they help you, thats all they want to do. i see you want help? thats what they can give you. they arent against you, they actually do help to get those thoughts outta your head. hang in there(:

Late last year I was involuntarily admitted into a psychiatric hospital. It was a public hospital though, not a private one and I was 17 at the time so it was an adolescent ward. I will tell you my experience, but it may differ for you. When I first arrived I was admitted through emergency, and they took all my details and took me to the psych emergency area. Then I had to wait for a while until I was finally escorted up into the psych ward by 2security guards. At first I was freaked out, I thought I was going to a psych prison or something… but don’t worry, they do this for others safety. It’s some precaution they HAVE to take. Then when I got into the ward a doctor saw me and asked me all these questions (about self harm, suicidal thoughts etc.) and I have to fill out all these question sheets. Then I had a shower and went to bed. The next day we did activities like cooking, playing pool and basketball etc. A doctor HAS to see you 24 hours prior to your admission to work out if you need to stay longer and to get an idea of how you’re feeling. So anyway, I had a chat with the doctor and was made to stay longer. The next day was pretty much the same. Did some craft activities, played pool, watched a movie etc. Oh and on the weekend in the psych ward it is less busy and there are fewer things to do.

To break it down, here are the pros and cons in MY OPINION.

Pros:
-You get a lot of time to yourself and you can do what you want. Even though you are sharing this space with other people, you can still keep to yourself and spend a lot of time by yourself.
-You have a lot of time to think (although this could also be a con).
-You have no responsibilities.
-It’s an escape from your life (mind you I don’t recommend this as an escape method).
-You have the opportunity to meet people who are / have been going through similar things to what you have.
-It’s a chance to open up and get the help that you deserve and need.
-They will figure out if you need medication and if so, what medication would be best for you.

Cons:
-You have no privacy (for obvious reasons) and although you can be by yourself, nurses will constantly be checking up on you and making sure you’re doing okay.
-It was like a prison… there was no escape. The doors were locked tight and we were basically locked into this ward.
-The food was disgusting. Half the time I could not eat it.
-It was really boring and there is only so much you can do. After playing pool, basketball and watching movies all day every day it was impossible to not get bored.
-It’s hard to exercise in there! I tried running around the corridors, only to be yelled at haha.

They are my pro and cons, it could be different for you. Just remember that if you are admitted, it’s to help you. They aren’t doing this for fun. I was admitted against my will, and I was so angry that words cannot describe it. But here I am, a year later still in this world. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by going in.
Good luck!

Mikaela.

Hi Katie,

It sounds like you are in a pretty bad state at the moment. Luckily it looks like your parents are trying to help you. Are you getting any type of medical help?

I think if the doctors think you should go to hospital they are just trying to help you. Usually if you check yourself into hospital you are free to leave at any time. In any case keep seeing your doctors so you can keep getting help.

I wish you all the best
Alex