From the article: Inpatient Psychiatric Care Experiences
Often people with bipolar disorder are hospitalized to stabilize their conditions. If you have been a psychiatric inpatient, please share your story here. If you are curious or fearful about psychiatric hospitalization, read others' stories to help you know what to expect. Share Experiences
sammy
- I have been in 2 hospitals, both different. I called a suicide hotline and was admitted to the 1st one, I was misdiagnosed went though all there groups and stuff that did no good. got on meds that made me worse, went into a manic like never before a then set free. Needless to say I did not get better I got worse daily. second hospital they took all my meds started me on new ones, I went through withdrawl had panic attacks which they did not give me meds for.I could hardly talk and I was forced to go to groups! I went to this hospital for ECT. which is the only good thing that came out of it 11 days later Iwas free. I went to my regular doc got back on my other meds right away.
- —Guest angelfire2009
Everything was a nightmare
- My husband had just admitted he was cheating on me with a woman he worked with. I was suffering from steroid psychosis at the time. He had already given me the "I'm not happy" and "I can't take it anymore speech. I had already lost my 30 year career that I loved. This couldn't be happening. Right after he told me he put his head down and refused to look at me. I tried everything I could think of to get him to look at me. Finally, out of desperation, I told him I would start taking my vicodin until he looked me in the eye. The worst part of this is that I REALLY didn't take a single pill. After a couple of minutes he hopped up and made a phone call. He called my therapist and he was told he had to bring me to the hospital. I wasn't the least bit concerned as I thought they would do a simple blood test and find out I hadn't taken a single pill. That didn't happen. They immediately admitted me. I freaked out so bad that it kicked up my asthma and I ended up in the ICU.
- —Guest Parabeagle
Hospitalization
- I was admitted to the mental ward once I became close to commit suicide. One way in and one way out. I was on so much medication to see what worked best for me and I was a living zombie. The staff was alright and the doctor was nice did the best he could in little time he had, was diagnosed with major depression, bi-polar, was told it is genetic (mother was mentally ill, raised a bi-polar daughter). I felt sort of safe in the ward, once on the outside it is a different ballgame. We had group sessions, arts and crafts, breakfast lunch and dinner, they all tried their best but there not enough hours in a day to realy deal with one on one with the individual patient. People have no idea what all we have to go thru to deal with this desease, its a fight every day just to make it thru the day.
- —Dagmar2711
Things Have Changed!
- I was hospitalized for the first time in 1981 in NY. The place was dirty, had no real structure, we were made to wear our pj's all day, and staff was abusive. I watched them force feed people and tie them to chairs to inject them. They killed a man that way-I watched. It became a big scandal in the papers. I saw an orderly pick up a woman from her wheelchair and throw her across the room. When I got out I swore never again. But 10 yrs later I got so bad I tried again, but in CT. The place was beautiful, the staff was kind and professional. It was a completely different world. They had structure, which is what I needed. Eventually I moved to VT, and I have been to a number of hospitals here. They are all clean and professional and structured. They are nothing like what I experienced in NY! Thank God!
- —Guest Anniem
Hospital was horrible
- I was inpatient more than once. The hospitals were always horrible, the way they treated you. If you smile you are manic and if you don't you are depressed. I still have flashbacks to my time in the hospital. It was absolutely horrible. I cannot imagine how they call it a place to get better when it always made me worse.
- —OzarksUSA
3 stays
- I have been hospitalized 3 times for BP and each time it did help me. The depression was very bad each time and the routine in a hospital helped me gain some momentum towards feeling a bit better. I learned that routine was very good for me and when I have felt like that since then I have resorted to making myself have a routine and follow it. It was worth it.
- —CruiseAustin
Hospital Experience
- I went for the second time during a year's divorce to get away from everything. There was a juvenile section to the hospital. On a Sunday afternoon while napping, a nurse came to my door and said there was a fire. I went and got the elderly lady next to me in a walker. Kids had set a mattress on fire because they were angry about something. We stood (I was in stockings) in snowy cold weather for two hours before we could go back to our rooms in Louisville, Colo. Thanks Charter Centennial Peaks Hospital!
- —Guest HadEnough
