Why do some people voluntarily admit themselves into mental institutes? Where is the logic in this?

Question

I always though mental institutes were prisons for crazy people. Like in Terminator 2 where Sarah Conner has been sectioned in one.

Answer 1

i have heard some do it for benefit reasons, ive also heard they pay all your bills while your in there ! so whos the mental one !! But mind you they must be mental to go to these lenghts to get hand outs, lowlifes. There maybe people that do it if they are about to comit suicide or something like that to, and they throw there self in there instead

Answer 2

there was a Dutch guy in Enschede once and he lived with his brother and sister-in-law in their 2-bed house. About twice a year it got to the point where his brother wanted some sort of life with his missus and he was told to pack his bags and sod off for a month. The guy would check into the local mental institute.
I met him there and he said this'd been going on for a few years now because everytime he tried the living alone thing the being alone got to him and that was how his mental issues started.
He was trying to get in there permanently. It was like a little community within the community. They had sheltered/supported living with a view to reintegration into society eventually. Some of the units were semi-open and there was also a block that had a closed door policy.
He said by checking himself in on a regular basis was the only way to ever get into the supported living arrangement because the waiting list was so long. He had no desire to truly take charge of his life and the mental institution was still a better option than living on his own.
(His brother only put up with him because he also knew that eventually the guy would get a permanent place there)

Answer 3

first of all they are not mental institutes that name went out many years ago they are pysiciatric units.
Secondly a person who admits themselves in to a unit is usually one who has either suffered years of an illness and are aware when they need to go in rather than go down a spiral of dispare that they may not come out of. The second type are those who know their is something wrong with themselves and seek help as they have no where to go.
A unit is not a prison Terminator expressed the worst case of people that where not only a danger to others but also themselves.
The logic in someone admitting themselves is that the acknowlege they need the help and seek it before to late.

Answer 4

"illogical" means it's not logical, and I think you were trying to prove the point that it IS logical, Pretty Helen.... just to let you know.

Know, why this makes sense. Some people put themselves in voluntarily because they may be stressed out way too much and instead of having a nervous breakdown or doing something illegal, they commit themselves so that they can once again be healthy mentally.

I dated a guy with a drinking problem, and he admitted himself because it was taking a toll on his job, home life, and relationship with me. We eventually broke up, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, he knew that he was going down a horrible path and wanted to chance his life, so he admitted himself vonlutarily.

Statistically, a person whom commits themselves ends up having better mental health and a higher success rate with fighting addictions as opposed to being forced into it.

Hope this helps!

Answer 5

i work for a company which gives support to people with mental health problems. Some of the people who ask to be admitted have an understanding of their condition and realise when they are beginning to go downhill. When in these states they know they act in a way which they dislike, which could show itself in aggression to others or to themselves.

If you felt that in a couple of days you may be capable of suicide or of attacking someone, then you would want to avoid it. You should thank these people. The problems come when people do not receive the treatment they need in time, and so you get incidents like the one in liverpool where a man wielding a samurai sword was shot dead by police.

Please do no equate mental health problems with learning difficulties. If you are manic depressive, or schizophrenicit does not make to stupid. People like stephen fry and van gogh are/ were manic depressive.

Also, most psychiatric wards are not locked like Sarah Conner's in T2.

Answer 6

People voluntarily admit into mental institutions because they need help. It is no different than when people admit into hospitals. Some are ER type admissions, esp. suicidal and others are standard admits.
Some of the admissions are for medication adjustments or for medication withdrawels prior to a changeover.
Some are for psychological concerns, depression for one, that need more intensive care 24/7 than the family can give.
The logic is they are people aware of a problem seeking the kind of assistance they need. You go to a refrigerator when you are hungry - that is where the food is. These people, and I am one of them, go where the help is.

Answer 7

Well if you get all your information about the world from the 'Terminator' films it's no wonder you're a bit confused.

Most mental health units are there as a place of refuge and support for people who find life a bit difficult and aren't coping very well.

People are only 'sectioned' (taken in against their will) if they are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. This is actually quite rare.

Answer 8

Is it really any different from voluntarily admitting yourself into Casualty if your ear was hanging off? If you need the help, you need the help. Far better to admit that than pretend you are OK. That's the logic and it's not exactly rocket science mate. If you are needing help yourself don't be ashamed to ask for it, denial is the enemy of those in Mental turmoil and it can happen to anyone so there is no shame in it!

Answer 9

Because they know they are at their wits end with their problems and they just cannot rationally deal with them any longer. My best friend is ready to kill someone due to frustration with being unemployed and no money coming in. If you have problems and you see no solution to them the stress may kill you. Getting help by professionals or checking into to an institution seems to be the smarter of the options.

Answer 10

Something must've convinced them to admit themselves into a mental institution. The TV, for example. They must've seen something on the TV that relates mental institutions and/or their illness or disorder lol.

Answer 11

There is no logic with many mental illnesses. When someone is still capable of understanding that they are on a downward spiral mentally, they may choose to grab an opportunity to get help (meds) before they hit bottom. In my field it doesn't happen very often since many of my clients have had a negative experience in the state hospital.