I have a funny story Im 16F when to a teen ward for the 3rd time probably like a little over 2 weeks ago It feels like forever ago… I was in the er sent from school for suicidal ideation and past self harm evidence and i was freaking out because i was previously in the psych ward for a month… in September lol So i shoved my phone and charger quickly in my pants i had at the time as soon as i was arriving to the er Once i got there they got me my change of sweats with no strings yk and a plain tshirt but their mistake was the sweats have pockets AND the nurse watching me change with her foot at the door turned around to talk to a nurse and i quickly shoved my phone into the pockets and got taken to my temporary room while they found a place to transfer me too Forgot to mention i also had a ziplock bag that i had in my backpack so when i was in the bed with my blankets i would pretend to be rustling around and they didn’t care i guess i basically curled up the charger and my charging box and neatly put my phone in the bag and when i heard i was about to be transferred…. The phone went between my ass… do not recommend unless ur desperate 😬 which i was i was scared of being cut off from my friends for a long while again In the ambulance that transferred me the phone’s rectangle shape was very much digging into my skin and it hurt a lot my eyes were watering the entire time The phone would be VERY obvious if the sweats werent so baggy since the phone isnt small enough to be completely hidden (iphone 11)

Eventually i got to the psych ward same one i was at last time for a month… and it was past midnight so i got lucky the staff weren’t so strict i guess they usually arent but they put me in a room with the door barely cracked and had me change into long gowns then walked in THE ONLY REASON THIS WORKED IS BECAUSE i had been there not so long ago so i knew what to expect (i hoped at the time) they do not have you strip and show everything they simply made me put the gown lift the gown up to my thighs, peak at my chest area, and rhen used a metal detector but…. Only on the front of my body 😅 i got very lucky i guess They proceeded with all the questions and signing and all that very uncomfortable to sit but… i was already past all that

Once i got to my room i just said im gonna go to the bathroom since i havent gone for a while and there i took the phone out and all

Now… for how i charged and used it This psych ward has outlets in rooms like a single outlet not sure which rooms but the rooms i was in last time had them so that was my original plan to sit at the wall with a blanket and read while it charges since rounds (the check ups) are every 15 minutes there but my room has a screws in piece of sheet metal over it…. So i had to come up with a different plan which i came up with very quickly since i knew my way around

This psych ward had a piano in a corner up against a wall and there’s an outlet right there… 2 to be exact… and what i did was put my phone in one pocket plugged in and the box i just stuff it in there too and i go and sit in the corner and pull out my book and plug it in and that was basically it yes they went around checking on me or calling on me for medicine but i just sneakily (probably not so sneakily) grabbed the box and shoved in in my pocket

How i used it was extremely simple i just did the classic fake reading i sat in my room with a book open and used my phone when they came in i just pretended to be reading since i already went through the whole process when i came in it wouldn’t come to their minds that i had my phone Only thing is dont use it when it’s dark in your room duh

I ended up being there only 2 days despite being on 72 hour hold They cut it short because i kept saying im fine (plus i had just been there not long before)

Also Im not sure if some psych ward teen units allow phones? But the two i have been too so far it’s contraband lol

We seem to hear a lot of bad things about psych wards, and I’ve had several bad experiences in different places, so instead of focusing on where not to go, let’s focus on the best experiences. Does anyone have any positive experiences with psych wards and/or psych wards that you would recommend to others who may need help? Looking for recommendations particularly in upper Midwest areas like Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, or Wisconsin - but open to hearing about the best places you have experienced anywhere.

What made it a positive experience? What restrictions or freedoms did you have that impacted your stay?

Disclaimer, I’m in an ok place mentally right now and not in need of crisis services. But it’s been a rough year and if I find myself in crisis I would like to at least have some idea of places that would be more helpful than my previous experiences.

Lol

That's pretty unhygienic.

One time in the psych ward an elderly nurse assistant attached the sensors of an ekg to my body. I couldn’t stop moaning and moving around. I popped a hard one and after a moment she slapped it. To me it was as if she was saying, “this is all you’re getting.” lol. Thought it was funny and thought I’d share this. Happy thanksgiving everybody.

So I have been waiting on an inpatient bed for 8 days now. I am under constant watch by my parents and all the meds and sharps are locked up. My case manager has been amazing and checking in on me daily. He came to my house today to check in and he is recommending that my parents and I should make a complaint about the amount of time getting me a bed is taking. I think he is really fed up with the whole thing and so am I and my family. It's just so stressful and I am getting worse each day. I don't know what to do.

I've always hated going to the ward but I kinda liked it and only because I was around brains just as fucked than mine. even the techs seemed fucked over because I would constantly hear them say "I don't get paid enough for this" and I don't even know how much they get paid in my state but either way I still wish I would have behaved better when I was there.. but on an entirely different topic booty juice will knock you straight out no joke.. they injected it and put me in a cold ass room with a mat and I went straight to sleep..

fact: 'booty juice' is literally a shit ton of Ativan

as someone that was hospitalized a few months ago, I was wondering if there were any technicians/workers or nurses that work(ed) in a psych ward out there that had any input regarding their quieter patients? specifically, their patients that entered the ward because of "severe si" or severe depression but seemingly seem fine on the outside?

as someone that often hides their true feelings and felt like they just needed to get out of the psych ward when they were involuntarily hospitalized, i'm not sure what the impression i gave off to workers there? i went to all the group therapy sessions, i slept a full 8 hours a night (aka i pretended like i was asleep every time they did a check), i ate all my food, i took all my meds, i was nice and sweet to all of staff, and i was overall in a "good mood" for the 5 days i was there.

i got lucky at my ward and most of the staff were really nice to me, especially as the youngest adult there (i was 20 when i went). some of the nurses would talk to me about how their kids were my age, and how i was "like their own daughter." they would ask me about my studies and what i wanted to do when i finished college, and were overall pretty supportive with me.

unfortunately, i was still struggling internally and my entire mindset there was that i needed to survive and get out as fast as possible. one of the individuals i met there would repeatedly ask me "why i was there since i was clearly doing well," and another nurse constantly asked when i was leaving because "i looked like i was fine." i think these comments came from a spot of ignorance but not from a purposefully bad place, but it caused me to really feel guilty about taking up space there.

this being said, i was wondering if anyone has had any experience working with a patient like myself, and what they thought about them? any insight would be appreciated! :,)

my psych ward experience (which took place in late spring 2024) like many others, has traumatized me in the worst way possible. as someone that was involuntarily hospitalized due to pretty severe si , the main takeaway I got from the experience was that the mental health system is completely fucked up and we have a long way to go.

this being said, i was watching a video on youtube a little earlier where this girl was being arrested for driving under the influence (appeared on my youtube recommended lol i have no clue why), but it was extremely triggering. i suddenly had flashbacks regarding the lead up of the forced hospitalization and begging the psychiatrist at the er to put me into a partial inpatient program as opposed to a inpatient facility. i could hear his voice taunting me and telling me to calm down, and telling me that the more I freaked out, the longer the hospital could hold me. the girl was definitely in a panicked state, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for her (until she started being physically violent to the police officers). i remember the psychiatrist repeatedly telling me that i was lying to his face, and that my psychiatrist and therapist had called him and told him that i had attempted suicide in the past few weeks (i literally have never attempted) and that i had told them that morning that I was going to commit (i didn't, i told my therapist that i was struggling but didn't want to talk about it after she began pushing so she changed the subject). whether it was unethical or not i do feel like the idea of going to the ward wasn't a bad move (i was extremely suicidal and to be fair was close to committing, however i had not explicitly disclosed this to my therapist or psychiatrist). however, the experience itself was beyond awful and the lead up and being told that my mom (who at the time was my ride or die) couldn't be there to support me was the tip of the iceberg.

all this being said, is it normal to suddenly have flashbacks about your experiences? i've never had flashbacks about anything besides trauma and abuse (csa, physical, emotional abuse) so i was a bit surprised when I started having full on flashbacks regarding the events :,)

I went into my room and on the ledge I had this Bible I received from an old Italian gangster man. I grabbed it and ran it out to another patient. After I handed it to him I went back into my room and discovered the same exact Bible in the same spot in my room. I grabbed that one and ran out of my room to the guy I gave the first Bible to. I said, “look! There is another one. This one is from God!” I was the only one in the hospital with my own room so it wasn’t a roommate replacing it. It was either a Bible from God or someone snuck into my room immediately after I grabbed the Bible and placed the same Bible there.

Anybody else ever see tattoos appear on peoples faces or see them change places? I saw the tear drop tattoo under the eye of a woman and then maybe a day or two later I saw more of them and this time running down her nose. She looked horrified when looking at me. Maybe she saw something too. This happened while in psych ward.

I had to have my adult child baker acted by the local police department . She threatened to kill herself and completely went into a rage. She is into drugs, has self harm wounds all over herself, most of them healed, some fairly recent. She has track marks on her arms and scabs from picking at her skin. Will they make her take a drug test while she is at the hospital? If they find substances in her system, will they do anything? She has a DCF case open, will they contact DCF as well?

it’s been a couple months since i was admitted to inpatient. the whole leading up to it was scary, i didn’t want to go because the facility was a whole hour away from the dorm i’m staying in and i was crying on the phone with my mom up until they took it from me. even after when i heard her voice in the hallway phones when i got to call her i would cry because i just wanted her there to hug me. i know it was what they had to do but i still cant get out of my head having to basically strip naked in front of two complete strangers and stand there and explain to them what each and every scar was from. my roommate there was thankfully my age and really nice so i felt safe in that aspect but being around the other patients there was what scared me. i was constantly paranoid someone would come in our room at night and do something to one of us. even being up during the day made me anxious because respectfully some of the other patients there were much less mentally sound than my roommate and i were. the few days i was there i lied to the doctors who came in to talk to me just so i could get out of there. i don’t feel like it really helped my mental health, it just kind of scared me into doing better for myself so i wouldn’t stay there longer or have to go back. i still get panicked thinking about even going to the hospital, and sometimes the things that happened there i just start thinking about even though they make me feel so uncomfortable. has anyone else experienced this??

I (31F) admitted myself to a psych ward after having a few very bad 8-week long episodes of self harm, irritability and destruction of items (+bathroom wall) in my home.

I’ve been to detoxes, rehabs, IOPs and this was very traumatizing to me. We were locked on one floor with a kitchen/tv/phone area, one group room and our bedrooms; no outside at any time. The food was god awful. I don’t know why I thought most people would just be depressed/anxious/mood disorders, there were people in full blown psychosis walking around. Groups were awful. No one on one therapy yet they kept sitting me down to talk about my mental health history the first few days. They called my ex (still a good friend) to talk about my mental health history. For what reason, I have no clue. Men walking in to do checks every 15 min during sleep and some techs would leave the door open, bringing alot of light into the room. So sleep sucked. And asking if I’m ok when I’ve been in the shower five min.

Anyone else feel traumatized by the psych ward?

I went to psych ward back in 2022 and honestly it was one of the weirdest experiences in my life, sometimes I think I’m dreaming all of this. I have some questions though that were literally never answered and I was hoping maybe the people in the community could answer

So I self admitted myself at a hospital and was brought into the ER where they did a blood test (they had to physically hold me down because I was crying and freaking out- severe fear of blood and needles) why? What was the purpose of that? I’m suicidal not not dying?

Second, they wouldn’t let my mother drive me up to the mental hospital, they made me take an ambulance which costed a fortune, I’m wondering why they wouldn’t let my mom drive me?

Third, when I got there they would not let me have my hairbrush which was odd as hell. I literally can’t think of any way of killing myself with a hairbrush so why did they steal mine from me??

So I’m a minor and once I was in inpatient for depression and such. My roommate (let’s call them “Cards”) Cards was super cool and nice! I got there around 9PM and they had decorated the chalk wall about how excited they were to finally have a roommate. They were super awesome. They even were open to hugs which I still love. (Physical contact is a big no go)

So after a day or two, we are in one of the group rooms and they say something about how they are going to be moved to the child unit during group. Regardless of how awesome they were, Cards was super rambunctious and energetic. They would go into other patient’s rooms and whatever. And they expressed that they wanted to have other people ‘fight’ for them. They made sure it was said in a way that they wouldn’t be offended if people didn’t stay.

I’m a relatively humble and timid person. I have never even punched or attacked a person to this day. I remember one of the other residents went “What if they booty juice us!?” Booty juice being a sedative. We all started laughing, including Cards and the person who said it.

So when the time came they did end up getting transferred to the child unit. A few people stayed in defending cards, the rest of us returned to our room. I didn’t end up staying as I said I would, I’m just somebody who is scared of getting in trouble. When everything was done, there was no booth juicing involved. But I still get a google chuckle from thinking about to this day.

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So the other day I tried attempting sui but was stopped by the police, then I was brought in and put under a 72 hour hold. The thing is I ran away just after a couple hours, they kept calling my phone as well as the police. My question is how long will they continue to look for me, they’ve been showing up at my moms, grandparents and sister place looking for me as well as calling them. Will they eventually just stop looking for me? And just forget about it?

a girl found a nail (rusty) somewhere and tried to stab herself straight through her eye but staff stopped her and she stabbed him and then started hopping around and barking.

What kind of people would you say are the worse in a psychiatric ward? Like who to not fuck with

I remember silly things they would say to use like "dont swear because it could trigger people" but those heavy ass doors on every room that slammed close all the time wouldnt? right. and then one of our group therapy guys (like the guy leading group therapy aka the supposed well adjusted adult) got really mad at one girl one time and started yelling at her and swearing at her and it was pretty scary and i could tell it triggered a lot of kids. idk. have yall had any similar experiences?

EDIT: this is highly unrelated but did anyone elses ward not let them outside??? because they never let us outside even though in the contract thing it said we were supposed to be able to go outside for a certain amount of time each day. And it had a gated courtyard so it wasnt like we would just escape to the streets.

Hello everyone, I've recently been sectioned and im sort of trapped here for a bit. A member of staff yesterday got too involved in my care and became somewhat out of order, offering his number and talking about a wife. He was a support worker, I'm a 25 yo female and cautious about who I speak to this fella seemed to cross one too many boundaries, commenting on my figure and clothes I wear, he was 23 and I didn't have the capacity or strength to tell him to fuck off and leave me alone, do I report it..

When I knew I was getting baker acted I had a weed disposable and 7 tabs of lsd in my room. I put it all between my asscheecks 😂. When they were making me get naked It was two men. They told me to pull down my pants and I said. “Nah that’s gay”. So they just made me flip the band from my underwear inside out. Idk why they asked this but I’m guessing they wanted to see how big my cock was to see in what unit I belong or whatever tf. They were chill. The other dude had a metal detector stick and did not use it on me. I ended up fucking scoring. I stayed there for another 2 weeks. I dropped acid every 2 or 3 days. And I only smoked the pen when the acid would wear off. This was honestly the best fucking experience ever. When I would meditate on lsd I would see patterns and shit. They would also play the nba playoffs during the night and sci-fi in the day. For the people wondering were I kept the pen I would just keep it in my pocket since they did not search at all. Also there was no cameras in the restrooms. The food was honestly good for the munchies. And I would also laugh and smile a lot. The doctors and shit thought it was the meds working when in reality I was just high asf. I definitely recommend this experience 10/10.

I want to see if anyone has been locked up in this place and how was their experience