Posted by Fallsfall on February 4, 2007, at 13:37:44
In reply to Re: Hospitalization » Fallsfall, posted by toojane on February 4, 2007, at 12:06:09
Yes, my hospital was well funded, but not everyone there felt that it was a good experience for them. So I think the hospital/program/staff do make a difference, but what each patient brings makes a difference, too. There is also the question of "fit". Hospital A might be great for me, but awful for you, while Hospital B could be the opposite. A given hospital might be a good fit for a patient at one point and a bad fit later on.
And we, as patients, don't always have control over what we bring. Particularly patients with mental illness. Often our issues prevent us from making use of the resources that are available.
I think that my hospitalizations were good in large part because I was able to see them as opportunities, rather than incarcerations. I saw it as an opportunity to work hard with lots of different kinds of support - support that wasn't otherwise available to me. But that doesn't mean that I didn't resist that support, or believe at some times that it wasn't what I needed. And my hospitalizations weren't ALL good - there were problems - but the benefits outweighed the problems. For instance, I refused to speak to the psychiatrist who had my case the first time when I went in again - I forced (against HIS better judgement) that I be assigned to a different doctor. And then I had a shouting match with the second doctor in the middle of the common room.
I also stayed each time for 2 weeks. The average stay was 3 or 4 days. If I had left after 3 days (particularly the second time), I might not be as positive about the experience.
It is all a matter of fit. What do YOU need NOW, and is THIS hospital able to provide it? That's a lot of variables.
poster:Fallsfall
thread:729312
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20070203/msgs/729649.html