Posted by bleauberry on September 2, 2010, at 7:40:31
In reply to What do you say to admit yourself to hospital?, posted by rjlockhart04-08 on September 1, 2010, at 20:48:12
I was taken involuntarily to the hospital when threatening suicide. I couldn't actually do it, but was in a rage at the time and saying I would do it. During the interview at the emergency room they pretty much wanted to know if I was determined to kill myself if they let me go and how I planned on doing it. They got the sense during the interview that I was more talk than action.
Bottom line...to get in you will have to convince them you do intend to kill yourself immediately and you know how you are going to do it. There is a difference between someone who feels so crappy they think about suicide, and someone who is for sure going to do it, and the medical interviewers know how to determine which of those you are.
So basically, at least in my area, if you wanted to be admitted you would have to lie and be convincing about it.
The psych wards don't usually have enough room for everyone who needs psychiatric attention. Only the most serious cases get the beds. As an example I was found at the end of a hall on my knees sobbing uncontrollably I was so depressed and hopeless....they let me out the next day....someone more serious than me needed my bed...which I guess was a schizophrenic in a psychotic rage posing a threat to the public. They posed more of a danger than me, even though I probably felt worse than they did, so they got in, I was let go.
My experience was that a hospital stay wasn't a productive option anyway. Many of the doctors there are in residency training. The head honchos are very busy and accustomed to the in-and-out rotation thing, so they may or may not display the kind of rescue you would hope for. Their med ideas were not really any different than my own GP.
Their primary goal is to "stabilize" the patient. That doesn't mean the goal is to get you well. Nice if it happens, but not the goal. The goal is to stabilize the situation. It means basically buying some time to get through the immediate trauma so they can let you go and give the bed to someone else. You may be put on a new med, but you'll be back on the streets within just days of starting that new med.
I'm sure things vary depending on the city, the region, the country.
Some hospitals are famous for having cutting edge psych units. Those would probably offer you more creative expertise than an average hospital.
Wish you didn't feel so bad.
poster:bleauberry
thread:960985
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100829/msgs/961025.html