Anyone else ever been in a psychiatric ward?

[LeftyFingerPop]

I have...and I have a feeling that a few of you have also.

I talk freely about this.

By all appearances, I am normal. I even feel normal.

But I suffer from major depression, and I am not afraid to talk about it...because FEELING it, I understand what it is.

I am highly intelligent, but I have a depression that will never go away completely.

I have been on a ward twice...once for about 2 weeks, and once for about 3 days for a med change.

It sucks...because most of the people who work there are underpaid. Also, it is terrible to have a person that has about one half of the empathy and intelligence that you have telling you what to do.

Anyway, if you know what I am saying...remember...you are unique, and loving, and knowing, and strong...and loved.

[oshyposhy]

1. ...

nobody look at the new girl, k?

[LeftyFingerPop]

2. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

It is alright here.

[oshyposhy]

5. thanks

I figure if y'all are cool with mctatas, then I'm okay too :)

[LeftyFingerPop]

6. Yes, she's cool.

[oshyposhy]

7. that's

why she is my bff

[LeftyFingerPop]

8. Well...

that is a wonderful thing.

[mcctatas]

3. That didn't count...

you were just looking for Mr. Goodbar

[oshyposhy]

4. ahhh

*reaches for inhaler*

[Lil Missy]

9. Yep, as a teen. And I didn't want to leave there.

But life, adulthood, and a lot worse kinda shit happened after that. And to be fair, a lots and lots of good stuff happened after that too. :)

Here's one:

[LeftyFingerPop]

13. Who's that cutie?

[Lil Missy]

18. My son! One of my favorite pics, ever!

[oshyposhy]

10. so

to answer your question

yes.

[mcctatas]

11. I work at the Mental Health Institute...

and some days I think the wrong people have the keys!

[old mark]

22. I worked in a state hospital in PA.

I usually got along much better with the patients than the staff.
Some of them were working there much, much too long....

mark

[Droopy]

12. Yeah, philboy, 3 times

The first time when I was 24. I was misdiagnosed as having major depression and being a drug addict and an alcoholic. I wasn't exactly Mr. Clean, but the only drug I'd ever used was marijuana, on occasion, and that was usually at a party. I have no idea how they missed my psychosis.

The second time was when I was 29. They got the right diagnoisis that time, schizoaffective disorder, but the meds they gave me turned me into a zombie. I spent most of my time sleeping and could barely hold down an 8 hours a day job. Not knowing that I could have the meds changed, I ignorantly went off them and would relapse 5 month later.

My last hospitalization was 5.5 years ago when I was 30, and it has worked out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm happy and living independently. :)

[mykpart]

14. When you need medication for high blood pressure

or diabetes, and you will never be cured and must take the medication the rest of your life, nobody thinks of it as a character flaw. What I really hate is when people ask me what I'm depressed about. They just don't get it. If you had been in a hospital to get your blood sugar regulated, you probably would have had the same experience. You just learn not to expect empathy from hospital personnel - it's really difficult to spend all your time with sick people, and they kind of shut down.

[LeftyFingerPop]

15. Jesus Christ, I hear ya....

:hug: :hug:

[oshyposhy]

16. .

big ditto

[FloridaJudy]

17. Once

For twenty-four hours. I signed myself in for severe depression, and signed myself out when I discovered I felt worse being there, and that half the staff were even less stable than I was. They had to let me go when they asked me if I thought of hurting myself and I answered truthfully that I'd prefer to fake amnesia and move to Hawaii.

The only sane psychiatrist in the place signed my discharge papers remarking "You'd hate Hawaii. Try New Mexico".

[Lil Missy]

20. ROTFLOL!!!!

I hear ya lady. It's like the inmates are running the asylum!

[FloridaJudy]

21. I couldn't possibly have stayed there

They took away all my books! It made some sense when they took the elastic out of my clothes - I suppose someone could have tried to hang him/herself with it, though not me: I weigh far too much. But the books??? How on earth could anyone do an injury with a book? They even had a few paperbacks on the ward, but they were all Danielle Steele and the Left Behind novels. More than twenty-four hours of having to read that tripe, and I really would have gone nuts.

[mykpart]

19. philboy, didn't I see you earlier running through

someone's living room wearing nothing but a pair of socks?

[Cults4Bush]

23. 2 months and 2 weeks in an army psych facility.

Every emotion one can think of taken to its limit then let snapped back to its diametric opposite... over and over again. Laughing so hard at some absurdity that Id break down into sobbing freshly tear gassed mess. Others with self hate so strong and fierce that I feared for all our lives. It went on and on.. 20 yrs later and I still dont want to remember too much.

I am fine now, though still battle depression every now and then (the have to watch myself kind not the "oh I am sad" because something happened kind).

I have big ears and a warm heart, Ill happily listen and talk with anyone who is down and needs a friend :)