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Psychiatric wards
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Has anyone on here got any experience of going on a ward (voluntarily)?
What was it like?
What was it like?
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Comments
but why the f**k would you want to volunteer to go into one???
arn't they for people who have been sectioned as a danger to themselves/ society?
Because if you don't volunteer, then you are at risk of getting yourself sectioned.
My friend discharged herself from a pyschiatric ward so she was sectioned under section 3 which meant she had to stay in there for at least 6 months. There is alot of stuff she can't do now due to having that on her medical history.
Randomgirl - I've never stayed in one myself but visited a friend for over half a year in one. She told me alot about what went on in there.
Is this what youre planning RG?
She has ADHD, OCD and PTSD, but most of the other teenagers there were 100 times more unstable/mental. My sister's condition wasn't helped, as the others were permanently trying to commit suicide, which was in the end, what she too, tried to do. It was also where she learned to self harm.
She left there worse than she was before she went in.
If you feel you would benefit from it, then by all means see for yourself, but the experiences my sister had, I'll never forget.
Very limited mental health beds means they're usually saved for the worst cases. I think its luck, as to where you live and what the hospital is like. Some people have a good experience, for others it makes them worse. I came close to having to go, and the impression i got from the locum doctor was that its really a last resort and a unplesant experience.
The hospital i work as has a brand new mental health hospital within the grounds. It opened a few years ago with 4 adult wards(1high security) and 2 elderly wards. Now they've closed 2 wards down to re-open them for learning disabilities(for which theres already a whole different place for) and rehabillitation. Which means theres often 60 or 70something year olds in the adults wards with people as young as 18/19.
A lot of the time if you've ended up in A&E or your gp thinks you should go into hospital you end up in a situation where your choice is to 'volunteer' to hospital treatment, but if you say no you get sectioned. Or you admit yourself, they assess you, and if you want to leave and they dont think you should then you're sectioned anyway. So there isnt actually a choice.
Speak to whatever professional you have and see what their opinion is.
I don't know what the threshold is but now they are much keener on persuadng people to go in with consent than sectioning them (which is more a last resort now) as it is much harder to treat people effectively if they have been forced in rather than persuaded in.
My friend was sectioned after trying to kill herself for the 3rd or 4th time.
She also had severe problems with self harm.
She was also anorexic.
Are you able to see what kind of environment you'll be letting yourself in for before you decide anything?
I think if you nearly got sectioned anyway and feel things are spiralling out of control, then its MUCH better to go in on a voluntary basis than risk being sectioned.
Please look after yourself
Hope you feel better soon
To be honest, it all depends on the ward/hospital. It's very hard to be able to tell you whether or not it would be suitable, but voluntary admission is always preferable to being sectioned because at least you have some semblance of control. There are some harsh realities about mental health wards, but at the same time, they save people's lives.
Feel free to PM me with specific questions re: sectioning. I wasn't really sure what you were looking for and didn't want to ramble in the wrong direction. Either way, i hope you feel better soon.
Yeah maybe you can visit it beforehand? My brother voluntarily went to a psychiatric place in Sevenoaks for his agoraphobia. He couldn't go visit it himself beforehand obviously but was given plenty of info and also some pictures of what it was like before he actually committed himself to going. I think it's a brave step and your psychiatrist or social worker or whoever is dealing with you should want you to be as comfortable with the idea as possible before you go there.
I really hope you are feeling better soon. Internet hugs. I think you're very brave for even considering the idea. It's a daunting thought but what I can say is that after my brother came home he seemed much better because of it.