Does anyone have interesting stories about people in mental institutions (e.g. if you've been to one)? Share them in this thread.
I used to work in a psychiatric hospital and some of the things that went on were incredible There was one time we had this patient who was so completely out of control we had to call in the local PD. The guy was around 6’3” 275 lbs. and once he grabbed a knife we were compelled to call in the police. The police had their guns drawn and were ready to blow him away; when for some inexplicable reason he was suddenly struck by a ray of sanity and he gave up Hotwater
We had an adolescent unit but there were no little kids only 13 years old and up and they were a terror Hotwater
when I was 11 I was put in an adolescent unit of st elizabeth's outpaitient mental thing. Physically I was like 8. But mentally, let's just say I helped all the high school kids with their homework. I remember that my mom had to argue my way into that place but I have no idea why that was the place for me. but it was. I have fond memories of that place. I learned how to drink coffee in my two week stay there. some of these kids were cutters and odd things like that an 11 year old wouldnt understand.
I have been hospitalized multiple times in multiple institutions. To say do I have any interesting stories no. To be hospitalized in some institutions is or most institutions is that of having all your freedom, your dignity, your human rights in general taken away. You have to do as they say. You are subject to never getting fresh air when you would like it. The staff can be cruel and inhumane and the Nurses can go on power trips at any given moment of time. I was denied wearing a hat, a hood up on a hoodie, sunglasses, and was ignored for my physical diseases. The most horrible and interesting thing that happened during my last psych hospitalization was that no one there contacted my Pain Management doctor and they took it upon themselves to try at first to treat me for drug abuse and addiction and was refusing the pain medications ie: methadone and oxycodone I had been on for years (Legally and Monitored by a Physician) and it was the most horrible experience in my entire life. If you are not wealthy , and have to go to a community mental health center and be hospitalized I am sure you can relate to some of the above. I have no funny stories to share only traumatic events that took place in which I am unable to recall on demand. Peace and I would rather die than ever going back to a psychiatric hospital.
Just because your medication is monitored by a physician doesnt mean its acceptable. I was on three of those large time release dexadrine pills everyday counterracted by some mellaril at night. I was like 12 and maybe a hundred pounds. Then I went to a new doctor and he flipped out because of what i was on. I got cut off cold turkey and was warned about some withdrawals. I couldnt leave the bed for three days. for months I was a complete asshole douchebag. THen I was a clean sober pothead who is now conceivably normal. doctors arent all trustworthy.
Wow I understand your point entirely. The doctor who took you off the Dexedrine was not following the proper procedure for taking you off the Dexedrine or any physically dependent drug, he really should have weaned you off of the medication to avoid the horrible 3 days in bed you had to endure. I would imagine you were on it for ADHD and some doctors disagree but really cutting you off the medication abruptly probably threw your body into total shock and you really could maybe have died. You are lucky it did not kill you ( the withdrawal abruptly ). My problem was that these doctors were psychiatrists and my medication is prescribed by an anesthesiologist for chronic pain and CNS disease. They were out of there field on my physical problems and should have contacted my medical doctors in regards to medications not linked to my psychiatric care. Peace to you- Pillhead2
The withdrawals weren't really that bad. Especially since i didnt have the temptation factor (can't really just go find some dexys), and the fact that I didnt even know that I had that kind of addiction til the day before I got cut off. I think those two factors really helped in my recovery.
i've been there twice for vandalism and when the cops came I yelled angry shit at them so they considered it threatening and I got taken there for evaluation. Yes, such bullshit. The first time I was 17. when you first arrive theres a metal detector you go through then you go down a hallway and theres a fat electronic door you go through and it's called emergency treatment center. Once in there you get searched and then you sit and wait in a chair to sign a crap load of papers and get asked like literally 300 questions. then you get to sit in a white room with a bunch of other people in these lame chairs. usually it's crowded so you get to sit in a chair for like 9 hours with absolutely nothing to do. my visit I had to sit there 12 hours talk about making you go crazy and plus those chairs are way to uncomfortable to sleep on. During my stay in this white room with hallways and hallways of blue chairs and security walking around several people had freakouts and yell crazy shit and attack security and get tackled pinned and then strapped to a special wheelchair that makes them so they can't move and then wheeled off to who knows where. thers all sorts of crazy people that act dang weird and people giving you evil stares and people chanting shit and people seeing things. im not exxagerating. for being normal and being around crazy people it was quite the experience. people crying yelling and people having flashbacks of bad things in there past yelling their story for everyone to here. Also during that stay in that chaired hallway rooms a physcologist physchtriast talks to you and gives you some tests n stuff and tries to fuck with you to see your reaction to see if you get angry. Then finally after sitting there 6 or 9 or 12 hours depending on how crowded, you get escorted to your housing unit. once there it was late at night for me so I went straight to bed but basically the cells are like prison but bigger and the beds are side to side with your inmate rather than bunk. I was in juvinile so it was different. but once you come out you all have to sit around a table and read a article in the newspaper and discuss it. then you eat breakfast. then you go to school for 4 hours. in school you get lectured, watch and intructional video, and complete a worksheet on math and english. after school you eat lunch and then get 1 hour of open free time where you can roam around the eating area outside the cells. again the set up it much similiar to prison with the same electronic doors with the windows to your cell. After freetime you go to mind enchancement class where you have to do a art project. We made animals with beads. during that class is when they decided to discharge me so my parents were called and I went home. but ummm lockdown is after dinner at like 7:30. so that means your locked in your cell with nothing to do haha. The second time I went there I got released after 7 hours in ETS and never got housed but if I did I would have experciened the adult section this time around. overall a mental hospital is just like a special prison for the mentally ill. and basically you gotta follow all rules or they can do shit to you. if you throw a meltdown or something prepared to be thrown in a room for like 23 hour lockdown. so it's a shitty ass place to be you don't wanna go there by any means. so make sure to not yell crazy shit at cops if your angry cus those assholes have legal right to arrest you for a evaluation and you gotta stay in the dang mental hospital till your discharged. I acted normal at the hospital but I bet if I didn't behave n stuff I would have been there quite a while. the chill thing is unlike prison both men and women are housed in the same housing unit but never the same cell haha.
Yes, I agree with you. And I wouldn't want to ever be hospitalized. However, I once was and met some quite interesting people in there. Also it was funny that there was this practice in there whereby a doctor would come to you for 5 minutes in the morning, ask what's up, and get $300 for the visit as it later turned out on my bill. I think this is ridiculous.
my mom and dad placed me in a psychiatric ward when i was 14/15 yrs old 'cause i was doing drugs. there i started using meth, intravenously, with another patient lol. his brother would sneak it in and we would go into one of the bathrooms. i think we only did it a few times and we were caught and thrown out. probably couldn't get away with that these days.
Yeah I was when I was a kid. I was hit by a drunk driver, and I spent about 9 months in the hospital for it. While going through physical rehab I was never "taught" how to deal with my previous emotional scars from the child abuse I dealt with. When my memory came back, I had no idea how to handle the nightmares. My hatred and anger came out at those that deserved it, and I was punished. I was locked up time and time again. I lost count when I went through the records and found I was locked up over 32 times. I was diagnosed with a variety of illnesses, like Organic Brain Syndrome (which is correct only as it covers such a huge selection of mental and physical issues with the brain), and Bi-Polar Disorder. For years I was on medication. Then I quit the meds and moved to another state. I saw a few doctors there and they told me what the problem was- I had been previously diagnosed as having Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, all the way back to the accident when I was a kid. DECADES I was on medication that did nothing for me, because I didn't have what it was prescribed for. And people tell me that I have no right to be angry....?
unfortunately Logan this happens far too often. a family member is going through this. she has been diagnosed with depression, bi polar, ocd, suicide ideation and i don't know what else. she has been hospitalised over and over where they just medicate her and she gets no therapy whatsoever. she was on effexor for 10 yrs. and NO THERAPY! anymore they just want to give you a pill to shut you up and then they don't have to bother about you. sorry to hear you had to go through that.
Having read these post I know most of what people went through is true. I worked there a clinical Social worker. It sucked because we saw these kid or adults who had obvious needs and the system denied us the chance to give meaningful help. We were buried under rules and regualtions, tonnage of stupid pointless paperwork that no one except beancounters would read. I often was in tears or rage when I'd hear the life story of some of our folks, Abuse, neglect, drunken, vicious parents or guardians were usually the norm. Obviously we had people who had the real thing, some type of god awful mental illiness that poisoned lives and broke up families. I've been beaten, knocked unconcious, clubbed. bitten and lost teeth. I've had my life as well as my families lives threated. AND every once in a while we got to turn lives around and make a healthy difference. We would protest stupid rules and regulations, we'd call congressmen and ask for changes in the Mental Health Codes. Might as well piss up a rope. It's a tough, miserable place. It's where some people come to the end of a life of tragedy...and for others it would be a start for a better life. We'd get people brought in by the cops handcuffed and shackled, often screaming, raving insane and yeah, we'd shoot em up with drugs and quite often it would help. Often but not always. We'd do our damnest to sort out what was going on in someones life without having one bit of verifiable facts. We'd hope we were hearing the truth but often we'd be gettin a BS routine. Jesus what a hellhole for everybody involved. For those of you who were there I'm sorry for what you went through. I'm not apoligizing for my efforts but I'm acknowledging what a hellish experience some of you had. For the lives we helped I can't take credit but I feel great to have been part of the solution. I still run into former patients and have a chance to sit and visit , BS and share some time outside of there. I ran into a couple of former patients last week. We caught up on each others lives and hugged our goodbyes. Holy Shit, Life is weird at times.
I was on my way to being a somebody when they did that shit to me. The second time they got me on the meds, I was 165#, jogging a mile, pretty good shape. 3 years later I was 245# and couldn't walk 100 meters without severe pain.
