Posted by whiterabbit on July 4, 2003, at 22:09:25
In reply to Re: talked to friend briefly - Karya Lynne, posted by Emme on July 4, 2003, at 9:08:41
Both of my hospital admissions were involuntary and made on an emergency basis, so I had to start out at the top in the "high risk" category. At this level you're considered to be possibly violent or suicidal, so there are a lot of restrictions for your own safety. You wear hospital scrubs and slippers and you have no access to your possessions at first. You're confined to the ward, which usually consists of a dayroom with television & reading material, patient rooms, nurses station, private rooms for counseling, & someplace to eat & socialize. You do have free access to the telephone and visiting hours.
Even at this level you're not treated like a prisoner where everyone is subject to all the same rules. They start to ease up on restrictions as soon as they determine that it's safe to do so.
I was always treated with respect and remember on several occasions being genuinely touched by the kindness of a staff member. I saw only one person being forced into restraints after getting combative with an orderly, and they let him go again as soon as he settled down. Otherwise I saw no one being physically restrained in any way beyond confinement to the ward.At the hospital with the good psychiatric program there were two wards - one for high-risk patients and others who needed close supervision. Some patients appeared to be senile, psychotic or severely retarded - also harmless. I never felt threatened or offended by any of these patients who were pretty much out of touch with their surroundings. And there were plenty of other patients like myself, rational but overwhelmed by their emotional pain. I was admitted to this ward as a suicide risk for a short period of observation. I suppose my lab tests results from the emergency room showed a high blood alcohol content, as my nurse seemed aware that not only was I frightened out of my wits, I was also terribly hungover. After watching me pace for awhile, agitated and crying, she caught up with me in the hallway & asked when was the last time I had slept. It had been quite some time, and I hadn't slept really well for ages. She asked if I would like to have something that would help me calm down and get some rest.
Back in my room, the nurse brought me some pills in a cup & sat down next to my bed. She seemed very concerned about me. I took the pills and sighed, "Don't know why I'm bothering, nothing helps me sleep, I've tried everything you could..." Wham, I was out. I slept for quite awhile and woke up feeling better than I had for a very long time. I had been seriously sleep-deprived and completely exhausted.
If your psychiatrist admits you on a voluntary basis I don't believe you will have to worry about this level of restriction. You are there, after all, of your own accord. Obviously voluntary commitment is preferable before things get so bad that you end up being involuntarily committed - or dead. If you're worried, ask your psychiatrist what kind of restrictions you can expect after a voluntary admission.
Don't worry that they'll lock you up in there and not let you out for a long time. It's an understandable fear but unfounded. Inpatient care of any kind is horrendously expensive and each day you spend in the hospital must be justified to whomever is picking up the tab. The whole process of inpatient treatment is geared towards making you well enough as efficiently as possible so that you can go home. Aside from the prohibitive cost, there are patients waiting for your bed.
My first recommendation for finding a good hospital program is to make sure that the ward is segregated as I described. On my second admission to a different hospital (the other hospital was full), all the psychiatric patients were housed on the same floor and not separated. Both hospitals had 2-man rooms with private showers and seemed to assign roommates according to their general stability. But at the second hospital you had to share the dayroom and the rest of the ward with all patients. I found this to be really unpleasant. There were several elderly patients with Alzheimers and they made a huge racket, shouting the same thing over and over ALL day long. It was disconcerting and depressing for
everyone.At the "good" hospital I was assigned to a social worker/counselor type person in addition to the nurse. She was awesome, very kind and concerned.
She gave me her pager number & told me to call any time I needed to talk. After a day and a half on the restricted ward she recommended that I be moved and I thankfully graduated to the "other side".At the bad hospital program, there was group therapy but no individual counseling. This made a huge difference in my general impression of the hospital's treatment & care. The individual counseling added a personal touch that was definately lacking at the second hospital. While I was always assigned to a specific nurse at both places, them nurses stay pretty busy. They just don't have time to sit down & chat with you for more than a few minutes, while a therapist does -
that's her job. She assesses your mental condition & makes up a report for the doctor to refer to when he's deciding on your treatment plan. She's also a go-between: she has direct contact with the psychiatrist while the patient usually does not (aside from the usual 10 or 15 minute visit, just like on the outside).
I would definately recommend a treatment program that assigns you to an individual counselor, therapist or social worker.I had no problem with the restrictions myself. After a long stretch in the military, hospital restrictions seem mickey mouse and they didn't offend me. In fact, after a couple of days I kind of started to appreciate having someone else make all the decisions - being temporarily relieved of most everyday responsibilities is curiously liberating. No job, no housework, no kids, nobody to impress, no pressure, nowhere you have to go & nothing you have to do but concentrate on getting well. At the good hospital, my blood pressure was monitered a couple of times a day because of my hypertension. Even with medication, my bp usually hovers around the barely acceptable 140/90. I was astounded at the rate that my blood pressure fell while I was an in-patient. The nurse told me this wasn't unusual, as patients are relieved of most common stressors. Normally the most difficult decision you have to make is what kind of dessert to order with your meal.
While this all may sound incredibly boring, I don't remember getting too bored at the first hospital. Your whole day is organized with different activities - mealtimes, visiting hours, psychiatric evaluations by the therapist and doctors, group counseling and classes for patient education. (The classes weren't strictly mandatory, but otherwise you were confined to your room during classtime & I'm sure inattendence is not noted as progress.) I didn't mind participating - it was fascinating to hear stories from the other patients, & to learn that we were far from just "a pack of loonies". Two patients I remember in particular: the quiet woman who always carried her stuffed bear was an executive at a Fortune 500 company, and a medical resident whose boyfriend had managed to entice her into injecting heroin & she got hooked. I sat up with her one evening & held her hand while she cried - she HAD to clean up to continue her residency but she loved the guy who was still using. My heart ached for her. I hope she was able to break away from him and go on to fulfill
her dream of being a doctor.So there you go: more than you ever wanted to know about in-patient treatment. I really hope you consider a short stay at a good hospital with a reputable psychiatric program. Ask your psychiatrist to recommend a hospital where she has treatment privilages. A week or so in a really good program can be very therapeutic and a tremendous help in diagnosing your condition and planning the best medical treatment for you. It also helps to connect with the other patients who are struggling as you are with emotional pain.
It does make you realize that you're NOT strange,
NOT different, NOT unworthy, NOT alone...and not unloved.-Gracie
poster:whiterabbit
thread:238884
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030704/msgs/239349.html