Current Events > Psych wards are fucked

(+) Yeah! (+)

I cant talk about the reason I was sent there a few weeks ago due to being modded about it but my experience was awful. It doesnt matter how Im feeling or anything. Ill never go back.

On the way to the psych ward, I was strapped to a stretcher. I understand why. What was miserable was the guy in the back of the van with me letting out a near death experience fart. I couldnt cover my nose and there were no windows so I had to stand the smell for the 20 minute ride.

Then, when I got to the psych ward, I was still on the stretcher strapped down for another hour or so while 5 different people tried talking to me at once. It was so disorientating. After that, they had me strip down to nothing in front of multiple people. Again, I understand why but it was super uncomfortable.

For the next 72 hours, I was stuck there and it was awful. First group therapy session I had, we played with clay. Second group session, we listened to some older man sing country songs. Third group session, we did an activity where we made a hole in a paper. I was becoming very frustrated because this didnt help at all.

Between sessions, there was fuck all to do. Television channels were extremely limited. We had a few books but nothing worth reading. We had puzzles and coloring books. We could talk to the other patients but I tried not to. The other patients would talk about how they wanted to kill certain people. One dude was super aggressive but thought of himself as a nice guy. He would say that he challenged his friends to fights to assert dominance over them. He wanted them to know that he essentially owned them. He also looked down on shorter guys even though he was around 59.

Another woman talked about how the government was after her and everyone was out to get her. She claims that her billion dollar idea was stolen by someone. It was just installing cameras inside a garage. Literally what? One man would just egg you on about your problems. Some patients were so drugged that they didnt seem all there anymore. It was fucked. There were some good patients who were a joy to talk to but not a lot. I just dont think its a good idea to put people who are depressed with people who want to kill others and people who dont seem to have any cognitive function.

The doctor who came and talked to the patients was kind of an asshole. He would tell patients Well, you look fine to me and release them. He asked me if there was a girl I was interested in and then asked me if she was hot. What the fuck does that have to do with anything?

The only enjoyment I got was from my roommate but he left days before I did. This man was put in there because he was walking on the side of the highway and people thought he was going to do something.l when he was just trying to get home. He was interesting and had a lot of stories. He told me exactly what to do in the psych ward since it was my first time. I got lucky with the one I was sent to. The other psych wards in the area have their patients be abused. Worse I saw at my place was some of the nurses berating patients and making them cry.

All in all, I will never go back. If someone asked me if they should go to a psych ward to get help, I would not recommend it unless they are a danger to themselves or others. I came out of that place feeling worse than I did before I went in. If any ever asks me how I am feeling again, I will lie out of fear of going back. Fuck that place
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Less that 50 years ago they would strap you down and lobotomize you in these places. I cant imagine they have radically changed much since then
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Sounds a bit like the behavioral ward I've been to, in and out, for the past ten years or so. It's the D ward, same place I went every time - but that would change now since I moved away from that county.

All in all, however, I thought it helped me nearly every time (save for the last time, but that's because I had just been diagnosed with end stage colon cancer, so that was way more pressing than the mental strains it was presenting, and both me and my doctor there understood that (he had end stage throat cancer, so who better than to understand how pressing time was).

As for the other patients, I met one of my closest friends the first time I was there. We were roommates, and man we hit it off like that. Just about everyone there was pretty normal, just had some sort of 'break' in that they brokedown and had to take a time out from life for a while. D ward was for the most well-adjusted people, I've heard it gets worse the higher letter unit you go to - where the really fucked up people are. But yeah, the second to last time I was there I remember it feeling almost like "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" in how close me and like seven other people got. We all hung out, played cards together, shot the shit together, and we'd "protect" one another if one of the staff did something we didn't like.

But it's not like the staff was shit, either. There were a lot of good people on the other end, as well. The nurses on the ward, in particular, were really nice to talk to and would help out in any way they could. And sure, we had group therapy, and recreational activities planned throughout the days - but it was never like you HAD to go. You were free to sit them out. The only thing that was kinda mandatory for getting out was that you had to eat your food. If you weren't eating what you were ordering from the menu, or just not making an attempt to eat anything at all they kinda had to keep you there so you would get sustenance. Otherwise, you were free to do pretty much whatever you wanted.

I can't say what's like elsewhere, because it was the only behavioral ward I went to. But what I can say is that I met some really good people there. I'm sorry you had a really bad experience, TC.
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