Have you ever been in a mental hospital/psychatric institution?

[Kitteh]

I'm making this poll because I very strongly believe this and everything surrounding mental health in general needs to be destigmatized. Today marks the one year anniversary of when I was released from one. I went in voluntarily; albeit with some pressure from family who I listened to more then than I do now, but still definitely not involuntarily, because I was feeling very acutely suicidal at that point as was pretty sure I was going to do something to myself if I didn't. Stayed for around 9 days I think. The experience there felt kinda odd but not extreme. The best way I can describe it is like a mix of jail and kindergarten. During the time there I mostly felt bored and often frustrated and annoyed. I don't think any of the therapy things there or the medications I was given did anything positive for me really. But I no longer felt immediately suicidal by the time I left. In a few weeks to around two months after I got out I felt more motivated (a big problem with depression obviously) and made a lot of necessary and positive changes to my life. I think mostly because it's the kind of experience that sorta shakes you out of the normal patterns of life which makes it easier to make changes, and also for me maybe a little bit of a "well, I just hit rock bottom and I guess I'm going up because I have nowhere else to go" effect. In the long-term, I don't feel much benefit from it though. I guess I feel a little bit better than where I was right before I went in, but I don't really feel any different than I did in the months and years before that.

I'm really curious, it seems like this place has a very high rate of mental issues so I'd bet there are some people with stories to share here. I've heard a lot of experiences from my friends (I have a lot with similar experiences, actually my friends who *haven't * tried to kill themselves or wanted or want to are prob the minority lol) and they've ranged from "I found it really helpful" to "I was horrible, traumatic, scarring, etc" which makes me think its really a crapshoot depending on the person and the place. If you feel comfortable sharing that's great, I know its hard to be open about but like I said it definitely needs destigmatizing which is only going to happen if more people are willing to talk.

[Supersonic]

No.

[windjammer]

No.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Not telling.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Not yet. I pondered voluntarily committing myself as recent as a few weeks ago during the time of that....ugh, prank.

[Leftbehind]

Well I don't think I've been shy mentioning my depression, but no, doctor's is as far as I've took it.

[memphis]

Only as a visitor. And I was very unimpressed.

[Torie]

Many times, in several of them. And look how well I have recovered! 

Anyway, don't get me into my rant mode on mental hospitals and facilities and the whole f'ing system. It ain't pretty.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Nope

[Bacon King]

Yeah after my suicide attempt I was "ten twelve'd" which meant the state of Georgia had deemed me mentally unfit to be responsible for my own well-being. I spent five days in a private short-term stay facility and it helped me a lot but it was really horribly run.

[Morning in Atlas]

I've come close (don't really want to talk about that experience, basically my father said something that sent me into psychosis), but never to the point where I've actually been committed. Honestly, if I were my mom in the middle of that, I would have actually committed myself during my psychotic break.

[tik 🪀✨]

No, but I have been to them for family several times. I thought I might end up in one myself a few years ago myself, but it passed.

They create a controlled, different environment to help people sort themselves out and test what medication suits them. That's healthy. You can also easily encounter something terrifying.They're not as bad as people are led to believe, though, and there should be as little shame in going to one as you'd feel going into a "normal" hospital for anything else. Barring, perhaps, going into hospital to have something exotic dislodged from your anus, you embarrassment to humanity.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

No, but others in my family have.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

No, but an existential crisis when I was 16 brought me close.