I’m a new subscriber I’ve never had a mental illness but I think it’s amazing that your sharing your experience and it’s very nice to be here I’m learning a lot actually and I’m glad I found your channel ❤️
Total stranger youve genuinely made my day significantly less uncomfortable by being this willing to learn about commonly stigmatised experiences. Thank you
One of the psych wards I was treated at… they would come in to check on us every 15 minutes, but whenever the nurse would come in to draw my blood I’d mess with him and tell him to “stay away from me vampire of the night” he would get a good chuckle and pinch me anyway 🙄😂
Hey, it does seem to fit the night time blood draw parallel. I started thinking about urine tests, and wrote a bit more separately here. Just wondering what you think: can the same information be gathered in a less disruptive way? Composting toilets have something set up to separate pee, the urine diverter. It's essentially a funnel leading to a separate tank. IF measuring medication levels and metabolism can be done from urine as effectively as blood, would a system that attaches individual containers to a funnel style pan that fits between the toilet and the seat be collected after this naturally occurs? The containers could be labeled and tested. The pan, funnel and tubing might be replaced, and the aspect of sterilization or creating more waste is the next challenge. If these were metal, washing with soap and water, and time in an autoclave may or may not be possible... - maybe 75% rubbing alcohol could sterilize after washing them. Any thoughts?
i was diagnosed schizoaffective last june! i was psychotic for five months- may to september. Had to go inpatient (same thing as psych ward i guess?) last august and was psychotic while i was there for three weeks. I actually had no idea where i was the whole time. They didn't even make me do groups or anything. I just paced in my room all day leaving only for vitals and meals. They did let us outside in a courtyard at meal time! So i'm very grateful...... And i did have to get the shot and quiet room the first night i was there cause i was confused and yelling. ... Anyway so grateful to be out of psychosis and have the right meds.
I was locked in the psych ward for over a month and they would NOT let me outside. One of the cruelest things was that they would take EVERYONE on daily walks outside around the hospital, everyone that is of course for me. They REFUSED to let me go outside. I tried everything, but maybe that's why they wouldn't let me go, they felt I would try to escape. And why wouldn't I? It was hell there.
I need to do a tik tok now of my experience being in hospital 6 times. The worst is not getting fresh air for that long. Especially when fresh air is amazing for your mental health
Heck yeah I made the cut 💪 Thanks for including my experience in this! Also, I wasn’t allowed a phone at all. They told me during intake that I could still have it then I got admitted and they took it from me 😂
Im Australian- The pych hospital I was in. You can have your phone and Nintendo switch no charger cords Bluetooth headphones. Needed devices charged take to nurses station. Had wooden spoons and forks and knives. No cords in pants or jumpers but they never took my shoe laces lol no metal drink bottles. Have pans and textures and books. Had a small courtyard and had a laundry area to wash clothes and a TV room and an activity area and phew areas to sit and a dining area. Had man’s side and women’s side. Had to have morning obs taken and later in the day. Had bloods done you were treated nicely. Bedrooms you had a wristband that unlocked your bedroom door. Bedrooms with a bathroom and made where unable to harm yourself on. Daily assigned mental health nurse. Every 2nd day psychiatrist review. Also had a kitchen area make coffees or get snacks out of fridge or milk so on. Your checked in every 30mins
yes this is the Australian health care system - public means taxpayer funded which is the free basic care provided for everyone and private means insurance funded for those who pay extra for health insurance. This is a low security ward. We do have acute care services with more security. The hospital she is in, in the your second video is a private hospital (more like a hotel with medical services). Is the phone and doin Tik Tok from your psych ward good for recovery - errrr probably not.
No to drawstring pants or any item that has threads. Some places, if you wear eyeglasses, they (facility ) seeks a pressed rubber vs metal, screws, etc. If allowed to have items from home, hygiene products cannot have sugar, salt, and/or alcohol within the main/top 5 ingredients (cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, glycerin, sorbitol). A single blade razor & you are given all of 5 minutes.
The whole not being able to have your own glasses is extreme in my opinion. I can understand if you’re literally eating or hurting yourself with your glasses somehow but that’s it. I’d wonder what they’d do for hearing impaired people like me who have hearing aids…
We couldn't have cell phones. It's a privacy issue, we couldn't have shoe strings, we could go outside into a patio that we called the bird cage when someone would let us go out. One time I was given a shot and don't even remember
As someone who has received texts from a relative who was manic and clearly not listening to a word I said back, I’m in favor of someone not having their phone when they’re not lucid. Think about the repercussions if you’re manic shopping and attempting to return the items later but you can’t for some reason, and you can’t get your money back…probably not great right? And if you’re just going to be in the hospital for a week, not having your phone is not the absolute worst thing in a hospital. If that’s the worst thing to happen to you in a hospital, I would count your blessings and be thankful.
I am sure you hear this often but your channel has helped me tremendous in understanding my younger brother. I only wish I had found the information you give 4yr ago win he passed away 😢. Thank you for bringing light to this topic. ❤
In my city, no cell phones no shoes small rooms two beds you can have your own underwear. Visitors can't have anything, even ID's or keys past the locked door and they wand you. I haven't been in, but my kids have. No razors allowed You can't have anything in ours.
I have been in 11 psychiatric hospitals. One allowed cell phones for one hour a day because it was during Covid shutdowns and visitors weren't allowed. None had TVs in the patient rooms. I first went to the hospital when I was 15 and I loved it compared to living with my abusive parents. But I would rather not go back anymore now that I have a better life outside of the hospital.
As someone who’s gotten texts from a manic person, I am in favor of not having your phone when you’re not mentally lucid. It’s really awkward and I couldn’t reason with him. It’s not funny or enjoyable. Also think about what can happen if you’re on a manic shopping spree and you can’t return your items and get a refund… that can possibly ruin your finances. I think it’s also important to look at things from the staff POV I can see how aggravating it would be to try and get someone to therapy or something but they’re glued to the phone. Or their relatives/friends start complaining due to weird texts/calls. Not fun for anyone. And if not having your phone is the worst thing about the hospital, I would count your blessings.
About the shower thing, some wards have a specific shower schedule, I stayed once for 3 months in one where there were times we could shower, and we had to have a staff member present to unlock the bathroom every single time we even had to pee. Every door was locked. At all times. Meal replacements also had to be talked about the week prior, so any substitutions had to be made ahead of time. Otherwise, tough luck buddy. Not to mention we were not allowed to talk about food. Not even during our meals
The psychiatric hospital I was in was very fancy. It used to be a general hospital for rich people and was converted in the late 1800s. The energy was calm and quiet. A couple people who clearly attempted suicide and a graveyard I could see through the window gave me an eerie feeling, and the head nurse brought in DVDs on the weekend when there were no groups. If you had money, you could order takeout, but I was happy with the food because I was dirt poor and hadn't been eating well. I've been in the psych ward within the general hospital several times but only stayed at the psychiatric hospital once. This channel is blowing up!
I've been in a bunch of psych wards, across the US and in Germany, and the rules are totally different depending on where you are. In the US, my cell phone was always confiscated. It felt like a violation of my rights at the time, but honestly, later I was glad I hadn't had it. Some places they took my shoes, some not. In NY, I wasn't allowed to have the flowers my family brought ("they eat them" was the reason). Some places you couldn't smoke and were given the patch. It's not a great time to be forced to quit smoking. In Germany, they actually have outdoor spaces for the patients, which I find essential for health, and smoking is kind of the only liberty you have, you can quit after you get out.
I have been to hard wards and really posh ones too. But please don’t tell people not to go to a phych hospital when maybe they might really need to. That is dangerous and irresponsible! Not every hospital is bad and not every person views it as bad. I had mostly positive experiences. Just depends on why you are there and where you are at.
Yes the psych wards I was in took anything and everything that you couldn’t even imagine could be sel harmful was taken! I had no idea of how many normal items could be harmful
Humans are extremely squishy creatures and with enough physical strength and the tragic, horrific desire to hurt/kill yourself…….💔or just severely psychotic and just can’t be trusted or reasoned with…😢
Everyone there in those videos is lucky (except the blood draw part). We couldn’t have phone or anything like that. Our floors were linoleum, there was no visitors allowed, not allowed outside among other things. We had ONE tv and that was in the rec room protected with plexiglass
I had a friend who spent a lot of time in the psych ward, and whenever he's be kicking it, wearing whatever fit we donated him that day, he'd be taking the drawstrings out of his hoodies and sweatpants and be tying them around his wrist like a bracelet. Took me a minute to figure out that was his flex- like, "Look what I'm allowed!", you know... Sadly my boy Paulie D overdosed two years ago and it crushed me
Over a period of thirty years I've been admitted to a psych ward 4 times. Two stays were almost as easy as a hotel rest. Good food. Decent atmosphere. Friendly break/smoke area. Pleasant staff. Planned activities. Group therapy. Volleyball. One stay was just sort of average. No outdoor time but lots of windows. They also had a pool table and a piano which would be available periodically. My last stay was at a drug rehab/psych ward and it was really a rough stay. There were people there going through drug withdrawal. Some would become excited and squabble with the staff. Anyone becoming too wild would have to be moved out. Just about the whole ward was under suicide watch, so it was no shoelaces, no belts, minimal clothing. Most of us were half naked and hospital gowns were mandatory all the time. Intresting thing about the drug rehab/psych ward, it was designed to be distasteful so that you would not want to come back. The only place to sit outside was only about 15 ft from the kitchen garbage cans and reeked all day. The food was below average and never seemed to be hot. In the lounge area they had this big chair that had this huge whole going all the way through the seat. You could proably stick your head through it. I had to be taken off my psych meds because I used them to unlive (overdose). So I went through a withdrawal period and then have my medication restarted again. Dumb winding up there. I had been smoking weed prior to my admission. Had been using it frequently and became despondent (suicidal) somehow. After nine days at the place I was very happy to get out, but still glad there was some help there to help me get straight.
After an admission I got given some meds. I fell over in the seclusion room about 8x. Walked into the walls about 4x. I kept blacking out all the time. I woke 3 or 4x times on the floor staring at the ceiling. I woke up and a nurse was straightening my collar. She had changed me and had wiped me down after I had urinated in my clothes. The audible voice that I hear straightened me out after I complained about being lobotomised and told me that he didn't care if the roof fell on me and the walls caved in on me. He said he wanted me to get up and get out of the bed. Oh and he said I needed to brush my teeth cause my breath smelled. I basically got told by the audible voice to over it, and get on with it we have work to do. I complained about the medication and he said I don't care.😅😅😅 I hate it but my audible said I don't care about it. I said I hated him he said we'll I hate you more than you could ever hate me😅😅😅
Blood is drawn from the hands due to numerous reasons. It is more of a sure poke than other areas, doesn't require much skill or lighting. It is more "safe" for the person doing the poking. Whether veins roll, have collapsed, been overused, etc., or the need for a quick draw among many more reasons, the ✋ hand ✋ bubbles in the Scantron so WE can be scanned. Hope that makes sense 🫣😏
I dunno about other countries, but in some states in Australia it's actually considered a legal right (stated on .gov websites with legal info) to have a cell phone in a psych ward as long as it's not considered anti-therapeutic to the individual patient, and as long as you respect certain hospital rules like not filming other patients, playing music on loud speaker etc
I will say, I'm grateful about how i was handled when i did have to get the shot and stay in the quiet room. I was at the nurse's station desk and was really confused (i was psychotic at the time) so i started getting louder and louder, backing away from them and looking around to climb or scream but all of a sudden, out of no where, there were at least ten more people in the room walking towards me. It was just me and two night time nurses and then all of a sudden a crowd was surrounding me. They told me they were going to give me medicine and i said no, i just took medicine (i did- melatonin). I was scared it would interact and kill me. Anyway.... someone reached for me and said to follow and i put my hands up and said no no, i can walk on my own. I'll walk. So they let me walk by myself over into the quiet room. I got in the corner and they wanted me on the bed. This part's a bit of a blur but i think I told them to let me do it myself and i'm pretty sure they let me get myself onto the bed. Once I was on it I saw a needle and they all pinned me down for the shot but it was really the only part I wasn't in control of my body. Very very grateful. I can't even imagine what it would have been like, or how I would still feel to this day if they would have moved me forcefully. I'm autistic and very scared of something like that. But I bet it would fuck anyone up. Long message oh well. Just saying how lucky i was.
Hi, it is nice to come across this channel. 55 and only just been diagnosed personality disorder, after more than 20 years after a spinal accident took my health. So it is nice to find some good folks who seem down to earth, excuse the pun haha.. All the best to you all from Scotland.
When I was 17 we had the best staff i learned so much from them and i was actually treated fine and since then i only been to the psych ward once im 33 now
As someone who was in the ICU, I don’t exactly understand why people are so surprised by people checking your vitals and drawing your blood at night….it’s totally normal! (Granted I had surgery for the most part so I was pretty loopy…). This is why I’m always annoyed when people imply they’re supposed to get 100% better at the hospital (Living well w/ schizophrenic mentioned this too). The whole point is to get you out of the serious situation or recover enough from an illness or surgery to go home. From my experience you do most of your recovery at home. The staff are just getting you out of that mess and hopefully give you resources when you get home.
the only time i was 5150d as an adult- once i got moved to a psych facility, they had put me on the side with more unstable folks… i didn’t know any better but within 24 hours some of the senior staff must have decided i should move (for my safety) to the less chaotic ward… i didn’t feel especially unsafe BUT in retrospect, they were right to move me. 7:33
🤣🤣 i woke up in psych one time and the nurse said, sorry this is my first time taking blood. I was messing with her and i was manic so my pupils were probably enormous. This girl looks SO terrified. 🤣 I'm proud that I'm her core memory of the first time she had to give a needle on an actual patient lmao
They drew my blood when I was 98% unconscious from the heavy meds… Speaking of which… phones are allowed in the ward ????????? I got every confiscated upon entrance… even my hair tie and the ONLY underwear I was wearing… 😮😮😮 We weren’t even allowed to keep our glasses and dentures overnight… had to turn them in until right before breakfast next morning… so fu?ked up… 😢😢
that ball thing reminds me of a dv shelter i was at LOL i literally left every day during the day but we werent allowed outside the building for everyones safety
The socks are given in every hospital. My son has been hospitalized many times and these places are miserable to say the least. A bunch of unstable people in one place getting in arguments with themselves and wach other. Nothing for them to do no activities and then if you dont participate with group therayyour looked badly at because you dont want to talk to to bunch of people you dont know about stuff you dont understand
I got zip ties for my shoes after a few days. Lol Luckily they had voluntary indoor exercise class and we were allowed to walk back and forth in the halls for exercise. I’ll never forget when someone fainted and the nurse, Karen, hopped up and ran to them to help; And good ole Davey, probably 70 years old 5’3”, a frequent flyer with a cognitive disability, yelled “Yeah, Karen! Do your fuckin job!” In a thick Boston accent. Life was never too boring in the Behavioral Health Unit. Wouldn’t recommend it though. You experience some scary stuff sometimes and your safety is never guaranteed.
1. First of all, this lack of empathy from nurses/doctors is just ABSURD. 2. The needle in the hand sometimes is used so you don't lose a vein (the upper in the arm, the least they can use it to extract blood or insert medication). Either way, they should EXPLAIN it, apologize for waking you up, etc... 3. Sometimes psych wards have different rules for different kind of patients. Someone suffering from severe anxiety and no s* tendencies, without psychotic effects, might have more freedom (hence the access to their phones, to pens, sharp objects in general)... Laces also can be used to... you know. 4. Some meds given to patients make them forget parts of what they experience in the psych ward; sometimes during a psychotic break the psychosis itself makes people forget.
unfortunately they have to do this.... cuz if they wait and go all slow a psych patient might flip out and resist and they cant handle even a resistance withe evry single patient every single morning... and beyond this it could result in vitals being totally distorted just from not liking whats about to happen. they cant let ur brain and body know and have time to react to the fact that ur getting ur blood taken at 4 am.. its sad but thats the way it is if ur a psych patient
Wow that girl was in a very lush environment In the uk it was horrible no shoe laces then no shoes and my clothes were taken had to wear psyc ward pajamas gave me the chemical cosh jab too there for weeks the other patients were very kind no therapy just 30mins in the walled courtyard a day as long as no one "misbehaved" When i was released i got my shoes and 1 lace Very funny
My mom is in psych and has no shoes laces, no cell phone. She can only have a sports bra with no metal she 74 first-time psych with mania, psychosis and delusions. I so worried she going to die in there. She hates me wont talk to me when I call.
I told the staff my CDs were the only thing keeping me going so they let me use them under supervision a couple times, eventually they trusted me alone with them and now im the reason theres nothing made of thin rigid materials in that ward anymore 😅
I was in a psych ward too because of depression. I remember they were forcing me to drink pills which I saw for the first time in my life and when I asked what are those? There was no explanation, no title given, what kind of drugs are they giving, what they do? Nothing, just take and drink your stupid pills you psycho - they said. I went to the doctor next day, asking the same question. What are those pills the nurses are giving to me? Do I need that? Yet again- no explanation. Doctor changed the topic and made me answer her questions and sent me back. I decided to not to drink those pills anymore. I was pretending that I do so just not make any conflicts and I didn't noticed any changes if I was drinking it or not. I also noticed that the same pills were given for all patients 😢 HOW can they use the same pills to treat different mental problems??? There was people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism and many different mental problems. I know some cases must be hard for nurses and everything, some patients were aggressive and unpredictable, but acting bad towards any patient, call them psychos, feed them the same pills just to make them sleep all the time? There was no humanity in that place. It was darkest memories of my life. I felt alone, I felt even more depressed and when my parents came to take me home I was exhausted, I was so sick that I was fainting in the car, I was burning, my pulse was 200/min. If I would be left in there for one day longer I don't know what could happen to me.
They do this in a regular hospital also sweetie. The nurses on shift have to get vitals at certain times all night long whether in a phych ward or whether you just had a baby. Not just a physch ward thing
Thank you both for your insights. Agreed, those young staffers were not funny, - because of the power dynamic and tone. ( Also, around 10 minutes in, the part about disclosure, " being too honest with a psychiatrist" reminded me of a radio show episode from 6/25/19, " The 1A" with Joshua Johnson about ideas on how to prevent suicide, such as allowing people to be honest with different care responses, perhaps not automatic inpatient, including survivor stories in situations when people are comfortable to share to offer hope and honesty about how care could improve for more sustainable wellness). Forgot to explain: I also tried to describe how this might work logistically in another comment: * IF the disruption to sleep for blood samples to monitor medication levels could be substituted for urine testing as they naturally occur, that might be a better strategy. For instance: composting toilet designs often have a urine diverter funnel and collection chamber. Maybe something could be adapted for regular flush toilets, but made of metal that can be washed with soap and water, and sterilized with alcohol or heat could have sustainable use, too. The upsidedown " hat" pan to collect urine samples at hospitals is plastic, maybe something made of stainless steel with a side chamber might work? This could fit between the seat and toilet bowl, with a "sidecar " for urine samples. An attendant could be stationed nearby to collect and label samples, change the equipment, test, and record results of the samples as they naturally occur. Any thoughts are welcome.
Thats the thing too is they wake ypu up constantly and then if you want to actually sleep then you miss the groups and therapy and then you end up staying even longer so i basically was always sleep deprived but running on adrenaline
I was sectioned last July during a dangerous episode I won't go into but basically being sectioned is when the police take you whether you like it or not In my time in there I had my phone on me, my family would visit daily I even had my PlayStation brought in, every patient was aloud. The facility itself had all the same stuff in that first girls hospital. I'm in UK though dunno if that matters any
@@SchizophrenicNYC Its the norm in hospitals here. The ones in US sound more like prisons from your description. Giving someone home comforts and access to the things they enjoy helps them feel more comfortable. Taking your things away and cutting you off from society altogether is not help
I wasn’t allowed to have my phone! I can confirm the 2 am bloodwork & vitals. I didn’t have a courtyard. I didn’t have a tv in my room or books. I have ADHD but they wouldn’t let me take my adderal. They took my shoes from me and gave me the slipper socks.
Why can’t we have our phones?!? I’m not there to hang out or getting to know them or whatever if I had to ne honestly… I’m being like forced or something… I maybe dragging outta abuse just like we all get lost and shit from the bullshit drama… it’s just more like hay fever and judging lol who knows… meds don’t weird cause There’s like you know more drama drama… I mean I’ve had interests conversations and the girls are hot but it’s just like blah… they cause more pain and abuse you…. It’s weird. My phone randomly types irs And the irs needs to understand people type for a living and draw and stuff.. and repost stuff for them to even learn too…
The psychiatric hospitals are holiday camps in comparison to the horror treatment during the 1980’s & early 90’s. Beatings terror & torture were frequently used.
8:29 yeah, no shoelaces… only time as an adult, i had bad bodily injuries (road rash multiple areas and a very sprained ankle) and the nurses never helped me change dressings and didn’t realize they left me with a big ole ACE WRAP BANDAGE because they neglected to check despite me asking for help. they got lucky with me, for real… that could have been actually dangerous for me and others so 😬🫡
I’m a new subscriber I’ve never had a mental illness but I think it’s amazing that your sharing your experience and it’s very nice to be here I’m learning a lot actually and I’m glad I found your channel ❤️
Total stranger youve genuinely made my day significantly less uncomfortable by being this willing to learn about commonly stigmatised experiences. Thank you
One of the psych wards I was treated at… they would come in to check on us every 15 minutes, but whenever the nurse would come in to draw my blood I’d mess with him and tell him to “stay away from me vampire of the night” he would get a good chuckle and pinch me anyway 🙄😂
Hey, it does seem to fit the night time blood draw parallel. I started thinking about urine tests, and wrote a bit more separately here. Just wondering what you think: can the same information be gathered in a less disruptive way? Composting toilets have something set up to separate pee, the urine diverter. It's essentially a funnel leading to a separate tank. IF measuring medication levels and metabolism can be done from urine as effectively as blood, would a system that attaches individual containers to a funnel style pan that fits between the toilet and the seat be collected after this naturally occurs? The containers could be labeled and tested. The pan, funnel and tubing might be replaced, and the aspect of sterilization or creating more waste is the next challenge. If these were metal, washing with soap and water, and time in an autoclave may or may not be possible... - maybe 75% rubbing alcohol could sterilize after washing them. Any thoughts?
😂😂
“Courtyard???” 😂 I was giggling throughout that whole tik tok
Hahahhah thanks!!!
The one of them "escaping" had me crackin' up. If it were real that old man was like, hell yeah, brother! lesssgo! bahaha
i was diagnosed schizoaffective last june! i was psychotic for five months- may to september. Had to go inpatient (same thing as psych ward i guess?) last august and was psychotic while i was there for three weeks. I actually had no idea where i was the whole time. They didn't even make me do groups or anything. I just paced in my room all day leaving only for vitals and meals. They did let us outside in a courtyard at meal time! So i'm very grateful...... And i did have to get the shot and quiet room the first night i was there cause i was confused and yelling. ... Anyway so grateful to be out of psychosis and have the right meds.
I was locked in the psych ward for over a month and they would NOT let me outside. One of the cruelest things was that they would take EVERYONE on daily walks outside around the hospital, everyone that is of course for me. They REFUSED to let me go outside. I tried everything, but maybe that's why they wouldn't let me go, they felt I would try to escape. And why wouldn't I? It was hell there.
I’m so sorry that happened
I need to do a tik tok now of my experience being in hospital 6 times. The worst is not getting fresh air for that long. Especially when fresh air is amazing for your mental health
Heck yeah I made the cut 💪 Thanks for including my experience in this! Also, I wasn’t allowed a phone at all. They told me during intake that I could still have it then I got admitted and they took it from me 😂
Im Australian- The pych hospital I was in. You can have your phone and Nintendo switch no charger cords Bluetooth headphones. Needed devices charged take to nurses station. Had wooden spoons and forks and knives. No cords in pants or jumpers but they never took my shoe laces lol no metal drink bottles. Have pans and textures and books. Had a small courtyard and had a laundry area to wash clothes and a TV room and an activity area and phew areas to sit and a dining area. Had man’s side and women’s side. Had to have morning obs taken and later in the day. Had bloods done you were treated nicely. Bedrooms you had a wristband that unlocked your bedroom door. Bedrooms with a bathroom and made where unable to harm yourself on. Daily assigned mental health nurse. Every 2nd day psychiatrist review. Also had a kitchen area make coffees or get snacks out of fridge or milk so on. Your checked in every 30mins
Wow!!!!
yes this is the Australian health care system - public means taxpayer funded which is the free basic care provided for everyone and private means insurance funded for those who pay extra for health insurance. This is a low security ward. We do have acute care services with more security. The hospital she is in, in the your second video is a private hospital (more like a hotel with medical services). Is the phone and doin Tik Tok from your psych ward good for recovery - errrr probably not.
I did get to go outside and it was fenced in so we couldn’t escape. Lol
Lol
I could seriously listen to you two all day!!
Thank you!!
No to drawstring pants or any item that has threads. Some places, if you wear eyeglasses, they (facility ) seeks a pressed rubber vs metal, screws, etc. If allowed to have items from home, hygiene products cannot have sugar, salt, and/or alcohol within the main/top 5 ingredients (cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, glycerin, sorbitol). A single blade razor & you are given all of 5 minutes.
The whole not being able to have your own glasses is extreme in my opinion. I can understand if you’re literally eating or hurting yourself with your glasses somehow but that’s it. I’d wonder what they’d do for hearing impaired people like me who have hearing aids…
🙌 Talk About it 🤲🙏....before somebody is diagnosed with any "labels" how do we understand 😔🥹▪️◻️◾◼️🆕
To be seen, heard. If you want to understand a person, think like them.... A fingerprint.
If you can't hear, what is the language of your thoughts?
We couldn't have cell phones. It's a privacy issue, we couldn't have shoe strings, we could go outside into a patio that we called the bird cage when someone would let us go out. One time I was given a shot and don't even remember
💕
As someone who has received texts from a relative who was manic and clearly not listening to a word I said back, I’m in favor of someone not having their phone when they’re not lucid. Think about the repercussions if you’re manic shopping and attempting to return the items later but you can’t for some reason, and you can’t get your money back…probably not great right? And if you’re just going to be in the hospital for a week, not having your phone is not the absolute worst thing in a hospital. If that’s the worst thing to happen to you in a hospital, I would count your blessings and be thankful.
I am sure you hear this often but your channel has helped me tremendous in understanding my younger brother. I only wish I had found the information you give 4yr ago win he passed away 😢. Thank you for bringing light to this topic. ❤
Thank you so much. That means a lot
We weren't allowed to have razors. At all. No nail clippers either. Definitely no phones.
makes sense to me
The hospital let us use razors but we had to turn them back in. We thought that wasn’t safe but yeah. lol
Yes we turned them back too
You guys were lucky. We were even checked on in the shower although we had nothing to hurt ourselves with.
In my city, no cell phones no shoes small rooms two beds you can have your own underwear. Visitors can't have anything, even ID's or keys past the locked door and they wand you. I haven't been in, but my kids have. No razors allowed
You can't have anything in ours.
I have been in 11 psychiatric hospitals. One allowed cell phones for one hour a day because it was during Covid shutdowns and visitors weren't allowed.
None had TVs in the patient rooms.
I first went to the hospital when I was 15 and I loved it compared to living with my abusive parents.
But I would rather not go back anymore now that I have a better life outside of the hospital.
As someone who’s gotten texts from a manic person, I am in favor of not having your phone when you’re not mentally lucid. It’s really awkward and I couldn’t reason with him. It’s not funny or enjoyable. Also think about what can happen if you’re on a manic shopping spree and you can’t return your items and get a refund… that can possibly ruin your finances.
I think it’s also important to look at things from the staff POV I can see how aggravating it would be to try and get someone to therapy or something but they’re glued to the phone. Or their relatives/friends start complaining due to weird texts/calls. Not fun for anyone. And if not having your phone is the worst thing about the hospital, I would count your blessings.
About the shower thing, some wards have a specific shower schedule, I stayed once for 3 months in one where there were times we could shower, and we had to have a staff member present to unlock the bathroom every single time we even had to pee. Every door was locked. At all times. Meal replacements also had to be talked about the week prior, so any substitutions had to be made ahead of time. Otherwise, tough luck buddy. Not to mention we were not allowed to talk about food. Not even during our meals
The psychiatric hospital I was in was very fancy. It used to be a general hospital for rich people and was converted in the late 1800s. The energy was calm and quiet. A couple people who clearly attempted suicide and a graveyard I could see through the window gave me an eerie feeling, and the head nurse brought in DVDs on the weekend when there were no groups. If you had money, you could order takeout, but I was happy with the food because I was dirt poor and hadn't been eating well. I've been in the psych ward within the general hospital several times but only stayed at the psychiatric hospital once. This channel is blowing up!
It’s fair to say it’s a good thing to have patient confidentialit. No phones should be about!!
It’s more common in the UK to use your phone in some psych wards. It’s less common here.
Oh wow. I wonder why
@@Carriehammer718US has HIPAA which is a patient privacy practice. They don't want people sharing other patients personal information
I've been in a bunch of psych wards, across the US and in Germany, and the rules are totally different depending on where you are. In the US, my cell phone was always confiscated. It felt like a violation of my rights at the time, but honestly, later I was glad I hadn't had it. Some places they took my shoes, some not. In NY, I wasn't allowed to have the flowers my family brought ("they eat them" was the reason). Some places you couldn't smoke and were given the patch. It's not a great time to be forced to quit smoking. In Germany, they actually have outdoor spaces for the patients, which I find essential for health, and smoking is kind of the only liberty you have, you can quit after you get out.
Im not schizophreic but i was always terrified of being taken to grippy sock jail
Yippidy-dippidy my skippidy-grippy socks 😂♥️
I have been to hard wards and really posh ones too. But please don’t tell people not to go to a phych hospital when maybe they might really need to. That is dangerous and irresponsible! Not every hospital is bad and not every person views it as bad. I had mostly positive experiences. Just depends on why you are there and where you are at.
True!
20:1O.Find a job and 2 good😮 friends.Let away your parents.Ask the priest about what you ignore.Desease will stop.
Yes the psych wards I was in took anything and everything that you couldn’t even imagine could be sel harmful was taken! I had no idea of how many normal items could be harmful
Humans are extremely squishy creatures and with enough physical strength and the tragic, horrific desire to hurt/kill yourself…….💔or just severely psychotic and just can’t be trusted or reasoned with…😢
That one place with carpet and the TV and the courtyard… that was seriously like summer camp. If I ever need psych hospital again, I wanna go there!
Ahhahaha right???
Locked up for 10 months
Restrained by 6+ nurses
28 days with 13 others in ICU, 16 passes long.
Quite enjoyed my time
Everyone there in those videos is lucky (except the blood draw part). We couldn’t have phone or anything like that. Our floors were linoleum, there was no visitors allowed, not allowed outside among other things. We had ONE tv and that was in the rec room protected with plexiglass
I had a friend who spent a lot of time in the psych ward, and whenever he's be kicking it, wearing whatever fit we donated him that day, he'd be taking the drawstrings out of his hoodies and sweatpants and be tying them around his wrist like a bracelet. Took me a minute to figure out that was his flex- like, "Look what I'm allowed!", you know... Sadly my boy Paulie D overdosed two years ago and it crushed me
Over a period of thirty years I've been admitted to a psych ward 4 times. Two stays were almost as easy as a hotel rest. Good food. Decent atmosphere. Friendly break/smoke area. Pleasant staff. Planned activities. Group therapy. Volleyball. One stay was just sort of average. No outdoor time but lots of windows. They also had a pool table and a piano which would be available periodically. My last stay was at a drug rehab/psych ward and it was really a rough stay. There were people there going through drug withdrawal. Some would become excited and squabble with the staff. Anyone becoming too wild would have to be moved out. Just about the whole ward was under suicide watch, so it was no shoelaces, no belts, minimal clothing. Most of us were half naked and hospital gowns were mandatory all the time. Intresting thing about the drug rehab/psych ward, it was designed to be distasteful so that you would not want to come back. The only place to sit outside was only about 15 ft from the kitchen garbage cans and reeked all day. The food was below average and never seemed to be hot. In the lounge area they had this big chair that had this huge whole going all the way through the seat. You could proably stick your head through it. I had to be taken off my psych meds because I used them to unlive (overdose). So I went through a withdrawal period and then have my medication restarted again. Dumb winding up there. I had been smoking weed prior to my admission. Had been using it frequently and became despondent (suicidal) somehow. After nine days at the place I was very happy to get out, but still glad there was some help there to help me get straight.
You got this!!
When I was in the hospital they would come in and take blood at random times. 🤷🏾♀️
They came at 6 am at the hospital that I have been to the most.
After an admission I got given some meds. I fell over in the seclusion room about 8x. Walked into the walls about 4x. I kept blacking out all the time. I woke 3 or 4x times on the floor staring at the ceiling. I woke up and a nurse was straightening my collar. She had changed me and had wiped me down after I had urinated in my clothes. The audible voice that I hear straightened me out after I complained about being lobotomised and told me that he didn't care if the roof fell on me and the walls caved in on me. He said he wanted me to get up and get out of the bed. Oh and he said I needed to brush my teeth cause my breath smelled. I basically got told by the audible voice to over it, and get on with it we have work to do. I complained about the medication and he said I don't care.😅😅😅 I hate it but my audible said I don't care about it. I said I hated him he said we'll I hate you more than you could ever hate me😅😅😅
I wrote a play about my experience in the mental health system called Prince of the Psychiatric System.
I went to school for phlebotomy and we never drew blood for hands. I also have schizoaffective so I’ve been in the hospital like eight times. No fun!
Yea I thought the hand thing was weird!!
Blood is drawn from the hands due to numerous reasons. It is more of a sure poke than other areas, doesn't require much skill or lighting. It is more "safe" for the person doing the poking. Whether veins roll, have collapsed, been overused, etc., or the need for a quick draw among many more reasons, the ✋ hand ✋ bubbles in the Scantron so WE can be scanned. Hope that makes sense 🫣😏
i was diagnosed schizoaffective just about a year ago!
Wait was that a METAL FORK!?
I dunno about other countries, but in some states in Australia it's actually considered a legal right (stated on .gov websites with legal info) to have a cell phone in a psych ward as long as it's not considered anti-therapeutic to the individual patient, and as long as you respect certain hospital rules like not filming other patients, playing music on loud speaker etc
I will say, I'm grateful about how i was handled when i did have to get the shot and stay in the quiet room. I was at the nurse's station desk and was really confused (i was psychotic at the time) so i started getting louder and louder, backing away from them and looking around to climb or scream but all of a sudden, out of no where, there were at least ten more people in the room walking towards me. It was just me and two night time nurses and then all of a sudden a crowd was surrounding me. They told me they were going to give me medicine and i said no, i just took medicine (i did- melatonin). I was scared it would interact and kill me. Anyway.... someone reached for me and said to follow and i put my hands up and said no no, i can walk on my own. I'll walk. So they let me walk by myself over into the quiet room. I got in the corner and they wanted me on the bed. This part's a bit of a blur but i think I told them to let me do it myself and i'm pretty sure they let me get myself onto the bed. Once I was on it I saw a needle and they all pinned me down for the shot but it was really the only part I wasn't in control of my body. Very very grateful. I can't even imagine what it would have been like, or how I would still feel to this day if they would have moved me forcefully. I'm autistic and very scared of something like that. But I bet it would fuck anyone up. Long message oh well. Just saying how lucky i was.
💕💕
Hi, it is nice to come across this channel.
55 and only just been diagnosed personality disorder, after more than 20 years after a spinal accident took my health.
So it is nice to find some good folks who seem down to earth, excuse the pun haha..
All the best to you all from Scotland.
Dude🤣🤣🤣🤣 yesss!! I might as well of been on rikers at the last joint i was at!
🤙
When I was 17 we had the best staff i learned so much from them and i was actually treated fine and since then i only been to the psych ward once im 33 now
Congrats
She was on a damn vacation 😂
Edit: They took my laces
Never had my blood taken in a ward just meds I've been in twice I live in the uk
Hmm I guess it’s different in the uk
@@SchizophrenicNYC my bad I forgot I did it was 2 years ago I forgot
We can’t even sleep well cause the drama outside…
As someone who was in the ICU, I don’t exactly understand why people are so surprised by people checking your vitals and drawing your blood at night….it’s totally normal! (Granted I had surgery for the most part so I was pretty loopy…). This is why I’m always annoyed when people imply they’re supposed to get 100% better at the hospital (Living well w/ schizophrenic mentioned this too). The whole point is to get you out of the serious situation or recover enough from an illness or surgery to go home. From my experience you do most of your recovery at home. The staff are just getting you out of that mess and hopefully give you resources when you get home.
Obviously the staff should be polite, please give them some grace if it’s really late at night. That shift is rough!
Surgery is different than the psych ward. Mentally it’s not the same
the only time i was 5150d as an adult- once i got moved to a psych facility, they had put me on the side with more unstable folks…
i didn’t know any better but within 24 hours some of the senior staff must have decided i should move (for my safety) to the less chaotic ward… i didn’t feel especially unsafe BUT in retrospect, they were right to move me. 7:33
🤣🤣 i woke up in psych one time and the nurse said, sorry this is my first time taking blood. I was messing with her and i was manic so my pupils were probably enormous. This girl looks SO terrified. 🤣 I'm proud that I'm her core memory of the first time she had to give a needle on an actual patient lmao
They drew my blood when I was 98% unconscious from the heavy meds…
Speaking of which… phones are allowed in the ward ?????????
I got every confiscated upon entrance… even my hair tie and the ONLY underwear I was wearing… 😮😮😮
We weren’t even allowed to keep our glasses and dentures overnight… had to turn them in until right before breakfast next morning… so fu?ked up… 😢😢
that ball thing reminds me of a dv shelter i was at LOL i literally left every day during the day but we werent allowed outside the building for everyones safety
Interesting!
Hey 👋 I think you should check out my music ...I think you'd be able to relate to it alot 😃
The socks are given in every hospital. My son has been hospitalized many times and these places are miserable to say the least. A bunch of unstable people in one place getting in arguments with themselves and wach other. Nothing for them to do no activities and then if you dont participate with group therayyour looked badly at because you dont want to talk to to bunch of people you dont know about stuff you dont understand
I got zip ties for my shoes after a few days. Lol
Luckily they had voluntary indoor exercise class and we were allowed to walk back and forth in the halls for exercise. I’ll never forget when someone fainted and the nurse, Karen, hopped up and ran to them to help; And good ole Davey, probably 70 years old 5’3”, a frequent flyer with a cognitive disability, yelled “Yeah, Karen! Do your fuckin job!” In a thick Boston accent. Life was never too boring in the Behavioral Health Unit. Wouldn’t recommend it though. You experience some scary stuff sometimes and your safety is never guaranteed.
We couldn’t have cell phones either
Right!!
1. First of all, this lack of empathy from nurses/doctors is just ABSURD.
2. The needle in the hand sometimes is used so you don't lose a vein (the upper in the arm, the least they can use it to extract blood or insert medication). Either way, they should EXPLAIN it, apologize for waking you up, etc...
3. Sometimes psych wards have different rules for different kind of patients. Someone suffering from severe anxiety and no s* tendencies, without psychotic effects, might have more freedom (hence the access to their phones, to pens, sharp objects in general)... Laces also can be used to... you know.
4. Some meds given to patients make them forget parts of what they experience in the psych ward; sometimes during a psychotic break the psychosis itself makes people forget.
unfortunately they have to do this.... cuz if they wait and go all slow a psych patient might flip out and resist and they cant handle even a resistance withe evry single patient every single morning... and beyond this it could result in vitals being totally distorted just from not liking whats about to happen. they cant let ur brain and body know and have time to react to the fact that ur getting ur blood taken at 4 am.. its sad but thats the way it is if ur a psych patient
I adore both of you, and it's probably not on purpose, but let Carolyn talk. Poor thing was shut down so many times.
You’re right
Wow that girl was in a very lush environment
In the uk it was horrible no shoe laces then no shoes and my clothes were taken had to wear psyc ward pajamas gave me the chemical cosh jab too there for weeks the other patients were very kind no therapy just 30mins in the walled courtyard a day as long as no one "misbehaved"
When i was released i got my shoes and 1 lace
Very funny
My mom is in psych and has no shoes laces, no cell phone. She can only have a sports bra with no metal she 74 first-time psych with mania, psychosis and delusions. I so worried she going to die in there. She hates me wont talk to me when I call.
im so sorry
@@ryebread42699 thank you
I told the staff my CDs were the only thing keeping me going so they let me use them under supervision a couple times, eventually they trusted me alone with them and now im the reason theres nothing made of thin rigid materials in that ward anymore 😅
Lol
I love her .l love them.she is so funny with the dark hair
Thank you!
I was in a psych ward too because of depression. I remember they were forcing me to drink pills which I saw for the first time in my life and when I asked what are those? There was no explanation, no title given, what kind of drugs are they giving, what they do? Nothing, just take and drink your stupid pills you psycho - they said. I went to the doctor next day, asking the same question. What are those pills the nurses are giving to me? Do I need that? Yet again- no explanation. Doctor changed the topic and made me answer her questions and sent me back. I decided to not to drink those pills anymore. I was pretending that I do so just not make any conflicts and I didn't noticed any changes if I was drinking it or not. I also noticed that the same pills were given for all patients 😢 HOW can they use the same pills to treat different mental problems??? There was people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism and many different mental problems. I know some cases must be hard for nurses and everything, some patients were aggressive and unpredictable, but acting bad towards any patient, call them psychos, feed them the same pills just to make them sleep all the time? There was no humanity in that place. It was darkest memories of my life. I felt alone, I felt even more depressed and when my parents came to take me home I was exhausted, I was so sick that I was fainting in the car, I was burning, my pulse was 200/min. If I would be left in there for one day longer I don't know what could happen to me.
We're the compassion in these places my family member tells me horror stories I can't understand how this ok
Ok!!
They do this in a regular hospital also sweetie. The nurses on shift have to get vitals at certain times all night long whether in a phych ward or whether you just had a baby. Not just a physch ward thing
sweetie?
Thank you both for your insights. Agreed, those young staffers were not funny, - because of the power dynamic and tone. ( Also, around 10 minutes in, the part about disclosure, " being too honest with a psychiatrist" reminded me of a radio show episode from 6/25/19, " The 1A" with Joshua Johnson about ideas on how to prevent suicide, such as allowing people to be honest with different care responses, perhaps not automatic inpatient, including survivor stories in situations when people are comfortable to share to offer hope and honesty about how care could improve for more sustainable wellness).
Forgot to explain: I also tried to describe how this might work logistically in another comment: * IF the disruption to sleep for blood samples to monitor medication levels could be substituted for urine testing as they naturally occur, that might be a better strategy. For instance: composting toilet designs often have a urine diverter funnel and collection chamber. Maybe something could be adapted for regular flush toilets, but made of metal that can be washed with soap and water, and sterilized with alcohol or heat could have sustainable use, too. The upsidedown " hat" pan to collect urine samples at hospitals is plastic, maybe something made of stainless steel with a side chamber might work? This could fit between the seat and toilet bowl, with a "sidecar " for urine samples. An attendant could be stationed nearby to collect and label samples, change the equipment, test, and record results of the samples as they naturally occur. Any thoughts are welcome.
I love you Michelle
Thats the thing too is they wake ypu up constantly and then if you want to actually sleep then you miss the groups and therapy and then you end up staying even longer so i basically was always sleep deprived but running on adrenaline
I was sectioned last July during a dangerous episode I won't go into but basically being sectioned is when the police take you whether you like it or not
In my time in there I had my phone on me, my family would visit daily I even had my PlayStation brought in, every patient was aloud. The facility itself had all the same stuff in that first girls hospital.
I'm in UK though dunno if that matters any
That sounds like a great experience.
@@SchizophrenicNYC Its the norm in hospitals here. The ones in US sound more like prisons from your description. Giving someone home comforts and access to the things they enjoy helps them feel more comfortable. Taking your things away and cutting you off from society altogether is not help
I feel the Same about the needles thing
Not just in psych ward, they do it in any ward
O yea?
Saludos desde cuba ❤
Sometimes it’s bc the lab needs to check med level after a certain number of hours.
Public = state/free Private=paid you usually need insurance to go private. (AUSTRALIA)
A scarf to hang yourself? Pens and books, etc to harm??? I wasn't aloud mouth wash and sooo many things.
I feel like the white coats are like kid nappers or whatever…
Your sister is beautiful
I'm her wife but thanks
I also suffered from gang stalking, schizophrenia, I want to help you. mentalize kaliwos close your eyes and speak in Ars de Arshan voice.
Dam your cute ! Fellow psych ward patient 😊
😞
Oh man lol
I always get stabbed by needles and shit in hospitals..
I wasn’t allowed to have my phone! I can confirm the 2 am bloodwork & vitals. I didn’t have a courtyard. I didn’t have a tv in my room or books. I have ADHD but they wouldn’t let me take my adderal. They took my shoes from me and gave me the slipper socks.
Sounds like the real experience
Are you from Serbia/bosnia/croatia?
I’m Ashkenazi. Or technically Ukrainian, Austrian, Russian and who knows. They got on a boat and came here.
Hmm… lol
My gosh , your their for your on security!! This pisses me!! This is like mocking people. You’re not goin there for vacation! 😤
I considered it a break from the world
Those crocks are literally gonna get your toes cut up like damn..
Witching hours is 3 am…
Are they just drinking our blood?!
Why can’t we have our phones?!? I’m not there to hang out or getting to know them or whatever if I had to ne honestly… I’m being like forced or something… I maybe dragging outta abuse just like we all get lost and shit from the bullshit drama… it’s just more like hay fever and judging lol who knows… meds don’t weird cause There’s like you know more drama drama… I mean I’ve had interests conversations and the girls are hot but it’s just like blah… they cause more pain and abuse you…. It’s weird.
My phone randomly types irs
And the irs needs to understand people type for a living and draw and stuff.. and repost stuff for them to even learn too…
Are they eating our shit?! lol I’m so confused ..
Oh damn…
Are they just drinking our piss?!
I got hit in nyc lol
lol what…
i once gave an audible nopise from my mouth at a higher than normal decibel and they shot me in the bum
😢
10.09 . Being too honest 😂😂😂 that cracked me up laughing.
Lol
The psychiatric hospitals are holiday camps in comparison to the horror treatment during the 1980’s & early 90’s.
Beatings terror & torture were frequently used.
8:29 yeah, no shoelaces… only time as an adult, i had bad bodily injuries (road rash multiple areas and a very sprained ankle) and the nurses never helped me change dressings and didn’t realize they left me with a big ole ACE WRAP BANDAGE because they neglected to check despite me asking for help.
they got lucky with me, for real… that could have been actually dangerous for me and others so 😬🫡
My gosh , your their for your on security!! This pisses me!! This is like mocking people. You’re not goin there for vacation! 😤
I considered it a break from life