What are psychiatric hospitals like?!
Question: What are psychiatric hospitals like!?
Just wondering!. This is a serious question; serious answers are optional!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
Depends on what your in there for!
You have long care, short term, observation, so many different floors, treatments!.!. ect!.
I have seen them from a visitors and working view and from what I have seen!.!.!. Its prison with less freedom!
The only baby's I have seen were visiting and as far as I know they cannot stay with them its not safe!Www@Answer-Health@Com
You have long care, short term, observation, so many different floors, treatments!.!. ect!.
I have seen them from a visitors and working view and from what I have seen!.!.!. Its prison with less freedom!
The only baby's I have seen were visiting and as far as I know they cannot stay with them its not safe!Www@Answer-Health@Com
It really depends on the hospital!. A lot of psychiatric hospitals are different!. Usually, they are always chaotic and rarely ever quite!. There is a constant movement of doctors!. Generally patients are allowed to do activities according to whatever reason they are in there!. If someone is self-destructive or a danger to others, they will usually be kept in their rooms for most of the time!. There are tests being given and patients seeing the psychologist at scheduled times to see how they are progressing!. Again, it really does depend on the hospital!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I think it varies, depending on the country!. I work at a psychiatric hospital in Canada, and we work on trying to make it seem like as much as a natural, home-y setting as possible!. Patients can take walks, watch tv, paint, go to the cafeteria, etc!. whenever they want, and therapy is mainly involved in positive reinforcement!. That is, good behaviour is praised!.
Usually psychiatric hospitals have inpatient (patients who stay at the hospital for frequent therapy, pills etc) and outpatient (patients live outside of the hospital, may come weekly for a therapy session) services!. The inpatient wards are the most heavily staffed, and it is for the more severe disorders, such as schizophrenia, catatonics, severe depression etc!. Depending on the disorder, I believe the average length of stay is about 6 months!. The inpatients stay in single or double rooms!.
In third world countries, the mental health services do not receive as much funding, so their activities/programs may not be as involved!.!.!.
Hope that helps!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Usually psychiatric hospitals have inpatient (patients who stay at the hospital for frequent therapy, pills etc) and outpatient (patients live outside of the hospital, may come weekly for a therapy session) services!. The inpatient wards are the most heavily staffed, and it is for the more severe disorders, such as schizophrenia, catatonics, severe depression etc!. Depending on the disorder, I believe the average length of stay is about 6 months!. The inpatients stay in single or double rooms!.
In third world countries, the mental health services do not receive as much funding, so their activities/programs may not be as involved!.!.!.
Hope that helps!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Here is what happens in a mental hospital - First, usually it is not a seperate hospital, but a wing of a regular, community hospital!. You go to the ER where you are seen by a psychiatrist after waiting a few hours, usually, depending how busy they are!. In some states, there is a terrible shortage of inpatient mental beds & they may send you very far away to a hospital that has space!. They give you a physical, to make sure you are OK that way!. They assign you to a room!. They go thru your stuff to make sure you don't have anything sharp or anything you can hang yourself with (belt) or drugs or whatever!. Then you take your stuff and put it away in your room, into a dresser, and you may or may not have a roommate!. They do a personal search -most places what they do is have you change into scrubs then they go thru your clothes!. If they have reason to believe you are concealing something, they may do a more thorough search!.
Then you go see a psychiatrist and talk to some nurses!. See a counselor!. This is over a few days, on and off!. You go to groups where you learn stuff!. You hang out in the break room and play cards or watch TV!. Every morning they take people's blood pressure & occasionally weigh patients!. Sometimes they give you a personality test, to determine if you have any personality disorders, etc!. The psychiatrist will talk to you for about an hour, and then give you meds based on what he/she thinks will be most likely to help you!. The staff at the hospital will find you a psychiatrist and a counselor in the community and set up appointments for you!. You can take phone calls if you are not in group or meeting with a doctor or counselor or something!. If you are a kid, you can only talk on the phone & visit with immediate family!. Visiting hours are really limited; you get about 2 hours a day and if your family is coming from far away, that isn't very long!. After a few days, if you are reasonably stable, you can usually go outside for a walking break with staff!. In my state, you can't go outside the hospital for a smoking break anymore (no smoking on hospital grounds in MN)!. That is a crisis for many patients but staff give out fake cigarettes & nicotine patches!.
Most people behave pretty normally!. There are not many "take downs' anymore because the law prohibits them unless a person is endangering themselves or others -it can't be used as just discipline anymore!. I did see this abused at one hospital, though, & it was very upsetting!. Straightjackets are not used anymore!. If a person does need to be put in restraints, a staff person must sit there and watch them continuously, I believe is the law now!. Too many people have died in restraints!.
Some state hospital facilities are still very abusive or neglectful - in Georgia, for example, many people have died of conditions that were totally treatable, the patient complained or had obvious symptoms, and were ignored!. One girl was in agony and lay there until her intestines ruptured from severe constipation (due to her meds), for example, and she died!. It took several hours before staff noticed she was dead,even though they are supposed to check on you every 1/2 hour or so!. In general, some people under suicide watch are watched continuously, but most people are checked about every 1/2 hour!.
Your room is pretty normal looking - rather than bars on the windows, they have glass that I'm sure is unbreakable!. There won't be any hooks or anything that you can hang yourself on!. You get a narrow plain hospital bed & a pillow, there is a dresser for you to put your stuff away, and often a desk!. Most places you do get your own bathroom that you share with a roommate (but not an adjacent room like in some regular hospital rooms)!. You don't get your own phone, usually you have to use one in an area near the front desk so they can watch you and be sure you don't hang yourself with the phone cord or something!.
Psychiatrists rarely seem to be interested in talking to the patient's family, stupid in my opinion, but that does seem to be the case!. If you are suicidal or really out of control, they may put a 72 hour hold on you (called different names in different places) and that doesn't include weekends or holidays, at least in California or Minnesota, the 2 states I have been in!. After that, if they still want to hold you, they have to get a court order & you can defend yourself!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Then you go see a psychiatrist and talk to some nurses!. See a counselor!. This is over a few days, on and off!. You go to groups where you learn stuff!. You hang out in the break room and play cards or watch TV!. Every morning they take people's blood pressure & occasionally weigh patients!. Sometimes they give you a personality test, to determine if you have any personality disorders, etc!. The psychiatrist will talk to you for about an hour, and then give you meds based on what he/she thinks will be most likely to help you!. The staff at the hospital will find you a psychiatrist and a counselor in the community and set up appointments for you!. You can take phone calls if you are not in group or meeting with a doctor or counselor or something!. If you are a kid, you can only talk on the phone & visit with immediate family!. Visiting hours are really limited; you get about 2 hours a day and if your family is coming from far away, that isn't very long!. After a few days, if you are reasonably stable, you can usually go outside for a walking break with staff!. In my state, you can't go outside the hospital for a smoking break anymore (no smoking on hospital grounds in MN)!. That is a crisis for many patients but staff give out fake cigarettes & nicotine patches!.
Most people behave pretty normally!. There are not many "take downs' anymore because the law prohibits them unless a person is endangering themselves or others -it can't be used as just discipline anymore!. I did see this abused at one hospital, though, & it was very upsetting!. Straightjackets are not used anymore!. If a person does need to be put in restraints, a staff person must sit there and watch them continuously, I believe is the law now!. Too many people have died in restraints!.
Some state hospital facilities are still very abusive or neglectful - in Georgia, for example, many people have died of conditions that were totally treatable, the patient complained or had obvious symptoms, and were ignored!. One girl was in agony and lay there until her intestines ruptured from severe constipation (due to her meds), for example, and she died!. It took several hours before staff noticed she was dead,even though they are supposed to check on you every 1/2 hour or so!. In general, some people under suicide watch are watched continuously, but most people are checked about every 1/2 hour!.
Your room is pretty normal looking - rather than bars on the windows, they have glass that I'm sure is unbreakable!. There won't be any hooks or anything that you can hang yourself on!. You get a narrow plain hospital bed & a pillow, there is a dresser for you to put your stuff away, and often a desk!. Most places you do get your own bathroom that you share with a roommate (but not an adjacent room like in some regular hospital rooms)!. You don't get your own phone, usually you have to use one in an area near the front desk so they can watch you and be sure you don't hang yourself with the phone cord or something!.
Psychiatrists rarely seem to be interested in talking to the patient's family, stupid in my opinion, but that does seem to be the case!. If you are suicidal or really out of control, they may put a 72 hour hold on you (called different names in different places) and that doesn't include weekends or holidays, at least in California or Minnesota, the 2 states I have been in!. After that, if they still want to hold you, they have to get a court order & you can defend yourself!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Depends on what hospital you go to and where you live, where I live, New York, there is a psychiatric hospital that is wonderful!. It's not like being in the psychiatric ward of a hospital!. The place I am talking about is almost like a retreat in some ways!. I never saw a woman with her children unless they came to visit!. I have suffered depression and have been in and out more times than I would like to count and the people there have always been kind and caring!. Plus there is a schedule you have to follow ,you don't just sit around all day!. There's breakfast, lunch and dinner!. Free time, time with your doctor!. Movie night on Fridays!. People are assigned to you if you need to talk!. Classes are during the week to help people learn how to cope and stuff like that, plus meds!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
never been to one, but if u wanna get some insight i can recommend watching the movie "Thin" - (eating disordered ppl in a clinic) "I'm a child anorexic" - (eating disordered children in a clinic) both of these are documentaries!. otherwise Girl, Interrupted is about ppl in a clinic, this one is a movie based on a true story!. all of these can be found on youtube :)Www@Answer-Health@Com
They're hell, and you don't have the same rights as you would in a regular hospital!.Www@Answer-Health@Com