Has any one ever had to visit a psyche ward?

Question

How was it and how did it feel. Did it help

As an inpatient.....

Answer 1

Visit?? or inpatient?

I have visited people in the psych ward.
It was a clean place, and did not "smell".
Doors were open and the people there were encouraged to wear their regular clothing.
Nurses station was behind a glassed-in desk with tv monitors.
Patients were "encouraged" / required to speak with the nurses and counselors during the day.
Group time where all were to participate is a part of the day.
Options of reading or crafts are available, sometimes cards, etc.
There may be some required participation with daily chores within the ward, everyone doing one of the jobs.
Dr.s will come and go briefly, stopping in to speak with patients, and writing in the charts. Nearly every patient is dealing with a medication change of some sort, and the psychiatrists come in to check on what the nurses have observed in you during your stay, to see if the medication is or is not helping you with your thoughts and behavior so that you are able to regain control within yourself.
Some patients can become very upset and noisy. If a patient is so out of control that he does not obey the nurses, or is a danger to his own safety, there are padded, solitary rooms where the person may spend some time.
For a pediatric psych ward, there are also teachers that come in to help the students keep up with their school work, and provide "credit" for your days participating so that it won't count as "absences" at your regular school.

Over all the psych ward is a quiet and calm place, working on their own daily schedule and expecting patients there to participate in the scheduled activities and "meetings" with counselors-nurses-doctors. There is a pointed interest in the person's thoughts and feelings as it relates to their safety....some of which is addressed with medication. Each person there is in some way out of control, or outside of reality, or a danger to themself or others. The object these days is for the mental health team to be able to get results in a 72hr time period. (Thank you insurance companies, as that's all you'll pay for)

The time the patients I know spent there usually make some positive difference for the patient. There is another side to it though. For the caregiver to have a "break" in the constant stress of the presence of the ill person, there is also great value.

Answer 2

Yes. It was divided up into patient rooms (no more than two to a room and sometimes there were single rooms) and a common area with a nurse's station where they dispensed the meds and anything else. There are men and women on the same ward. There were shower and bathrooms. At first you have to give them your toiletries - you don't get to keep anything in your room at first. There were one or two isolation rooms.

There's not much to do there. They did have puzzles and a ping pong table and magazines, and there was a smoking area (however, you could only smoke at certain times).

You filled out your meal sheet every day for the next day or two.

It was clean and during the days the patients' psychiatrists would visit once a day on weekdays. No visits on weekends. Sometimes the nurses would take blood samples (if it was ordered by the psychiatrist). There were two visiting hours, one in the afternoon and one in evening. You are not usually allowed to wear your own clothes right away (have to have the hospital gown). After some time, you get those back, and are able to do short (one hour) leaves off the ward if/when the psychiatrist permits it, and as you get better on the medication they give you.

How did it feel? It felt like a safe place. It also felt very boring - the hours would pass slow and it was hard to fill up time. It also felt very 'unprivate' having people around all the time. You see people in different stages of their illness, and with different illnesses. Most dont' "seem" sick. After a time you just feel like wanting to get out and go home.

I was taken there as an emergency and it helped in getting me stable again. However, after two or three days I just wanted to go home. I ended up being there for just over a week.

Answer 3

Yes, been there done that. It depends on the Hospital actually. some are better then others.
the main goal is to get stabilized so you can return to the out side .
Some hospitals have programs that teach patients how to cope, not just OT, and basket weaving.
People are there for different reasons and some are sicker then others.

Answer 4

Inpatiant ! yes Depends why you have to go in! Write me back and I'll explain