Hospitalized?? Experiences- Good or Bad:

Thank you to all who respond to my posts- it helps put a little light at the end of this black tunnel called my world...) I am new to this site in desperate need of help. I know I should be checking myself in ASAP but am quite scared of the consequences, Just hoping those that view htis post could share with me their experiences both good/bad about being hospitalized for suicide attemps/thoughts etc. What was your length of stay? What if they discharge you before you're better? Is it better to check yourself in as opposed to ending up there as a result of an attempt?- Any insight would be wonderful and much appreciated...Thank you in advance

 

i have been hospitalized twice now, the average length of stay for me was 3 1/2 wks. 1st time i voluntarly admitted myself the 2nd time the doctor thought it was in my best interest. And they try not to let you out of the hospital until they think you are well enough to be on your own. I was very scared the 1st time in but the nurses and doctors and councellors are there to help you. If you need to talk thats what they are there for. It does help believe me. And i know the health care system you are working with cause i live 8-9hrs away from where it says you are from.

 

The only bad stay I had in the numerous times I was in the hospital was when I was taken there after taking a couple to many sleeping pills, which to my gf at the time and my mother thought was an attempt at suicide (which was not), I woke up to them literally draggin me out of the house.. to make a long story short, I was absolutly crazy and upset which made me end up in the seclusion room with a matress and nothing on but underwear for about 48 hours.... I have never been strapped down or treated inhumanily... I have only ever had problems with 1 nurse... otherwise all my stays I felt accomadated and like they had genuine compassion for me and my illness..

 

I was hospitalized only once, and it wasn't for a suicide attempt. It was after a fight with my family, but I won't get into that. If I was checking myself in voluntarily, I wouldn't have been so upset. But the actual stay wasn't bad at all. It was a little boring, truth be known, since it was the weekend. One of the therapists there told me to just think of it as a vacation, or taking a break. Everyone was really nice there, and in the hospital where I was at there was a cafeteria/game room/living room where the patients interacted and relaxed. I wanted out, but that was mostly because it wasn't my choice to go there. Things got better after that, for a while. So if you do need to go, it shouldn't be a bad experience. There were people from all walks of life there, who wouldn't normally even talk to each other, but when thrown together everyone got along okay.

 

I was hospitalized once, i didn't have a choice.
It was either I go voluntarily or have to be handcuffed
and taken in involuntarily.
Its better to be voluntary.
I didn't have a bad experience, when I went I was lucky
I got to be with nice women like me.
There was one woman who wasn't all there, but she
was easy to get along with, and very friendly.
I liked the women, but I kept to myself.
They do watch you, and judge you. Its better to be more social.
I knew I was getting the help I needed, and they usually insist on
having an after care plan so you aren't just thrown back
into life, back to first base.
I wish you all the luck, I hope you get the care you need.

 

Many thanks to those who continue to respond to my questions. I have been very hesitant to check in to the hospital due to my fears of having an unpleasant stay, getting lost in the system, and also because of the progression of my Multiple Sclerosis. The doctors here aren't very knowledgable about MS and I have gone through some bad experiences as a result. My worst experience was the last time I was there- I had to argue with them that I in fact had MS!! The ironic part is that my diagnosis came following review of the MRI scans at this very same hospital 4 yrs ago! Needless to say I think my reservations to "check-in" are well founded. Has anybody had similiar experiences? Regardless, I do appreciate hearing any experiences people have had being hospitalized as such- thank you again, looking forward to any more posts....

 

i have been in the hospital many times. i have been in two different hospitals one was a hellhole where i was scared literly all the time the other is very nice, great staff, wonderful psychs and very calm because they only take volonteers. it is better to check in before an attempt, you will most likely find yourself in a better hospiltal than if you attempt.

 

ok.. I been in the hospitals at least seven times. They will give you a battery of tests first when you get in. They need to know just how suicidal you really are. Sometimes your in for a few days... other times you may be there usually a month... but if they think you are serious enough... you may be there several months... and maybe even years depending on where you are at!

My suggest is stay away from public hospitals... Stay out of them... they do not tend to care about you because they have an overload of patients now... and the staff is usually burned out and underpaid. You will generally sit and twiddle your thumbs 23 hours a day... and spend that last 55 minutes waiting for your turn to see the doctor who will spend 5 minutes with you... prescribe you some pills and say see you tomorrow and repeat it all over again.

Understand that doctors prefer to medicate you... they are not there to solve your problems... insurance companies prefer to medicate you because the treatment is cheaper for them than going to therapists. You better make sure that they medicate you for the correct label they give you. Make sure of this because you can be given a false diagnosis and be given something that can really screw up your mind.

Therapy in my opinion is the best option... but medication can assist in your recovery... but it should not be the only solution.

Private hospitals are the best... they tend to treat you better. But you cant get in unless you have some kind of insurance. They are expensive too.

The best private hospitals I have seen has to be the Minerith-Meyer New Life chain. They are nationwide and they have a rigorous program of recovery that they set up for you on a individual to individual basis. It is morning to dusk training and therapy sessions... you will get the help you need there. How much does it cost? About one hundred thousand dollars a pop. With insurance you can get it cut down to anywhere between 1-5 thousand dollars out patient co-pays. Ive been to three of them... so you can imagine how insurance companies love me. 1-800-new-life

Each time I went... I got a little stronger... sometimes you need to do this... it is part of the recovery process.

Jonathan

 

Well, the last response kind of makes me shudder and take to steps back- but indeed i'm confident iut is a reality. I understand all too well about doctors who push meds as opposed to therapy. I feel as though i've been the "pill guinee-pig" in the last two years, being precribed at least 20 different meds in this short time, to no avail. In fact, just this past June, I was hospitalized for a flare-up of all my symptoms. I was put on a 3 day course of solu-medrol (strong intravenous steroids which temporarily knocks out your immune system). The "kicker" was the report one of the neurologists composed stating something along the lines of "...with any luck, this treatment may be effective in reducing the exacerbation of some of these symptoms...". With "any luck" I ask - not very comforting to know the doctors are playing russian roulette with my life, so to speak. Furthermore, in the last post Jonathan advised that I should make sure I've been properly diagnosed, which poses another obstacle. I did in fact receive a 2nd opinion from a neurologist at McMaster who specializes in Multiple Sclerosis whom "confirmed" it is MS. There is no question I have a serious illness as I now use a cane-soon to transission to a wheelchair i'm sure. Problems with my balance, co-ordination, neuro-pain, eye sight etc. etc. The problem I have with the diagnoses is that I have recently found out all my symptoms mirror "lymes disease". It is treatable w/long term antibiotics, however, there is a ton of government "red tape" around this and only a few doctors in Canada will even consider treating you for this.
So...that being said, add that to a person's plate who is severely depressed, and seriously considering suicide, and you wind up in the pickle I'm in. As for private hospitalization- no insurance/not an option. As for going to a different hospital- there is only one available for this area. In retrospect, I feel like I've been fighting all my life and am seriously running out of "fight". It seems much easier to just end it all, and save the taxpayers the burden of my existence.
Has anybody had any long-term hospitalizations in the public system that was actually positive?? My walls are coming down....fast

 

I have... in private hospitals... at Minerith Meyer... if you dont have insurance... they have a great referral program and can send you the best care you can get. There are people out there that work on a sliding scale.

If your on 20 different meds... your what I like to call a legalized street addict. Your like my brother... you dont need to give up till you have had the chance to discover what options are out there. For me... desperation forced me to go to where I could get the help. Minerith Meyer paid for my plane ticket to fly me to where I needed to go. The location should not be an issue... the issue should be how willing are you to get the help you need?

Because if you are not willing to travel... and are more willing to kill yourself without trying to get that help... then that is insanity because you can not expect to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.

I went to hospitals all over the country... I did what I had to do to stay alive. And while I am still suicidal... they taught me many many things there that helped me understand a lot about how I think and how other's thinking is influencing my own judgment. I had to make some painful decisions there... and compared to where I was then and where I am today... I have grown leaps and bounds.

Jonathan

 

Thank you for your prompt response Jonathan. Just to clarify, I am not taking 20 different meds- what I was trying to get across is that these are the number of different meds i've been prescribed over the past two years- would go on one or two which would alleviate some symptoms yet create others. Then I'd be switched to another regimen and so on and so on. At current, I am not taking any precribed drugs- no, going insane "al-natural" Though I do find much relief smoking pot (i'm pretty sure I'm addicted though..) which is indicated for MS people here in Canada. Speaking of which, I googled Minerith Meyer and realized you are in the U.S.- I am not aware of any such organizations here in Canada. Furthermore, our countries' health care system is only just starting up "private" hospitals. As for travel...I'd be willing to circle the globe in order to bring releif to this black, hopeless whole of deppression with suicidal tendencies that permeate my every other thought. It feels like i'm being strangled by my mind and i've just about taken my last breath... please help/advise....

 

Anyone?? Any other experiences/suggestions Please Help......!

 

sry i havent responded, i am back at college after a weekend break and now have net access.....ok ive been in 5 hospitals in the last year....they have helped me to stay a live in this godless forsaken world...im alive and thats about it, i had to travel this weekend during our big winter storm, each curve each hill i prayed that if my god(s) really cared that they would pull me out, ok having said that im not suicidal, just dont care anymore. Hospitals will keep u safe for a while. Private hospitals are good, they are like a vacation, in a hotel with no open doors....lol...and a lot of sleepy meds. If u are willing to travel, i suggest hospitals that i have went to, they atleqast have kept me alive, although i resent them for it. Pm me if u wanna know more.......

 

Anyone else? Experiences in Canadian facilities- your feedback is appreciated and invaluable all!!

 

All my experiences are here in Canada but only at one psychiatric facility... otherwise I have been to a drug rehab unit... my drug problem had been my relief from the pain for so long, and now I don't have that to rely on and am feeling anger welling up in me like never before.. I am hoping that the doctors will consider other treatment options at this time.. I have heard of facilities in Edmonton Alberta that do much similiar to the private hospitals in the US.. except we have the benefit of our healthcare covering the costs... I would recommend you do an internet search and find out what you can find there in Ontario, I am sure there are facilities there... I wish you the best of luck in your search for sanity..

 

Hi, Im sorry your in a bad situation. I have been in a psyc hospital and was told in no uncertain terms to go in voluntarily as its easeir to come out.And I must say it was brilliant. I had only me to think about, me to get better, no worries about anything about the outside world, and must admit could go there again any time.

But I live in Scotland, so along way from you, and dont know the system of psyc wards where you are. sorry.

All I can say is Im thinking of you and hope you get the help you need.
Take care, donnaxx

 

I know it's not canada, but I spent 2 weeks in the Manhattan Psychiatric Centre in 2005, I was coming to the end of a weeks holiday with the wife (now ex-wife) and I had a manic episode. All I needed was to go back on my meds, but the centre insisted I had a whole lot of uneccessary tests, I can only assume it was because they were claiming on my travel insurance. Anyhow, the service I received for the so called private care was no better than the care I have received on the NHS in the UK. I have had 6 hospitalisations over the years in the UK, and all of them have been OK.

 

Hospitalized once, miserable experience. Everyone in the ward was a LOT more messed up than I was, they were all substance abusers and pill junkeys. I was not. I seemed to be the only one with my head screwed on straight. I got high marks for my intelligence. I knew more about the subject, it seemed, than most of the therapists and psychiatrists up there. two of them couldn't have been any older than 18.

It seemed that I had done more research on suicide than they had. They spent the whole time I was up there calling the family who was helping me to find out what they were doing to screw me up, despite my constant pleas that it was not them that are responsible for my problems.

Because there were kids in the house, they tried to send CPS there, (I have no love for those SOBs, they did nothing while I was beaten, raped, taught to steal and constantly verbally abused as a child). Nothing like them attacking the people who helped me to heap more guilt on me.

Some of the staff was quite rude, which I understood to a point, given what the rest of the patients treated them like. At one point, I tried to talk to one who snapped at me. When I told her I wasn't trying to piss her off and she needen't be rude to me, she shot out of her chair and almost attacked me. That would have been a huge mistake on her part.

I will never go back to that freaking place, they made me worse.

 

If you feel you should be hospitalized, please take all the negative experiences and be a better advocate for yourself...if you have someone you are close to, maybe s/he should be there to advocate for you as well...big hugs, J

 

Hostipalized in Canada for +1 month. Wasn't helpfull. Their all about medicating and monitoring. There's no help with working on your problems. And the treat you like your a major inconvience on their time. Their impersonal babysitters, only there to make sure you don't die on their watch.