What is it like to live in a psychiatric hospital?

First, if you are admitted involuntarily your usually in handcuffs. There are four or five large orderlies to submit, oh sorry I mean admit, you to entry onto your fist intake ward. If you fight they shoot you full of tranquilizer. If you are still fighting they restrain you to a bed, with wrist, waist and ankle restraints. If you are still fighting they give you more tranquilizer. Then they basically let you wear yourself out. Then they start you on medication to calm you down. A psychiatrist will tell them when to realise you from the restraints, but you have to promise to behave. If you don't then its back to either solitary or back into the restraints if they feel like you are a danger to yourself. After you are out of the danger stage (to yourself or anyone else) you start with therapy. Usually at first you will talk to the psychiatrist after a couple of days they will want you to talk to a councilor. You will then have to be a part of a group session. They take the information they gain in these sessions and start you on different medication depending on what is going on wilh you.

The hospital I was in had cell like rooms with three to five people in the room, no privacy even in the bath. They do let you close the door on the stall in the bathroom, but they usually have someone waiting while you go so they can keep an eye on you. Same with the shower, they have someone waiting right out side the shower curtain to keep an eye on you. The walls are painted block, usually beige, or light green. You get to sleep in a bed with springs and a thin mattress on top. You get one sheet and one blanket, and one pillow that's usually pretty flat. Everything is coated on plastic material, so if some one vomits or urinates on them they can be cleaned easily. If you have ward privilege then you can go into the room where the TV is. Of course you never get to watch anything you want to watch because if you cause trouble they will send you back to the room with only chairs. You eat what and when they tell you to. You don't get to choose what to eat. If you don't eat they will record it and the doctors will take that up with you the next day when you talk to them. Throughout the day you will be give medication. If you don't talk it they will make you take if and you will talk to your doctor about it the next day. You get no privacy they don't let you into your room during the day because they want you to sleep at night. You will be given no choise of when to go to bed. Where I was you went to bed at between 8 and 11 PM. You got up at 6 AM. Again you don't have a choice. They come into the room turn on the overhead lights and very loudly announce that it is time to get up. They will stand there until everyone is out of bed saying very loudly that it's time to get up. Your day starts off with a cup of the worst decaffenated coffee that you have ever tasted. Then Its med's then breakfast then the rounds of doctors. You are allowed nothing that is yours. No paper pencils absolutely no phones until your given phone priviledges, and then only the pay phone on the ward for a set omount of time like five or ten minutes. Pens and pencils can be used as a weapon cell phones too. You gain priviledges as time goes by. After a couple of weeks the start fiving you provaledges like crafts or instruments. Eventually if they can get the right combination of medications they will let you go outside, like to smoke or they might let you go to the cafeteria to eat with all the other damaged people. Then maybe if your real good they will let you go home.

I have never been admitted to a psychiatric hospital but I know someone who has. Everyone's experience is different. It's not the same for everyone. This is the kind of experience that is only subjective. I would suggest going to a psychiatric hospital or facility and ask if you can follow someone around because you are doing research. If there is no facility close by, a hospital in your area should have a unit dedicated to pschiatry. Speak with someone there.

But to help you out...here is a little that I know. Anyone who is admitted to a psychiatric facility is usually considered a danger to themselves or others...they are not allowed to wear belts and their shoes can not have any shoe strings. No, they are not allowed to have a cell phone. There is a telephone there in the facility that patients can use but they can only use it if they have been given the priviledge. They are constantly watched and supervised. Most people in a psychiatric facility is given some sort of medication(s) but that depends upon their condition. You have to remember not everyone is there for the same reason. And yes, I am sure it is scary but it may not be scary for everyone. Again this is a very subjective experience.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

My brother said every moment he felt like ha was wasting his life in there.

But when he was younger it's a fun place to be.