How many times have you been hospitalized?

[Swamp56]

This is just mainly out of curiosity: how many times have you been hospitalized in either a psychiatric ward or a psychiatric hospital?

Me = 4

[Billyboyboo]

2

[Thomas]

8

[Maddy]

I've been court committed 7 or 8 times but that was back in the 90's.

I've gone voluntary a few times. But I can't recall clearly how many times.

Sorry.

[gizmo]

Twice. Once because I thought I needed to be there, and once because I was "asked" to be there.

Neither time did I get anything constructive out of the phospital experience other than learning what to say to get the hell out of there ASAP.

I wish I went to some of the hospitals y'all went to.

[koali777]

Three times. First time because my friend begged me to go in. Second time because I was suicidal and cut all over my arm. Third time because I thought I'd be safer from myself and others there.

[lostgirl]

0 but seriously wondering if that might not be a bad idea.

[netsavy006]

I've been hospitalized over 20 times in the course of 3 years. I hope that my last one this past month (12/30/09 - 2/1/10) will be my last one.

[Entities]

Well none...

But technically I was asked to go, my friend thought I OD'd which I didn't and she called the paramedics. (I was feeling suicidal at the time but at this point I was 24/7) so they told me nicely I could either go with them or they'd call the police. And of course me regarding myself as an upstanding young member of society I obliged, being infront of the college and running away from the police carrying 8lbs worth or books and files wouldn't look good. So I gracefully sat myself in the ambulance and answered their pointless questions. With my friend shouting in " OH AND HIS PSYCHIATRIST THINKS HE'S BIPOLAR" I at this point wished I had OD'd.

So I arrive at what they somehow call an emergency room where I sit on my own around medical equipment for about an hour being scrutinised by a nurse every 15 minutes before I'm moved to an "observation ward" basically for those not in the know it's where they send the nurses who have no bedside manner. I as a patient seen some horrid things in there, there was an extremely eldery woman asking to be taken to the toilet literally,literally 2 metres away. The "nurses" were in this tiny, tiny ward doing blood pressures. They told her they'd get to her in a minute. They left her there for about 30-40 minutes. Why couldn't they leave these absolutely non-emergency patients to take this pensioner to the toilet? I'm sorry but they were right trollops. Had a good few arguments with them in my 5 hours stay. And they knew my psychiatrist, they knew her well. In cahoots you see. Fuckers united.

Annnnyway I'm rambling about the British healthcare service.

[~nestling~]

None.

It is agreed that it would not be helpful, given my cluster of symptoms. My team actively work to keep me out of hospital.

[Billyboyboo]

Twice. Once because I thought I needed to be there, and once because I was "asked" to be there.

Neither time did I get anything constructive out of the phospital experience other than learning what to say to get the hell out of there ASAP.

I wish I went to some of the hospitals y'all went to.

I didn't really have good experiences in them, the first time, I was put into an "Accidental Seizure" because a nurse forgot to chart I took the med already.

I just wanted to leave.

The second time around was ok, but I volunteered to go, Major suicidal thoughts.

B.

[remedy48]

6 times.

[crtclms]

Zero, but I should have been committed once (even my p-doc said so). He just didn't like the ward I would have had to go to since I was uninsured, and my dad was a well known p-doc, and if his daughter ended up at the Buttfuck psychiatric hospital, it would have been SCANDALOUS! But my p-doc is the head of a university psychiatric department now, so I guess neglecting his patients paid off in political dividends.

[DarkendHour]

3 times.... but it would have been more if I had agreed every time my pdoc or tdoc(s) had "suggested" it.

[NewMe]

12 all during adolesence. Thanks Mom!

[MiaB]

7 I think. It's a bit of a blur.

[Anelize]

Eight. All voluntarily. Some better than others, but no really bad experiences. I've been pretty fortunate, I guess. I've gotten something out of each hospitalization, especially the last couple.

[Ruby Red]

1 time, for a 72 hour suicide watch & psych assessment thing. It wasn't helpful. All it did was give me more time to think of how to kill myself once I got out and ways to persuade the doctors that I was safe.

[Sam_I_Am]

Just once, as an adolescent, for a suicide attempt that was, embarrassingly, more a "cry for help" than anything. I was there 5 days and don't feel I got my needs met-- I refused meds, felt my feelings about the "cause" of the attempt were invalidated, was made to watch Disney movies for hours by counselors/nurses who didn't want to do anything with the kids. However, the whole experience was so uncomfortable that it made me never want to do anything like that again. So maybe my needs were inadvertantly met in showing me that suicidal gestures were not useful coping mechanisms...?

[§am]

7.

For some, I was asked to go by family.

For a couple, they were the mandatory 72's which turned into several week stays.

Then of course there are the outpatient programs I enrolled in. But I didn't include those in the total 7.

And Mckey --- I would leave the place each time feeling hopeful, at peace, excited for a new life. And I'd try and try to hold on to that state of mind for as long as I possibly could. But without fail, it always slowly faded away. Then I was back into that 'rut.' Ugh, I hated that.