I was admitted to the psych ward from the emergency room the first time for cutting during a manic phase. - The next time (I am not sure of the time sequence) I admitted to my pdoc that I did not trust myself at home not to do anything dangerous. That was a truly humbling admission! So the first time in the hosp. I dont really remember any counseling one on one, but we did have activities - painting and such and a few group discussions - I think everyone there was pretty messed up then and just needed to be in a safe place. The second time I interacted more with the group and learned a few coping techniques then I was referred to the outpatient group therapy, which was much better and helpful than the hospital groups. I think the hospital is to stabilize you enough so that you can seek out a therapist and a group when you get out.. they should have given you a list of resources and made a plan with you to help get you started- a discharge plan. Group therapy for depression is very helpful, sometimes I find it more helpful than counseling one on one. I hope you are looking for something like that- Its very nice to have people who dont judge you that you can turn to when you need support. Good luck!

I have a lot of experience in the psych inpatient settings. I won't tell you how many times I've been in but I will say no two were alike. My most recent visit there was a therapist available on all three shifts for me to talk to. Other hospital visits I've had it's been like pulling teeth just to see the doctor much less see a therapist. So, it just depends on your individual stay. There are a variety of things that can alter the outcome of someone's stay some of them are the following...the number of patients, the mental and physical status of the patients at any given time, whether all of the staff made it in to work that day or not, and whether the medication prescribed for you is working or not

i been hospitalized 3 times none were horrible but only one really helped at all the rest were bandage fix's

My sister was admitted, after a long time of struggling with suicidal thoughts. In the end she was left frustrated with the lack of counselling offered. I believe that is not really always the preferred line of treatment offered by hospitals; sometimes a patient just needs to be kept safe, perhaps given time to consider their options for when returning home.

I see a lot of diagnoses in your profile. If you have a lot of diagnoses than it most likely taking compbination of psychiatric drugs that make you go over the adge. In other words do not take all together and you will be cured without mental hospital. in mental hospital they do not do anything positive except as you said hold people from herting themselves and others.

They just keep giving you more psychiatric drugs that make your symptoms more and more interesting and updating your diagnosis gradualy starting from anxiety moving into bipolar than to schyzofrenia and finaly to untreatable schyzofrenia after which they will give you disability and consider you lost case. in order to cure yourself try to remember how things started and at what point things went wrong than you will find what was the reason for it. One problem with diagnoses is that when people realy have something they are in such state when they do not know that they are sick if you know that you are sick and something wrong with you that means by itself that you most likely had bad luck to take some weird substance (including some psychiatric pill) that damaged balance in your brain and by taking mix of medications you keep your brain out of balance. When you will have real ilness you will not know about it. Problem is that it is very hard to go of psychiatric drug because it is not like staff that you just stop taking and everything is fine. It takes long time to determine which one makes you worse and which one helps restore balance. You have to take them one at time and do a lot of research on their effects and sidefects to see what is going on. Unfortunately psychiatrist can not do it for themselves 9there are plenty of psychiatrists that not survived such condition) never mind for each patient. in fact it is more likely for children of psychiatrist and for themselves to get mental problems because of no fear of tying psychiatric pills and availability of them for them.

I was in the phsych ward many years ago. Out psychologist was an arrogant ass hole. We had group therepy though which was good. I was there 3 weeks due to being suicidal. Almost lost my job. After the first week, I told the doc. he was an arrogant ass and the entire group agreed with me. after that things went much better. If you feel the need to go back to one, check them out any way you can. there are some helpful ones out there. I don't ever want to go back though! I make sure I stay on my meds and call my dr. if they feel "out of whack" At the end of my time there, the doc told me I did more for the group then he did!

I was in a psych ward. I was forced to go. It was horrible going through all the abulances and such. But I did get help there and my life pointed in the right direction. I now want to live. I'm excited for the future.

I haven't been since the mid 1970's.
Both times I admitted myself.
I was in there for SIX MONTHS the first time with depression and received no help, just laid in the bed the entire time. Back then almost everyone was diagnosed with schizophrenia for insurance reasons, I was misdiagnosed and given meds for schizophrenia and I got much worse. Finally they decided to give me ECT without my permission (I didn't know they could do that) but my mother refused to sign the papers. I was taken off all meds and went back to work about 2 weeks later. This was in a private psy. hospital.

Then after about 6 months or a year I admitted myself again, this time in a manic state but it was in the psy. ward ot the general hospital. I stayed 2 weeks, was given Mellaril (spelling) and then Lithium (which took me out of the manic state and into another severe depression which lasted another 6 months).

No more hospital stays for me if I can help it, but I have to admit I actually thought about it recently after going thru a really bad depression that lasted for several months.

Like most of the other comments, I believe the hospital is just a holding place to keep you from hurting yourself or others.

been admitted to hospital like 10 times....last was before i got marrried...i hate it there...its like jail...they tell you what to do and if u dont do it u end up there for days...i hated that part of it....but the last time i was admitted it was hard to look at my husband on visiting hours....its like jail....i felt guilty and ashamed....i could see how much me being there was hurting him and i am trying not to go back but it is an every day struggle.

I was admitted twice (voluntary) 6mos apart between each admittance - if this interval persists, I might be admitted again this Sept.
I viewed it as being in 'time-out'; felt isolated from society which I felt wasn't a bad predicament to be in since I despised the world..I was primarily in the adult ward where there was a bit more freedom (tv, games, access to some of your things, etc.) - the psych ward was total lockdown; pretty much like incarceration; was there for 1-1/2 days. Some patients came directly from jail to this ward..I attempted suicide & was admitted here before being transfered to the adult ward..
While there, I didn't see a therapist; we had group discussions & saw a Dr everyday that asked me if I had thoughts of harming myself or others..I learned a lot just from talking w/other patients - some even exchanged numbers.
Most had substance abuse issues tho'; I did not but I did choose alcohol as my 'self-medication'..
Before being discharged, I had to have a 'safety-plan': appointments with my P-Doc, prescribed medication, support system, goals, etc. It was a humbling experience - folks from all walks of life have issues to deal with from time to time.

I was put in in Feb this year dealing with the first anniversary of a friends suicide. I think there has to be a level of unwellness (if a word)
To be put in, hence the lack of counselling etc so just triage treatments...

I don't get it. You were there for 9 days and did not see a therapist. Did a psychiatrist at least see you. How did they treat you during those 9 days.?

I was just in. The days were full of groups, meetings with various medical personnel (OT, social workers, psychiatrists, regular docs, etc.). However, the goal of the hospitalization was to just get me over the suicidal stage. Once they felt I was no longer suicidal, I got to go home (I was there voluntarily ... if you want to call it that. They said, "you either go voluntarily or we'll admit you involuntarily." What is voluntary about that??? The only thing is I knew if I didn't go voluntarily, I wasn't gettin out for at least 3 days!) The thing for me is, there is no "follow up." Three days of intense therapy and then bye bye. That doesn't seem right to me. Yes, I do have my own psychiatrist and have an appointment to see her but it just seems to me there should have been something else.

I was admitted after going to the hospital with severe panic attack. I was not suicidal or homicidal. My now ex-husband was very mean and I just felt I could not go home with him that nite and be subject to his emotional abuse.. I thought, I just want to be hospitalized for one night and have someone be kind to me. Each time the suggestion was made to discharge me from the ER. The panic flared. Next frigging thing I know I am being involuntarily admitted for 3 days over Labor Day weekend in a teaching hospital. So NONE of the regular staff were there and I was baby-sitted for 3 days, including hourly checks thru the nite to make sure I would not kill myself. I was NOT suicidal. The staff were not kind. The majority treated us like we were defectives, second class children. They take your shoelaces outta your shoes so you don't hang yourself. There were a few puzzles with many missing pieces and coloring books. The "day room" which you were supposed to be in and behaving yourself so you could be granted your freedom had a loud TV on all day. There were some really really sick zombie like patients in there which only made me feel worse. It was absolutely the worst experience. I am a nurse and it is well known that the only nurses who CHOOSE to be psych nurses are messed up themselves on one level of another for the most part. IF you are looking for tender loving care, I'm afraid your not gonna find it in a typical inpatient setting. Most insurances do not pay for a residential care program. I looked into one last week in the Los Angeles area. 45K for a 4 week stay (self-pay). Come on. Our illness is just like diabetes or asthma, but our insurance/society does not see it that way.