The Psych Ward is not Where You Want to go During an Episode
You'll be told by family and paramedics that the psych hospital will help. If it's one of your first goes at it, you may believe them. Whether you're a veteran that knows where I'm going this, or you're a naive noob that is about to discover what the ward is like, this is worth a read. The noob needs a warning. The veteran can never be reminded enough.
Before I begin to describe the hellish conditions of these facilities, it's worth noting that there exist a handful of psych wards that, by comparison, feel like a relatively comfortable facility of incarceration. I say relatively because "comfort" is subjective and given the option to lay on a minimally padded mat is preferable to laying on hard wood floors. I too mentioned incarceration. There is no relative comparison. Not the slightest bit of hyperbole is being used. I shall explain.
Upon your arrival, you are strip searched and have all possessions taken from you despite posing no danger. You spend your days in a locked common room which you are not allowed to leave. You will fail to be provided with anything to pass the time on the grounds that a previous patient did something unruly. To say that boredom sets in is a gross oversimplification. By the time you're discharged, you carry the captivity with you after you leave. Some revolving door patients verbalize SI to return to where they were conditioned to feel falsely secure.
What of the counter argument? "We were just keeping the patient safe". Setting aside that there is plenty of time and plenty of bed sheets which can make the patient unsafe, you've succeeded in creating a patient that is highly unlikely to call out for help again. PTSD can be gotten from psych facilities and it's the last place the patient in this example would ever seek help from again.
The lies used to avoid medical prisons(wards) are limitless. I don't have to be there to know the belly laugh produced should the patient see a PSA to reach out for help about suicide.
