I’m kinda on risk for being put into one, so I kinda wanted to learn some stuff about how is it inside those. I think my biggest fear there is boredoom. Like, will I be able to videocall friends and/or listen to music there? Will my mp3 player/portable chinese retro emulator/phone/any eletronic be confiscated there?
Assuming this is for commitment to a locked facility:
Bring some clothes without strings, shoes (again, no strings allowed so you might want to consider slides or slippers), no belts, no scarves. I recommend slides since they double as shower shoes. Valuables, electronics, anything considered a hazard to have on the unit will be confiscated. Includes dangly jewelry, large rings. And in general, consider that there are many patients up and about, some very sick and confused - don’t bring anything you’d be devastated if it got stolen or damaged. Don’t bring food/drinks, cigarettes, lighters, drugs -foodstuffs bc they can’t be verified or stored for hygienic reasons.
No smoking, but they’ll have nicorette gums or patches.
Small amounts of toiletries brought from home may be allowed at their discretion.
You might be allowed to use your smartphone for a short time under supervision (no smartphones for privacy reasons). There should be shared computer, phone, headphones use.
Since you won’t have your phone, DO have important phone numbers written on a piece of paper if you don’t have them memorized.
Expect a non-invasive skin check with a nurse during intake.
SIGN the information release form for family and friends you want involved in your care. Without your permission, they will be turned away.
Ask when the visiting hours are. You can have people bring you food and sometimes order food delivery (check with the staff).
If another patient is bothering you, maybe you’ve got a problematic roommate -let a staff know. They can maybe find a different arrangement.
Shower early or late. Higher chance of having the shared bathroom to yourself.
Stay on the normal sleep schedule and don’t stay up too late. First of all, they track how you’re sleeping. Second, it really sucks to sleep through your daily check-in with the psychiatrist (who basically controls how long you’re staying).
Staff are required to do frequent 24hr safety rounds on everyone, so this means at night too.
There should be recreational time outside to get some fresh air. Some group activities that are optional but encouraged to attend.
But yes, the days are boring! These places are geared for medications and getting you out of a crisis situation - not so much therapy. Recommend bringing reading/writing materials. Daily journaling is a nice idea. Remember no spiral bound because the spirals are sharp.
all of this, yes. yes and yes.
I haven’t been to any location that ever allowed cell phone use at all. they did allow people to use the landline to call out but only certain times per day and to specific numbers they cleared.
otherwise everything you said was spot on.
and please take the clothes thing seriously, and put your full name on the tags. the clothes they give you will probably be two sizes too big or small and the staff will tell you it’s all they have (which is a lie, they always “found” something better when someone from the outside brought it up with mgmt).
Welp, touching stuff. Not for me.
Got some problems with touching. Dunno if it’s autism, bad experience, or a mix of both, but now I think it’s better to lie to my psychiatrist.
I wouldn’t recommend that. Is that the Psychiatrist who is currently treating you and is possibly discussing admitting you to a psych ward? If so, be honest with them and let them know what worries you about being admitted. Maybe they can help you find a new perspective.
And in case you mean the staff in the psych ward, let them know your boundaries early on. It will improve the quality of your stay. Usually the staff will ask you about your symptoms on the first day, get an overview over your needs and challenges. This would be a good opportunity to mention that.
Well, my mom’s working place just switched health plan corporation and now I’m not on the psychiatrist anymore. But I guess it would be better to not risk it.
If I understand correctly you receive healthcare through your mother who’s healthcare is covered by her employer, and they don’t cover psychiatry, right? Or would you be forced to switch your treating psychiatrist?
Regardless; if there are financial issues, talk it through with your mother. IIrc she was making calls, trying to get you professional help. It seems to be important to her that you get proper support. And she too will be aware of the issues with healthcare and she is still trying to help you. Be honest with your psychiatrist. You can discuss any worries you have about finances/healthcare with them. They’ll usually know some information that could help you.
Please be honest with them. I know it can be scary, but you will have a better outcome.
Wait, lemme map this:
My mom works in a corporation;
Corporstions in my country usually give a health plan that usually cover prices of doctor attendances, but you’ll have another bill to pay at the end of the month;
Yea, they do have psychiatrists and stuff (but very shitty ones, last one I was on said I thought about sewslide because I liked it and that if i wanted to do it I should have done it already.)
Well, she’s only doing it to keep her reputation. Hell, she saw how sad was her friend when her son sewsided. But when it’s with HER family she just lowk goes “Nah, you’re too sensitive and need to toughen up”
There are three people you should NEVER lie to:
• A medical doctor
• Your therapist
• Your attorney
Only applies in democratic countries with a good human rights track record and functional rule of law
Despite the amount of dopamine received from all the outrage manufactured over the implied collapse of democracy, whilst simultaneously receiving all those lovely endorphins as a result of just imagining the downfall of civilization….
For both, the law governing privately shared info is still very much intact for both.
Some countries never had it to begin with
Should I really be telling a therapist about how the governemnt is making me depressed and how much I hate CCP if I were still in China? I’d get locked up lmao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_abuse_of_psychiatry
My point is: Your advice to “never lie” to these supposed “trusted people” is not always a good advice.
Okay. Go ahead and lie to them. Withhold information of your choosing. It’s not like there aren’t any consequences of prescribing medications or performing procedures based on patient honesty.
You probably live in a democracy with functional rule of law. You will never understand the perspective of growing up in a conservative culture that never have any mental health acceptance, and the only knowledge they have is that you’re “faking depression” or on the other extreme end, you’re “absolutely insane” and should be caged up like a rabid dog, no inbetween, no empathy. A system that will eat you alive. They kick out students with autism even after they already got accepted to the university. There’s a kid that has a slight intellectual disability, and people just gossip about it on Wechat, like zero respects at all, using insults to describe him, their family get shamed for having “useless son”, kid just get locked inside his house, never get to explore the outside because people perceive him as a danger.
You can’t apply your “rule of thumb” everywhere.
It’s like the opposite of “Don’t talk to the cops”
That applies in places where you have a right to silence, but try that in China, they just jail you. You’re supposed to talk your way out of it (and lie your way out of it if necessary, make sure your lies are convincing enough).
Again…. Go ahead and lie to them. Withhold information of your choosing. It’s not like there aren’t any consequences of prescribing medications or performing procedures based on patient honesty.
It’ll be on you.
And this is regardless of where you live or what system of government writes the rules. Science will still be science no matter what.