Don't fear the hospital visit. For some of us, a hospital visit is the one starting point for getting better. If you go into the hospital on your own, bring a backpack with a couple of changes of clothing and some slippers that can be worn without shoelaces. Bring some books you like to read, if that's your thing.

And before you go in, delegate some responsibilities to your husband and friends to help you with. Make sure to have your mail held by the post office, tell your boss at work you will be gone for health reasons, and get daycare for your kids.

The more stuff you can do before you go in, the less your lifestyle will be interrupted by the hospital stay.

If there is more than one hospital with a mental ward in your area, if there's any anecdotal info about which one is nicer, go to the nicer one. For example, in my town the county hospital isn't as nice as one of the other hospitals. But where you go might also depend upon insurance.

But don't be afraid. Hospitals are essentially safe places and structured environments.

I've been hospitalized about 10 times in recent years. Every time, they helped me get better. I don't like being there, but I don't mind it that much either. Every time I was there I made some friends with some of the other patients too.

I did have some unpleasant experiences there too, but nothing that I didn't recover from.

Tell your therapist if you have one also. And maybe see if you can get them to visit you. Otherwise if the mental ward has a therapist there for inpatient, it can be really helpful to talk to them.

If the ward has daily activities, try to go to them to relieve the boredom and to help manage the stress.

Seriously though, I think you should go in sooner instead of later.

And when you get out, if you don't like the psychiatrist, see a different one. I changed psychiatrists a handful of times and I'm realy glad I did. Some are pros, some are not.

Don't wait for the symptoms to get worse. Clarity is a rare resource which is vulnerable to this disease.

I forgot to add...

Be sure to learn as much as you can about your prescribed medications. Try to know more than the doctors about the side effects so that you know exactly what to report to them. That way they can reduce the medication to levels that aren't so harsh.

Most docs start at high doses and then go lower. None of the docs I've met have ever started low and then increased. So I always got clobbered by the meds until I complained enough about the side effects.

Be sure to tell them politely about any of the side effects you experience no matter how big or little. That's how to get them to reduce or change the meds. If you don't tell them, they just won't notice and you'll be left wondering and suffering. But if you are honest and direct with them, then they can find a good balance.

It does take time though. It's better to go in while you still have some clarity because if you wait too long, the sympoms might worsen and you might experience difficulty in understand the doctors and nurses and being understood by them.

Try not to be afraid, and try to remind yourself daily of things that you are thankful for and things that are peaceful and that have a calming effect on you. And be sure to try to get enough sleep because lack of sleep always makes symptoms worse.

If you need a sleep aid, tell the nurses and ask for a PRN (as needed) medication.

Don't be afraid. A diagnosis is scary, no doubt. But it's also a path to healing.

I am diagnosed Schizoaffective. It is a scary diagnosis. I saw and heard things. Hearing things was more common for me.

I have been hospitalized three times and I was also in respite care a number of times.

I went through 3 psychiatrists before I found the right one. Counseling (therapy) helped me immensely sort out my feelings and to find out what my triggers were for some of my symptoms.

It's not uncommon for family members to not believe you. I had the same issue with my parents. It was frustrating.

As for medications, do keep track of how you feel and let your doctor know. I had an issue with a couple of mine telling me how I felt, and that isn't how it's supposed to be. If you feel something is off, tell them. They aren't taking the medications, you are.

My brain was always the muddled mess you described. It felt like my brain was in a knot and my head felt really heavy.

I realized a lot of the things I heard, the voices, were stress responses. The more stressed I was, the louder the voices. The visuals were more centered around other things in my life. It took me a long time to figure it out.

All of my hallucinations and my moods were tied together, and it was very hard to sort out.

You asked about prognosis, I was diagnosed when I was 20. I'm 32 now and I'm still here. It has taken a lot, but I'm good. I haven't been hospitalized for 7 years now. I see a therapist weekly. I haven't been on medications for the last two years. We realized they were being a bit counter productive in my case, but that doesn't mean I won't have to take something in the future.

I have been on Abilify, Zyprexa and Neurontin before.

I felt like I was losing myself as well. It took a long time to over come that feeling, but I did. It's hard but you just have to keep powering through.

Hi,

I have Schizoaffective Disorder too. I'm 39. The beginning signs for me where psychosis, which I still experience a great deal of but have learned to almost enjoy.

It's good that you are going to see a psychiatrist. I see a psychiatrist once a month and a therapist once a week. I am on Prozac, Trileptal, Saphris, Klonopin and a Xanax PRN. it helps, a lot. I still have symptoms, but they are less unpleasant now.

Don't fear the hospital. Every one of my hospital stays has been a positive and necessary experience. They are there to help and they will.

Sometimes we the mentally ill have to go inpatient to get the meds sorted out. It's always short term and one usually emerges with a new lease on life.

My family didn't understand my illness at first, then they took a NAMI class and learned about it. Now they help me a lot more.

I hear voices quite often. I hear and talk to ghosts and spirits. Giving the manifestations of my psychosis a supernatural context helps me to see the illness as a psychic gift rather then a burden. This take might not work for everyone, but it certainly helps me.