...your career, reputation, etc. Can people have access to this, like employers or other doctors?
>>17014738
No. If you're talking about checking yourself into a mental health facility, your privacy is protected. If that information was freely handed out to potential employers, it would just make the patients situation even worse.
Other Docs will need your consent to access your files from mental health facilities. They will need your written consent to communicate in regards to your case in the context of say, for example, a psychiatrist wishing to access your file from a facility you were admitted to, voluntarily or otherwise.
Your privacy is as almost as valuable as your life in the health setting because it just takes one fuck up and you're in position to sue somebody.
Source: Nursefag
Also man, assuming you're contemplating.. Just go. Fight on till the last breath, we all get our turn to die.
Thanks anon...
Yeah, go. I have a sister who went into the booby hatch for a couple of weeks- turned her life around; absolutely changed everything, and helped greatly.
Life is meant to be lived. Why do so miserably?
>>17014821
Can you tell me more about her situation and life before and after?
>>17014775
>Also man, assuming you're contemplating.. Just go.
I honestly wouldn't, from a former patient's perspective. Mental hospitals are run like profit-maximizing businesses, and it shows. The facilities are very cheap. Many rooms will not have windows and be lit by awful fluorescent lights. You will only be able to be outside for a short period of time and they will only do it if they have staff who they can spare, which they often don't.
The food is often poor and unhealthy. The staff (no offense to the nursefag) are in general tired, have short tempers and often utilize restraints in inconsistent ways. Many of the facilities I've been to have hired staff that they could pay less (I mean people who are not bright, went to bad schools, are not interesting, etc.).
You technically have a choice whether or not to take any medication prescribed to you (if you voluntarily commit yourself), but they won't tell you, and act like it's imperative.
I *HIGHLY* recommend not committing yourself to a traditional mental hospital and instead talking to a consultant about nontraditional mental health care (where you would be under the supervision of real therapists, but not in a hospital setting).
>>17014834
Oh, and they can and will take away "privileges" from you if you don't take your medication.
>>17014834
>>17014843
I would liek to hear your story as well.
Can you bring in stuff with you, like books, music, etc.? How do you pass the time there? What's a day like in there?
>>17014738
No, I've been committed several times in young adulthood. I still got a job that needs a 100% clean background check.
>>17014828
Without going into details, severe depression and anxiety, agorophobia, and PTSD from being in a mass casualty in the military, which resulted in some physical limitations from injury. She had a great job, but everyday stresses got to be too overwhelming and she retreated from living.
The mental hospital wasn't magic- it got her out of crisis, and into effective therapies that weren't available beforehand. The mental health professionals were able to tailor her thetrapies in a more detailed fashion because of the inpatient time, and she was able to make a greater commitment to her mental health because of her time there, as well.
As I said, it's not magic, but it can be very effective. We saw improvement right away, but real milestones took time- She was able to end therapy after about 4 years, but 6 months after getting out, she was already getting her life mostly back on track. I know that she wished she had gone in earlier.
I went in three times, only had positive experiences. Good food (once I was in during Christmas and we got three courses and pudding), understanding nurses, good accommodation with my own room and bathroom.
I'm yuropoor though, I don't know where you are located but facilities might be different in the US.
>>17014850
I would rather not share my experiences, because my hospitalizations were some of the most traumatic experiences of my life.
>Can you bring in stuff with you, like books, music, etc.?
It depends on your situation and the facility. Books and music are fine, but they might have restrictions on the format of the music (e.g., no mp3 players). Some may want to approve all music you listen to. Depending on whether the facility is long or short term, you may not have music privileges at first, but virtually all mental hospitals allow books at all levels.
The day will be broken up into free time where you socialize or do quiet activities in a common area, and scheduled activities like group therapy, """""""""art"""""""" therapy (like fucking finger painting), sports (think high school PE class), movies, and free outdoor time (in a fenced-in area under staff supervision). Depending on your condition and facility, you will have individual therapy with therapists or psychiatrists at regular intervals (1 to 3 times a week for a long term facility, perhaps every day short term). As I've said, nothing you do outside of actual therapy is a very high quality, memorable experience. The staff are all uneducated retards, seriously low quality people. You will make no friends there, they're all overmedicated husks of human beings.
If you have temper or suicidal outbursts, you will be locked in a small room and strapped to a bed. It is possible that they will give you injections of medication (if you have given them permission to, it doesn't matter if you're screaming "no! no! don't do it! stop it you fuckers, I don't want medication!", because they're uneducated niggers who get off powertripping on this shit). When you come to, they will slowly unstrap you arm by arm in the most humiliating process possible. Once you are fully unstrappped, they will just leave you in the locked room with nothing to do. They forgot about me on one occasion and I was stuck there for 2 hours.
many rights are taken away from anyone with mental illness, can't buy guns, can't fly, can't run for office
I went one time for 5 days at first on my own acord, but when I said I wanted out they were able to keep me there under the laws in my state. I was already employed and it hasn't ruine by career. Being there was awful, but looking back I would consider it a necessary evil. I got treatment and a medication plan that started me on a better path. Mental health is a full time job for me though. It takes a desire to want to be healthy. If you don't have that, I'm not sure institutionalizing yourself is s good idea.
>>17014895
(cont)
OP, I highly recommend you to look at wilderness therapy programs. Just by the nature of the program, the staff and the therapists are much higher quality than anything you could find in a hospitalized setting. Even if you hate being outdoors and exercise, it's going to do you a lot more good than traditional psychiatry.
I believe that Second Nature has an adult program still. Just give them a call and talk to them, it may be worth it before going to a hospital.
There are also mental health consultants who specialize in finding programs, and you can hire one to help you find something you can afford. Mental hospitals are literally the Wal-Mart of psychiatry, and if you go to one it's just because you didn't realize there was anything better out there.
I don't suppose any of you were on medications or some therapy before the hospitalization?
I have been for almost a year now but lately I've gone form numb-okayish to horribly depressed and suicidal. I think and dream of suicide, it's become a crucial need to do something stupid if not I feel like tearing my skin apart. So I've just started therapy and I'm on three fucking meds (antidepressant, antianxiety and mood stabilizer) yet terribly unstable. Doc and therapist don't even take me seriously anymore when I tell them I want to die, it's almost a joke.
Would more medication, while being hospitalized, even help? I'm terrified to find out that this wouldn't work because if not, I don't know what else to do.
I wish more people will post about their experiences. Would be good to have such a thread, negative and positive experiences with hospitalization and overcoming/dealing with mental illness.
>>17014941
Looks like it's in the US. I live in Europe, first time I hear about these alternatives. I do bet they're even more expensive than regular hospitals
I was involuntarily taken out of my workplace, handcuffed, and forced into a mental institution. My boss was actually really cool about it, and I still had my job and no one treated me differently, but if you need to go, go on your own terms. That shit was embarrassing, and there's still a lot of stigma surrounding mental health issues.
My next employer was a lot less understanding, but she was not told that I had been hospitalized twice (once voluntarily) for mental health reasons. I had to spill the beans about my issues because I had a breakdown.
Pretty much you sign release forms when you go in, telling them who can and cannot access your information (family members, doctors). There's no reason to tell your employer unless you need special accommodations.
Go in if you need to, it's really helpful to be monitored while you change medications, and for me art therapy was relaxing. It also puts things in perspective, when you see people who have it worse than you, or are in similar situations to yours. Go in on your terms.
>>17014961
I was in therapy and medicated (antidepressant, antipsychotic and benzo) before every time I went in. Always went voluntarily; once I tried to run away as my outpatient psych nurse was calling hospital to consult about free places on the ward. I was always in the closed ward which was not meant for treatment (so no therapy) solely for safety and stabilization, but generally hospitals also have open and half-open wards meant for treatment and bringing structure.
*BUT solely
>>17014961
I was in therapy, but no medication. Sounds like your meds need tweaking. You could always try a new Dr before the extreme of hospitalization.
>>17014738
It can fuck up your life in a variety of ways but only if you're interested in certain careers (military, espionage, arms manufacturing, etc). Those kind of employers have access to everything, period, and strongly discriminate against those that have ever sought psychiatric treatment.
Some people (Democrats, mainly) are also considering laws denying certain rights to anyone who has ever undergone psychiatric treatment, such as the right to buy a gun: afaik no state has enacted such a law yet.
>>17014961
Sounds like it wouldn't help very much, since what you're looking for is a more effective treatment plan rather than being physically restrained from killing yourself.
I think you need someone new to take a serious, fresh look at your situation, especially with your doctor getting complacent and your med plan sounding fucked-up (antidepressant + anxiolytic + mood stabilizer makes me suspect a crude hammer-and-nail approach to different parts of the problem).
I'd suggest seeing a new psychiatrist for a second opinion.
In certain states it could stop you from getting a gun.
Nursefag from before.
It's true that facilities are flawed. You can go into hospital with a broken leg and they'll cast you up, give you the good shit and keep you a few days under observation before discharge. Follow up down the track, cast off and you're good to go.
It can take years to recover from a mental health condition, and they're not going to keep you in a facility for as long as it takes for you to be fixed.
They have something called "duty of care" which means they keep you until the clinical phychitrist feels comfortable discharging you without you going straight home and blowing your brains out.
But, they will keep you alive if you're going through a bad time.
Community is where it's at, get yourself a GP who gives a fuck, a psychologist who gives a fuck and a phychitrist who gives a fuck. Shop around, because it's important you like and respect those people, and that they make you feel respected. You want to walk out of every session like "fuck yeah, these people have my back." Give them permission to call eachother and collaborate. If they're not into that, red flag, move on. Once you find team member you like, they can often refer you to another piece of the puzzle and so on.
>>17014738
It's not an optimal situation. That said, it's probably better to have the treatment you need than run around like a raving lunatic pretending everything is perfectly ok.
