curiouser and curioser"--and you fit right in as being just as "curious" as everyone else!
As with any other thing in life, you get out of the psych ward exactly what you put into it!
Not only will your hospital mates be more kindly disposed to you, but you will be inclined to appreciate them as fellow humans, each one wacky in a different way, but all in the same boat learning to row.
I was suicidal and extremely depressed when I went in; but I was glad to be there, even if it was a mental hospital, because I was removed from all responsibilities and pressure for a brief time.
If it had just been ten days in a hospital room it would have been a welcome respite--but it turned out to be very much richer and more rewarding.
Look at it as Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass! It's an interesting adventure: "curiouser and curioser"--and you fit right in as being just as "curious" as everyone else!
As with any other thing in life, you get out of the psych ward exactly what you put into it!
I was once in a "behavioral health center" after a nervous breakdown.
It was a life-changer!
That's where I was diagnosed as bipolar for the first time, and was appropriately medicated. The nurses were great, the psychiatrist knew his stuff, and the technician was out of this world!
The technician was the one who conducted the group therapy sessions, which I enjoyed; she was also the one who insisted I draw a timeline of my life.
That was the most revealing thing of all!
It was not at all like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; nor were the patients creepy like the pictures you see of asylums in the 1800s.
Even the woman with severe schizophrenia was not creepy. She was a former schoolteacher and very kind. She just repeated several phrases all the time like a mantra.
It was a life-changer!
That's where I was diagnosed as bipolar for the first time, and was appropriately medicated. The nurses were great, the psychiatrist knew his stuff, and the technician was out of this world!
The technician was the one who conducted the group therapy sessions, which I enjoyed; she was also the one who insisted I draw a timeline of my life.
That was the most revealing thing of all!
It was not at all like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; nor were the patients creepy like the pictures you see of asylums in the 1800s.
Even the woman with severe schizophrenia was not creepy. She was a former schoolteacher and very kind. She just repeated several phrases all the time like a mantra.
I've spoken to therapists via the phone and in thea past via skype and recently a general practitioner face to face.......I really need to speak with a psychiatrist tho!. Yes I have various anxiety disorders BUT im not sure if there is something else going on, maybe im severely depressed because of the anxiety or maybe it's clinical, I don't know!
Goona ring Dr up tomorrow and see if my mental health assessment can be rushed through and discuss various options!
got thrown into a locked psych ward 5150 during my first year sober
all i was doing was not drinking, going to meetings and lookin' at the girls
i had no program
while locked up i received the gift of willingness
willingness to follow direction ....
meetings
sponsor
steps
service to others
higher power
the psych ward helped me as you said ... get on track
still sober !
God bless
Guest
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Ashburn, VA
Posts: 30,196
That's what happened to me in a nutshell: for once I saw the problem, and realized that there was a solution!
Once I had that knowledge, I jumped right on the bandwagon!
Chill,
My alky coworker is beginning to scare me.
He starts to flip out in seconds over things that seem so small.
I have gotten to the point of not saying a word to him unless it is for business.
Sometimes I fear he will lash out at me if the opportunity is right.
We used to be drunk together and now I am clean.
I have loyalty to him, but I get tired of tippy toeing around his inconsistent personality.
Thanks.
Thanks.
My alky coworker is beginning to scare me.
He starts to flip out in seconds over things that seem so small.
I have gotten to the point of not saying a word to him unless it is for business.
Sometimes I fear he will lash out at me if the opportunity is right.
We used to be drunk together and now I am clean.
I have loyalty to him, but I get tired of tippy toeing around his inconsistent personality.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Hello,
I have not had an experience in the hospital, but it sounds like it might be a good option for you to sort out your anxiety/depression and get on the right path to move forward. I think many of us suffer from mental health issues that we tried to escape with alcohol or drugs.
I have anxiety, and medication that helps me to deal with it, and I have added yoga, exercise and mindfulness to help with the anxiety/worry as well.
I think you should take advantage of the time if you are able to.
Good luck with everything.
❤️Delilah
I have not had an experience in the hospital, but it sounds like it might be a good option for you to sort out your anxiety/depression and get on the right path to move forward. I think many of us suffer from mental health issues that we tried to escape with alcohol or drugs.
I have anxiety, and medication that helps me to deal with it, and I have added yoga, exercise and mindfulness to help with the anxiety/worry as well.
I think you should take advantage of the time if you are able to.
Good luck with everything.
❤️Delilah
I thought I was going insane after a month sober in my own. That's when I got willing to take myself to some AA meetings . That helped a lot as they were able to give me some reassurance with their own experence of intense anxiety in early sobriety, and what they did to get past it. Restless, irritable and discontent all seemed like understatement to me at that point, but that is the alcoholics natural state when they take away booze and have not yet experience to healing effects of working on their recovery for a sustained period. There is not a quick release mechanism for this. No instant gratification. Some people do get prescription medication from their GP to get through the initial stages. I was too scared I might become dependent on that so I didn't go down that line, but its a personal thing. It certainly helped my AA bestie.
What does your GP think? Presumably they would need to refer you anyway.
While you're waiting to go into treatment why not try some of the other things available that could knock the corners of the anxiety and get you a little relief just for today? Get to some meetings, talk to others who've walked the path ahead of you (and may even have had experience of the local support facilities, and know which GPs in your area are most clued up on addiction, because lots in the UK aren't really very clued up on it.)
Praying that you find some peace and support today. BB
What does your GP think? Presumably they would need to refer you anyway.
While you're waiting to go into treatment why not try some of the other things available that could knock the corners of the anxiety and get you a little relief just for today? Get to some meetings, talk to others who've walked the path ahead of you (and may even have had experience of the local support facilities, and know which GPs in your area are most clued up on addiction, because lots in the UK aren't really very clued up on it.)
Praying that you find some peace and support today. BB
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