Psychiatric Hospital Admission

LegacyUser

Hi all,

My best friend has treatment resistant depression for years. She's tried meds and counselling but it never worked. She can function mostly but is so sad all the time though you would never know unless she told you. Only a few friends know.

Shes been admitted to psych in hospital just for "investigations"but is not allowed visitors for a few days.

I'm afraid about visiting there, whats it like on the inside? Will she be scared, its not like shes "mental"!!! Will she be drugged up? the poor thing, im just worried.

any views?

LegacyUser

Dear worried friend, I have watched my OH go through this and it is a frightening experience. To answer your questions the facilities differ amazingly most are like regualar hospitals with things like velco curtains no curtain poles possibly mirrors that are not made of glass etc - to prevent self harm.
There will probably be a visitors room with a tv etc. It is a strange experience but remind yourself 99.9% of people in there just need extra help and support. Check before you visit as they tend to have different groups/therapys at times when she would not be available to receive a visitor.

She may be on drugs and may appear tired and dopey - this is purely my experience as sometimes at the begining they are trying to relieve the stress/depression for the patient. She will be delighted to have such a caring and thoughtful friend - try to talk about normal things - it helps.

LegacyUser

hi there
from my own expeirance there are normally differant wards and sections in the hospitial sum sections are literally lock up wards with v stirct rules and regimes normally for involuntry paitents yes expect a shock 2 your system if visiting this type of ward and yes all paitents here would be on various medications.
there are also open wards which sounds like your friend would be in.they would be open as in paitents are free to come and go about the hospital grounds during there stay yes i would imagine your friend will be trying various meds till the docters are happy they have the right dosage and medication.
yes your friend could seem differant from the side affects from the meds theyll be on and with the side affects of there illness and please take into account theyll be going tru a various range of feelings and emotions so try to be as postive as u can 4 them it will really help there suitation best of luck to your friend in their recovery

Spore

Hi op, I've visited a family member before in a psych ward. Yes it's a little unnerving and distressing to witness someone you care about under meds and 'committed' but think what they're going through - hell pretty much.

I'm afraid about visiting there, whats it like on the inside?

You should be supportive and put you and your fears second in this regard. Your friend needs you. With proper meds and after care support she will get through this. My relative is doing great at the moment, though she's had her relapses. Hope your friend gets better soon

LegacyUser

As someone who has been on the other side of the wall, can I just tell you that most of the people there are not "mental" the way that people like to think. Most of the people there are severely depressed, or receiving treatment for things like schizophrenia etc. and these things are all manageable things. It is just like a normal hospital (but with certain precautions of course), and I wish my friends had visited me when I was in, it would have really helped.

Just some advice... Try not to act too differently around your friend, they are still the same friend you know, but acknowledge what's happening too. It will be a real shock to the system being in a totally unfamiliar environment, and having someone who is aware that it might be scary for them will help. People kinda acted like I'd been on holiday for a few months and that hurt more than if they had called me "mental". So try to be there for her, and acknowledge the hurt she must be feeling, but don't forget that she is still your same friend, who is just going through a really bad patch at the moment.

Maple

The inside of a pyschiatric hospital depends on what hospital your friend is attending. Unfortunately there is a vast difference between public and private facilities in this country and having health insurance plays a part in it too. The below is what happens in the case of having health insurance.

What happens is that your friend will be initially assessed and then depending on the results, the staff will make a decision as to what "side" of the hospital she will be housed in first. If she is deemed a danger to herself or to others then she will be a patient of the more secure wards.

If she is deemed "safe" then she will be admitted to a more "general" ward. Your friend will have all razors and sharp objects removed from her possession and she will be put into a multi-bedded ward for observation. This may be for a couple of days, it depends on the availability of private rooms and also how long the staff feels that your friend needs a more detailed observation.

She will then be moved to a private room and will have razor etc returned. At all times your friend will be expected to sign in and out of the ward and let a nurse know where she is. She will also need a permission slip to leave the grounds of the hospital.

She will meet with her assigned doctor, who will then prescribe a course of treatment for her, it may be that they increase her medication, or decrease and change her meds.

In most cases, they will allow the medication to take affect before advocating counselling etc. There will be practical groups within the hospital also that your friend will be expected to attend, they give advice on how to deal with certain situations etc and practical coping tips.

Eventually once the doctors see that your friend is responding to treatment, she will be moved into an "open" ward where she will have much more freedom. There will also be a workshop on outside help/support systems.

The only advice I can offer you is to treat your friend as normal, ask her how she is, ensure that she knows that you're not shying away from her "illness" but don't make a big song and dance about it too, have other things to talk about so that the conversation is uplifting. Visit her, call and text her, get other friends to come to.

If your friend had a broken leg she would go to hospital to fix it, this is all that's happening here except unfortunately the break is on the inside so it's harder to "fix". Your friend is still your friend, she's still in there, she's just sad.

Best of luck OP.