Mental Health Psych Wards and the Mental Hell System v. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

[Jerry Atrick]

Okay everyone, the Invega thread got so far off topic that it warranted a new thread solely dedicated to psych wards and the mental health system in general.

I moved some of those posts over here to keep from further derailing the Invega thread. Please share your experiences and stories. Without further ado....

I'd probably say to anybody that if you're hearing any kind of voices or whatever to not take yourself to the mental facility..once you're in that system it can be hard to get out and they're going to try to make your life a living hell..thanks for all the 'help' ha..

This is horrible advice.

It's one thing for a person to not tell their doc about something like depression but to withhold a symptom as serious as auditory or visual hallucinations is asking for crisis. A voluntary check in has more rights than an involuntary check in and attempting to persist through hallucinations is just asking for an involuntary check in. Involuntary is how people end up on Invega in the first place.

No one here is saying mental health facilities are great places to be. Believe me, I've seen the inside of my fair share, both voluntary and involuntary. But occasionally you gotta do what you gotta do to get better and voluntary is a much easier "pill to swallow" than the alternative.

 

[masamune1]

This is horrible advice.

It's one thing for a person to not tell their doc about something like depression but to withhold a symptom as serious as auditory or visual hallucinations is asking for crisis. A voluntary check in has more rights than an involuntary check in and attempting to persist through hallucinations is just asking for an involuntary check in. Involuntary is how people end up on Invega in the first place.

No one here is saying mental health facilities are great places to be. Believe me, I've seen the inside of my fair share, both voluntary and involuntary. But occasionally you gotta do what you gotta do to get better and voluntary is a much easier "pill to swallow" than the alternative.

I'm not sure. Ever since I got injected with invega, I wouldn't suggest anyone to immediately go to a psychiatrist, let alone voluntarily commit themselves in to a psych ward which can be traumatizing.

Invega is a broken drug that needs to be re-evaluated and then banned. Instead what psychiatrists do is put the blame on the patient.

I'm pretty sure they can turn a voluntary admit into involuntary if they want to, so they can really do anything which isn't fair. Psych wards and psychiatrists aren't safe places anymore, and these threads serve as strong evidence.

 

[Micah444]

I'm not sure. Ever since I got injected with invega, I wouldn't suggest anyone to immediately go to a psychiatrist, let alone voluntarily commit themselves in to a psych ward which can be traumatizing.

Invega is a broken drug that needs to be re-evaluated and then banned. Instead what psychiatrists do is put the blame on the patient.

I'm pretty sure they can turn a voluntary admit into involuntary if they want to, so they can really do anything which isn't fair. Psych wards and psychiatrists aren't safe places anymore, and these threads serve as strong evidence.

Don’t even get me started on the protective services officers. They are want to be cops who abuse their power. I was so tired I requested the isolation room because it had a bed and as soon as I got in there the security started commanding me to take off my shoes and change into hospital clothing. I said no and verbally asserted myself. Next thing I know the door flies open and the guard put my right arm through every possible painful position they are taught. Thing is, I wasn’t resisting and they used excessive force just because they enjoy abusing their power. They hurt me and took off my sweater and Left the room. I was so fired up I stood up waiting for about 15 minutes just waiting for them to come back. I wasn’t taking orders from them and wasn’t going to let them take my dignity. After about 15 minutes I caved and went to sleep. You see usually the isolation room is for bad behaviour. I requested it because it had a bed. Big difference but I was treated like a punk. You’re right, they are not safe places at all. It’s a power game in their between the doctors, nurses, and guards versus the patients. Reminds me of the movie the Stanford Prison Experiment.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

I'm not sure. Ever since I got injected with invega, I wouldn't suggest anyone to immediately go to a psychiatrist, let alone voluntarily commit themselves in to a psych ward which can be traumatizing.

Invega is a broken drug that needs to be re-evaluated and then banned. Instead what psychiatrists do is put the blame on the patient.

I'm pretty sure they can turn a voluntary admit into involuntary if they want to, so they can really do anything which isn't fair. Psych wards and psychiatrists aren't safe places anymore, and these threads serve as strong evidence.

Everyone here is entitled to their own opinion. I'm entitled to mine just like you and the poster I replied to are entitled to yours.

I understand and said that psych wards are not great places to be. I never said they were safe either. When I was in the state hospital there were fights almost every day and I was forced to defend myself after I was scheduled to change halls. It wasn't a fight but the guy put his hands on me and I retaliated in kind by subduing him and waited for a tech to pull me away. No punches thrown.

I'm just saying there is a threshold of being so far into psychosis and/or mania that someone really is a threat to themselves or someone else and the best alternative between jail and a psych ward is the psych ward. When I was first deep into psychosis and mania where I had zero insight and did not know what was happening to me, I got cornered into a choice of psych ward, prison, or suicide. Honestly, I chose suicide, survived it somehow, and ended up in a psych ward voluntarily a year later. Better than death of prison.

Yes, we can ALL agree that Invega is poison and no one should ever be made to take it. I know psych wards can be traumatizing, believe me. But trauma in a secure environment is honestly safer than trauma on the streets like when I had a gun pulled on me when I was homeless and experiencing psychosis plus mania. Like I keep saying, being locked in a psych ward however inconvenient is better than a pine box (or a concrete and steel box).

 

[masamune1]

Everyone here is entitled to their own opinion. I'm entitled to mine just like you and the poster I replied to are entitled to yours.

I understand and said that psych wards are not great places to be. I never said they were safe either. When I was in the state hospital there were fights almost every day and I was forced to defend myself after I was scheduled to change halls. It wasn't a fight but the guy put his hands on me and I retaliated in kind by subduing him and waited for a tech to pull me away. No punches thrown.

I'm just saying there is a threshold of being so far into psychosis and/or mania that someone really is a threat to themselves or someone else and the best alternative between jail and a psych ward is the psych ward. When I was first deep into psychosis and mania where I had zero insight and did not know what was happening to me, I got cornered into a choice of psych ward, prison, or suicide. Honestly, I chose suicide, survived it somehow, and ended up in a psych ward voluntarily a year later. Better than death of prison.

Yes, we can ALL agree that Invega is poison and no one should ever be made to take it. I know psych wards can be traumatizing, believe me. But trauma in a secure environment is honestly safer than trauma on the streets like when I had a gun pulled on me when I was homeless and experiencing psychosis plus mania. Like I keep saying, being locked in a psych ward however inconvenient is better than a pine box (or a concrete and steel box).

I don’t think so. You’ve already mentioned you’ve never received the Invega injection so you have little idea of our suffering.

Last time in the psych ward I was miserable. They chose to inject me from day 1 and I was going to faint every time the effects of the injection kicked in. I was miserable and they were not supposed to that. Then they went with Invega and I immediately experienced akathisia. I couldn’t even focus during my therapy sessions there. It was very cruel. It’s just best for me to stay far away from places like that.

Also, patient vs patient problems are rare. You mostly have issues with authority which can be abusive. Based on my behavior after being committed, injections didn’t make any sense. I did nothing. It was foolish of them to make the decision to go with LAIs.

So I’m done with psychiatry in general. Unless family wants to be evil with me and call cops on me.

 

[Kaatrina]

You shouldn't tell really anybody that you have a 'mental disorder', they will use it against you, and you can't show any kind of weakness, it's better to just act 'normal', or even better to act like you've got things going for yourself and going on in your life. Fake it till you make it, I'm probably gonna start doing some of that stuff more often. I sometimes ended up talking to myself at work ha..people probably thought it was weird as fuck. I met another Russian dude there around my age actually, we hang out at lunch sometimes. It's probably better to put a fake smile on too, in this country people have to have that stupid fake smile. And the professional women all talk in this weird and stupid HR 'human resources' type of voice..I don't go there to talk to people, I go there to do the work and get the money and go home, thats it, other than that I'm getting the hang of the work and putting together the machines quite a bit faster now. This job could really be my ticket out of here. I got to push through it and get that mof**** money..forget all those other people.

It's really difficult who you let know - I made a lot of new friends in the two years before my last psychosis , one of them I even started a homeschooling organization with where we team taught & she set me up with a job at the private school where she worked. I only told my closest friend about my mental past before my last break & she's the only one who forgave me and understood. Everyone else didn't want anything to do with me anymore & were just wondering why I cut myself off so suddenly from them when I was breaking. How the hell do you tell your "normal" mom friends that you whack out & believe shit like their kids are possessing your kids' bodies once every two years? I choose to hide it too.

This is horrible advice.

It's one thing for a person to not tell their doc about something like depression but to withhold a symptom as serious as auditory or visual hallucinations is asking for crisis. A voluntary check in has more rights than an involuntary check in and attempting to persist through hallucinations is just asking for an involuntary check in. Involuntary is how people end up on Invega in the first place.

No one here is saying mental health facilities are great places to be. Believe me, I've seen the inside of my fair share, both voluntary and involuntary. But occasionally you gotta do what you gotta do to get better and voluntary is a much easier "pill to swallow" than the alternative.

They can change you from voluntary to involuntary whenever they please. I hate being in the hospital and even when I'm voluntary I'm a bitch to all the staff, so they treat me like shit. Is it REALLY the best for your h3alth to go to a place where all you're able to do is sit and chew crayons, everyone hates you, people are violent around you, you get no vitamin D or personal autonomy? Best to go into the woods. We need better holistic options. I preferred the ER I was at for 5 days this last time to the mental ward, where you have to pretend to be friends with people & stay occupied in order for people to think you're "well".

I don’t think so. You’ve already mentioned you’ve never received the Invega injection so you have little idea of our suffering.

Last time in the psych ward I was miserable. They chose to inject me from day 1 and I was going to faint every time the effects of the injection kicked in. I was miserable and they were not supposed to that. Then they went with Invega and I immediately experienced akathisia. I couldn’t even focus during my therapy sessions there. It was very cruel. It’s just best for me to stay far away from places like that.

Also, patient vs patient problems are rare. You mostly have issues with authority which can be abusive. Based on my behavior after being committed, injections didn’t make any sense. I did nothing. It was foolish of them to make the decision to go with LAIs.

So I’m done with psychiatry in general. Unless family wants to be evil with me and call cops on me.

It's a travesty that people act like therapy is possible while taking medication that completely suppresses your ability to feel, think and speak. How in the hell are you supposed to reach any form of personal transformation when in that numbed state?

 

[Jerry Atrick]

I don’t think so. You’ve already mentioned you’ve never received the Invega injection so you have little idea of our suffering.

Last time in the psych ward I was miserable. They chose to inject me from day 1 and I was going to faint every time the effects of the injection kicked in. I was miserable and they were not supposed to that. Then they went with Invega and I immediately experienced akathisia. I couldn’t even focus during my therapy sessions there. It was very cruel. It’s just best for me to stay far away from places like that.

Also, patient vs patient problems are rare. You mostly have issues with authority which can be abusive. Based on my behavior after being committed, injections didn’t make any sense. I did nothing. It was foolish of them to make the decision to go with LAIs.

So I’m done with psychiatry in general. Unless family wants to be evil with me and call cops on me.

Listen, I'm sorry you were forced to take Invega, I really am. I was injected with Risperidone against my will in a state hospital. It is well known as a little sister of Invega and I've experienced everything that is described in this thread up to and including taking nearly a year to recover from the injections. I'm not saying it's as bad as Invega but I feel the experience was close enough for me to understand what many of you guys are going through.

At this point I feel like I'm repeating myself but I never said being in a psych ward was a good experience. I don't know if you've ever been homeless and slept outside in the elements with no tent or sleeping bag, gotten caught up in participating with IV heroin users, watched your friend get bludgeoned in the head with a 2x4 by some cracked out maniac, or had a gun pulled on you. But I had all that occur within like a 4 month time span. Try that out and maybe you'll learn to appreciate a locked front door with central air, a bed with a mattress, 3 hot meals a day, and the luxury of being able to sit around and do jack shit without the fear of being shot or beat to death with a blunt weapon.

I'm not saying this is you but I feel like some folks are a little privileged and spoiled by the modern conveniences of their lives thus taking for granted what it's like when you don't have access to any of that. Yes psych ward staff can be abusive but did they ever beat you or anyone else bloody? Yes being placed in isolation is horrible but did a nurse ever threaten you with a fucking gun? Of course being medicated in general sucks but is it worse than not being able to eat for days at a time?

Like I said, I'm not saying you are privileged or spoiled, just trying to put things in perspective. The last time I was in the hospital, there were plenty of homeless people there with psychiatric problems but who were also happy as hell to have 3 hots and a cot with a roof over their head. Some folks need a little empathy and understanding for those who appreciate that there are indeed worse things in life than being in a psych ward. So please, don't talk to me about "suffering."

 

[masamune1]

Listen, I'm sorry you were forced to take Invega, I really am. I was injected with Risperidone against my will in a state hospital. It is well known as a little sister of Invega and I've experienced everything that is described in this thread up to and including taking nearly a year to recover from the injections. I'm not saying it's as bad as Invega but I feel the experience was close enough for me to understand what many of you guys are going through.

At this point I feel like I'm repeating myself but I never said being in a psych ward was a good experience. I don't know if you've ever been homeless and slept outside in the elements with no tent or sleeping bag, gotten caught up in participating with IV heroin users, watched your friend get bludgeoned in the head with a 2x4 by some cracked out maniac, or had a gun pulled on you. But I had all that occur within like a 4 month time span. Try that out and maybe you'll learn to appreciate a locked front door with central air, a bed with a mattress, 3 hot meals a day, and the luxury of being able to sit around and do jack shit without the fear of being shot or beat to death with a blunt weapon.

I'm not saying this is you but I feel like some folks are a little privileged and spoiled by the modern conveniences of their lives thus taking for granted what it's like when you don't have access to any of that. Yes psych ward staff can be abusive but did they ever beat you or anyone else bloody? Yes being placed in isolation is horrible but did a nurse ever threaten you with a fucking gun? Of course being medicated in general sucks but is it worse than not being able to eat for days at a time?

Like I said, I'm not saying you are privileged or spoiled, just trying to put things in perspective. The last time I was in the hospital, there were plenty of homeless people there with psychiatric problems but who were also happy as hell to have 3 hots and a cot with a roof over their head. Some folks need a little empathy and understanding for those who appreciate that there are indeed worse things in life than being in a psych ward. So please, don't talk to me about "suffering."

Although I am more “privileged” than a homeless person, I would rather be homeless than be on Invega. I don’t know why you’re getting so competitive in terms of who has had it worse. I know being homeless is awful, but when your main abilities are taken away and you are almost bedridden, that’s quite awful too. Lot of people go on disability after just 1 shot. It’s a nightmare drug. Also, psych wards should be places of last resort. If you’re homeless, you should look for homeless shelters, not a ward which can put you on dangerous drugs against your will and potentially make your life 10 times worse after discharge.

 

[Kaatrina]

Listen, I'm sorry you were forced to take Invega, I really am. I was injected with Risperidone against my will in a state hospital. It is well known as a little sister of Invega and I've experienced everything that is described in this thread up to and including taking nearly a year to recover from the injections. I'm not saying it's as bad as Invega but I feel the experience was close enough for me to understand what many of you guys are going through.

At this point I feel like I'm repeating myself but I never said being in a psych ward was a good experience. I don't know if you've ever been homeless and slept outside in the elements with no tent or sleeping bag, gotten caught up in participating with IV heroin users, watched your friend get bludgeoned in the head with a 2x4 by some cracked out maniac, or had a gun pulled on you. But I had all that occur within like a 4 month time span. Try that out and maybe you'll learn to appreciate a locked front door with central air, a bed with a mattress, 3 hot meals a day, and the luxury of being able to sit around and do jack shit without the fear of being shot or beat to death with a blunt weapon.

I'm not saying this is you but I feel like some folks are a little privileged and spoiled by the modern conveniences of their lives thus taking for granted what it's like when you don't have access to any of that. Yes psych ward staff can be abusive but did they ever beat you or anyone else bloody? Yes being placed in isolation is horrible but did a nurse ever threaten you with a fucking gun? Of course being medicated in general sucks but is it worse than not being able to eat for days at a time?

Like I said, I'm not saying you are privileged or spoiled, just trying to put things in perspective. The last time I was in the hospital, there were plenty of homeless people there with psychiatric problems but who were also happy as hell to have 3 hots and a cot with a roof over their head. Some folks need a little empathy and understanding for those who appreciate that there are indeed worse things in life than being in a psych ward. So please, don't talk to me about "suffering."

Psychosis doesn't necessarily mean homeless.
Psychosis doesn't mean you use heroin.
Have you ever not eaten for days at a time because you're going through a mental hell that transcends physical need?
It's you that lack empathy in your aggressive application of homogeneity of experience and the concept of "suffering".
I'm not saying that isolation doesn't help some people, it has helped me, but it's disingenuous to say that a psych ward is nothing more than a locked shelter, and people's experiences vary too much to say that our current system helps all cases.

To say that we lack empathy when we ask for holistic alternatives to our current one-size-fits all pump-and dump system that's derailing the lives of thousands of people that may have otherwise ended up healthy and functional after their mental breaks is ironic.

 

[masamune1]

Psychosis doesn't necessarily mean homeless.
Psychosis doesn't mean you use heroin.
Have you ever not eaten for days at a time because you're going through a mental hell that transcends physical need?
It's you that lack empathy in your aggressive application of homogeneity of experience and the concept of "suffering".
I'm not saying that isolation doesn't help some people, it has helped me, but it's disingenuous to say that a psych ward is nothing more than a locked shelter, and people's experiences vary too much to say that our current system helps all cases.

To say that we lack empathy when we ask for holistic alternatives to our current one-size-fits all pump-and dump system that's derailing the lives of thousands of people that may have otherwise ended up healthy and functional after their mental breaks is ironic.

It appears he is a mod here so he has to take a socially correct stance and shovel down his opinion that psych wards are not so bad. It’s thinking like his that will allow thousands more people to get injected with this specific poison. He hasn’t been devastated personally by psychiatry so he will use mental gymnastics and fallacies to defend them.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

Although I am more “privileged” than a homeless person, I would rather be homeless than be on Invega. I don’t know why you’re getting so competitive in terms of who has had it worse. I know being homeless is awful, but when your main abilities are taken away and you are almost bedridden, that’s quite awful too. Lot of people go on disability after just 1 shot. It’s a nightmare drug. Also, psych wards should be places of last resort. If you’re homeless, you should look for homeless shelters, not a ward which can put you on dangerous drugs against your will and potentially make your life 10 times worse after discharge.

I did not intend to make this a pissing contest and I'm truly sorry for that. I was simply trying to state my point of view as we all have the right to do in this forum and sometimes I can get wordy. I apologize if my comments came across as harsh. Sometimes my bluntness might be perceived as a superiority complex but I can guarantee you that I feel as inferior as anyone else with serious mental illness, which I have lived with for nearly 20 years.

Careful what you wish for, being homeless isn't like the movies. I would not wish homelessness on anyone and since you have not experienced it, your subjective opinions to dismiss the gravity of homelessness only seem like mental gymnastics on your part. I have been in a couple of homeless shelters and I promise they are way more dangerous than psych wards; like I said, not like the movies. I'm talking about fights all the time, people strung out and psychotic from using who knows what hard drugs, in fact just as many mentally ill people as a psych ward but without nurses or techs or really anyone to protect you from getting jumped or having your shit stolen. Oops, here I go seeming competitive again when I'm just trying to educate folks.

I have been forced on medications including Long Acting Injectables, more on that below.

It appears he is a mod here so he has to take a socially correct stance and shovel down his opinion that psych wards are not so bad. It’s thinking like his that will allow thousands more people to get injected with this specific poison. He hasn’t been devastated personally by psychiatry so he will use mental gymnastics and fallacies to defend them.

While I am a mod here, I assure you there is no "mod policy" where any of us are obligated to take a "socially correct stance" with regards to psychiatric therapies or "shovel" specific opinions down anyone's throat. We do work within the confines of promoting Harm Reduction and I do not feel I have deviated from that considering the original post I was replying to involved a person experiencing problems that could potentially be alleviated with a brief hospital stay or at least voluntary/short term medication treatment. Please read my above comment about stating my point of view.

I already said I was forced on Risperidone injections, experienced all the side effects that Invega victims have although possibly not to as great a degree, and that it took me around a year to recover. I did not share specific details beyond that because it should have been sufficient. Yes I was bedridden for months and lived in a fog, I had severe anhedonia and blunted emotions, my dick didn't work properly, etc etc etc. It was indeed personally devastating and I was on Disability for 6 years afterwards, unable to work.

Like I said at the top of this post, I'm sorry I came across as being competitive and I should not have stooped to that level. You have to admit though that it takes two to tango and we both were participating in being not only competitive but also defensive. So I can say with honesty that we should all (myself included) take a chill pill and simmer down because it isn't really helping anyone get better or to heal, which is part of what this thread is about.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

Psychosis doesn't necessarily mean homeless.
Psychosis doesn't mean you use heroin.

This is not what I said and I feel like I'm being misinterpreted here.

Have you ever not eaten for days at a time because you're going through a mental hell that transcends physical need?

Of course I have but not eating for days is only one small factor of many complex ways homelessness sucks.

It's you that lack empathy in your aggressive application of homogeneity of experience and the concept of "suffering".

Like I told masamune1, I apologize for seeming competitive however that falls on both of us not just me alone.

Also, perceived aggression doesn't mean lack of empathy.

My apparently unpopular method of communicating or overall online personality has nothing to do with my empathy for anyone who has been downtrodden by the system or life in general.

If anything I was merely trying to emphasize that I am empathetic to BOTH those who have been victims of the mental health system as well as those who have experienced homelessness because I have experienced BOTH types of suffering. And if there is a venn diagram with homelessness on one side and mental illness on the other, there would be significant overlap. I know this not only as someone who has experienced both but as someone who has since worked as a social worker assisting disabled people experiencing chronic homelessness obtain and maintain low income housing.

I'm not saying that isolation doesn't help some people, it has helped me,

Be careful lest you be accused of taking a "socially correct stance" and "shoving" your opinion down other peoples' throats.

but it's disingenuous to say that a psych ward is nothing more than a locked shelter,

If you read what I wrote, it wasn't simply my opinion but the opinion of the half dozen or so individuals experiencing homelessness that I encountered in the psych ward during my most recent admission a year ago.

and people's experiences vary too much to say that our current system helps all cases.

I can agree with this. For the specific post I was originally replying to that started this whole mess, I feel the system could have possibly helped that person if they were able to be treated at least in a short term fashion.

To say that we lack empathy when we ask for holistic alternatives to our current one-size-fits all pump-and dump system that's derailing the lives of thousands of people that may have otherwise ended up healthy and functional after their mental breaks is ironic.

Please read my detailed reply I just wrote to masamune1 because it explains a lot of what you are addressing here.

 

[Kaatrina]

Like I told masamune1, I apologize for seeming competitive however that falls on both of us not just me alone.

All we talked about was our negative experiences in hospital and our wish for holistic solutions.

If anything I was merely trying to emphasize that I am empathetic to BOTH those who have been victims of the mental health system as well as those who have experienced homelessness because I have experienced BOTH types of suffering. And if there is a venn diagram with homelessness on one side and mental illness on the other, there would be significant overlap. I know this not only as someone who has experienced both but as someone who has since worked as a social worker assisting disabled people experiencing chronic homelessness obtain and maintain low income housing.

I think more people need to think about how what we call mental illness would be an incomparably larger bubble than any other issue - almost everyone experiences some degree of mental imbalance in some way, and just because it's so far on the scale as to have become debilitating doesn't mean that "mental illness" doesn't also exist among multitudes of "normal" individuals. We also need to he able to delineate between self-perpetuating drug-induced mania and these naturally occurring emotional imbalances which people can recover from

Be careful lest you be accused of taking a "socially correct stance" and "shoving" your opinion down other peoples' throats.

Are mods supposed to be this combative?

If you read what I wrote, it wasn't simply my opinion but the opinion of the half dozen or so individuals experiencing homelessness that I encountered in the psych ward during my most recent admission a year ago.

The ward is more than a shelter where people can escape homelessness. It's a place you can't leave until you choke down your providers pill of choice. This is a very important distinction

I can agree with this. For the specific post I was originally replying to that started this whole mess, I feel the system could have possibly helped that person if they were able to be treated at least in a short term fashion.

How so? Some of us were sharing our negative view of our current system and you said we completely lacked empathy because people on the streets need to use the hospital to escape. I don't think that forms a healthy cycle - I mean, obviously the system we have now is only proliferating out problem as far as thise living on the streets. If you have an opinion that's fine just don't call us heartless monsters for having ours

 

[Jerry Atrick]

All we talked about was our negative experiences in hospital and our wish for holistic solutions.

I never denied that and have also expressed many of my own negative experiences from the hospitals.

I think more people need to think about how what we call mental illness would be an incomparably larger bubble than any other issue - almost everyone experiences some degree of mental imbalance in some way, and just because it's so far on the scale as to have become debilitating doesn't mean that "mental illness" doesn't also exist among multitudes of "normal" individuals. We also need to he able to delineate between self-perpetuating drug-induced mania and these naturally occurring emotional imbalances which people can recover from

You're right. At least in the context of my social work job, of the 20 clients on my caseload, 100% had to be chronically homeless as well as 100% were required to have a diagnosed disability (that they could prove with medical documentation) in order to be eligible for the government funded program. Of the 20 clients, probably 17 or 18 of them (~90%) were mental disabilities while only a couple had physical disabilities. And even the ones with physical disabilities often had mental illness but the physical ailment was what their official disability was, at least in the eyes of the grant that funded their housing.

The ward is more than a shelter where people can escape homelessness. It's a place you can't leave until you choke down your providers pill of choice. This is a very important distinction

Of course that distinction is important and correct, from the point of view of the mental health system itself. But you have to put yourself in the shoes of the unsheltered individuals who haven't had a hot meal, a bed, or roof for weeks, months, or possibly even years. For them, who of course also had mental illness, the psych ward was exactly that: a place to escape homelessness in spite of the pills. As I previously stated, these aren't my words but theirs. In fact, many of them welcomed the pills due to ___________ (fill in the blank) psychiatric symptoms they were having at the time of admission.

You just need to keep your mind open enough to understand that not everyone in those places are forced on Invega or other injections, not everyone is transitioned from voluntary to involuntary at the drop of a hat, not everyone has a horrible experience in those places.... at least not as horrible as you, I, and others have had. That's all I have been trying to say all along.

How so? Some of us were sharing our negative view of our current system and you said we completely lacked empathy because people on the streets need to use the hospital to escape. I don't think that forms a healthy cycle - I mean, obviously the system we have now is only proliferating out problem as far as thise living on the streets. If you have an opinion that's fine just don't call us heartless monsters for having ours

I honestly had to go back and reread my own words to be sure that I did not ever say "you all completely lacked empathy" and certainly never called anyone a "heartless monster" so please stop putting words in my mouth. I guess you are talking about this:

Some folks need a little empathy and understanding for those who appreciate that there are indeed worse things in life than being in a psych ward.

A couple of important distinctions are that "some folks" =/= "you all" and "a little empathy and understanding" =/= "completely lacking empathy." Like I said in a previous post, I feel like I am being misinterpreted.

Some of y'all are so caught up on the fact that I've been saying all along that since some psych ward experiences aren't as bad as yours or mine that I automatically think all psych wards are unicorns and rainbows and no one is ever hurt in those places. That could not be further from the truth and is NOT what I have been saying at all.

****

These posts are getting too far off topic and away from helping people cope with and recover from Invega. If you or anyone else wish to continue this conversation, then I recommend starting a new thread and I will happily explain myself further if needed.

 

[Kaatrina]

I never denied that and have also expressed many of my own negative experiences from the hospitals.

You're right. At least in the context of my social work job, of the 20 clients on my caseload, 100% had to be chronically homeless as well as 100% were required to have a diagnosed disability (that they could prove with medical documentation) in order to be eligible for the government funded program. Of the 20 clients, probably 17 or 18 of them (~90%) were mental disabilities while only a couple had physical disabilities. And even the ones with physical disabilities often had mental illness but the physical ailment was what their official disability was, at least in the eyes of the grant that funded their housing.

Of course that distinction is important and correct, from the point of view of the mental health system itself. But you have to put yourself in the shoes of the unsheltered individuals who haven't had a hot meal, a bed, or roof for weeks, months, or possibly even years. For them, who of course also had mental illness, the psych ward was exactly that: a place to escape homelessness in spite of the pills. As I previously stated, these aren't my words but theirs. In fact, many of them welcomed the pills due to ___________ (fill in the blank) psychiatric symptoms they were having at the time of admission.

You just need to keep your mind open enough to understand that not everyone in those places are forced on Invega or other injections, not everyone is transitioned from voluntary to involuntary at the drop of a hat, not everyone has a horrible experience in those places.... at least not as horrible as you, I, and others have had. That's all I have been trying to say all along.

I honestly had to go back and reread my own words to be sure that I did not ever say "you all completely lacked empathy" and certainly never called anyone a "heartless monster" so please stop putting words in my mouth. I guess you are talking about this:

A couple of important distinctions are that "some folks" =/= "you all" and "a little empathy and understanding" =/= "completely lacking empathy." Like I said in a previous post, I feel like I am being misinterpreted.

Some of y'all are so caught up on the fact that I've been saying all along that since some psych ward experiences aren't as bad as yours or mine that I automatically think all psych wards are unicorns and rainbows and no one is ever hurt in those places. That could not be further from the truth and is NOT what I have been saying at all.

****

These posts are getting too far off topic and away from helping people cope with and recover from Invega. If you or anyone else wish to continue this conversation, then I recommend starting a new thread and I will happily explain myself further if needed.

You were obviously referring to masamune & I without calling us by name. Just because we found the psych ward treatment negative doesn't mean we think everyone does, obviously. I even reference the white chick's with damaged girl complexes that love their time at the hospital "taking care of themselves" . We are here to give our experiences with invega & solutions for the future because these pill mills with beds ARE fucking *some* (or many) people up. You're the one with a chip on your shoulder ranting about how the homeless need help so if you don't want a discussion on that here I suggest you keep it to yourself next time

 

[Jerry Atrick]

You were obviously referring to masamune & I without calling us by name. Just because we found the psych ward treatment negative doesn't mean we think everyone does, obviously. I even reference the white chick's with damaged girl complexes that love their time at the hospital "taking care of themselves" . We are here to give our experiences with invega & solutions for the future because these pill mills with beds ARE fucking *some* (or many) people up. You're the one with a chip on your shoulder ranting about how the homeless need help so if you don't want a discussion on that here I suggest you keep it to yourself next time

I said somewhere further up that I did not intend for this to be a pissing contest. I in no way meant to invalidate your and others' negative experiences in psych hospitals and even shared some of my own stories.

I honestly don't know what you want from me. It seems your "chip on your shoulder" statement is kind of projecting because you and I both keep going back and forth with the same intensity. So in that regards, we both have chips on our shoulders; at least I admit this and own it.

 

[Kaatrina]

I said somewhere further up that I did not intend for this to be a pissing contest. I in no way meant to invalidate your and others' negative experiences in psych hospitals and even shared some of my own stories.

I honestly don't know what you want from me. It seems your "chip on your shoulder" statement is kind of projecting because you and I both keep going back and forth with the same intensity. So in that regards, we both have chips on our shoulders; at least I admit this and own it.

I'm not telling anyone else that they're not empathetic enough but go ahead call put members & then move their responses my chip is about invega & the messed up response wards give to mental imbalance. Keep your OT sentiments inside buddy

 

[paranoid android]

As someone who was in a psych ward for 6 months 3 months voluntarily and 2 months involuntary and withdrawn from 150mg's of morphine and 6mg's of clonazepam cold turkey and injected with invega and abilify i thought id chime in Would i ever recommend anyone set foot in a psych ward if there was simply any other way? Fuck no i wouldnt put my worst enemy through that. But if the other options are jail or death id take the psych ward. in the psych ward you do have rights unlike in jail atleast in Canada. They can only throw you in solitary for a day well i was in there for 2 but i punched another security guard out as soon as i got out verses 13 days or more in prison. You also get outside food, the internet and thank fuck also women in the psych ward. Also i never saw any violence except violence i caused while in there. You also won't get any guards beating on you with batons in there. My stay wouldnt even have been so bad had they just given me my meds but that was the fault of the quack shrink i had.

The actual people in the psych ward i was in where all nice enough and i had a few good friends in there like the guy from Rwanda that was there. The nurses are all cunts except for some of the older ones who don't give a fuck We also had lotsa weed and i had more weed then i could smoke most times. Fucking solitary confinment should be goddamn banned in those places though because it is punishment not treatment. Another problem is the shrinks themselves in those places are way to conservative and judgmental. They all to often blame the patient like they did with me when they came up with the bullshit diagnoses of weed psychosis. There was also an article here in the local paper about how someone with suicidal idealation was admitted involuntarily and thrown in a room all night by herself with no access to a doctor which is fucked.

However considering i was totally psychotic and had a fully loaded 12 guage pump shotgun and also a fully loaded lee enfield at the ready things could have turned out worse. I could have ended up in jail where you get no help at all or been shot by a cop or killed myself. Kinda hard to get out of jail or the grave. As they say it's not the fall that counts but rather the landing and i could have landed a fuck of alot worse

So would i recommend anyone go there? Fuck no but sometimes there is no other option in our current system. Sadly i am still dealing with ptsd from that shit

 

[Jerry Atrick]

As someone who was in a psych ward for 6 months 3 months voluntarily and 2 months involuntary and withdrawn from 150mg's of morphine and 6mg's of clonazepam cold turkey and injected with invega and abilify i thought id chime in Would i ever recommend anyone set foot in a psych ward if there was simply any other way? Fuck no i wouldnt put my worst enemy through that. But if the other options are jail or death id take the psych ward. in the psych ward you do have rights unlike in jail atleast in Canada. They can only throw you in solitary for a day well i was in there for 2 but i punched another security guard out as soon as i got out verses 13 days or more in prison. You also get outside food, the internet and thank fuck also women in the psych ward. Also i never saw any violence except violence i caused while in there. You also won't get any guards beating on you with batons in there. My stay wouldnt even have been so bad had they just given me my meds but that was the fault of the quack shrink i had.

The actual people in the psych ward i was in where all nice enough and i had a few good friends in there like the guy from Rwanda that was there. The nurses are all cunts except for some of the older ones who don't give a fuck We also had lotsa weed and i had more weed then i could smoke most times. Fucking solitary confinment should be goddamn banned in those places though because it is punishment not treatment. Another problem is the shrinks themselves in those places are way to conservative and judgmental. They all to often blame the patient like they did with me when they came up with the bullshit diagnoses of weed psychosis. There was also an article here in the local paper about how someone with suicidal idealation was admitted involuntarily and thrown in a room all night by herself with no access to a doctor which is fucked.

However considering i was totally psychotic and had a fully loaded 12 guage pump shotgun and also a fully loaded lee enfield at the ready things could have turned out worse. I could have ended up in jail where you get no help at all or been shot by a cop or killed myself. Kinda hard to get out of jail or the grave. As they say it's not the fall that counts but rather the landing and i could have landed a fuck of alot worse

So would i recommend anyone go there? Fuck no but sometimes there is no other option in our current system. Sadly i am still dealing with ptsd from that shit

Thanks for sharing. I remember reading parts of your story before. It still blows my mind that y'all were allowed to smoke weed in there. When I was in the state hospital, they didn't even allow cigarettes or any tobacco products other than patches that they provided. One time someone somehow got some cigs in my room. We had like 8 beds per bedroom and they passed a single cigarette around. I decided to take a drag to fit in and so they wouldn't think I was a bitch. Well by the time the cig made it to me the filter was soaked with spit and I almost puked. lol

Yeah, most of the techs were big dudes so no one really fucked with them. But the common area was a huge room with a couple of TVs, a ping pong table, and mostly worn out chairs. It was unofficially segregated like a prison where people of the same race tended to flock together, mainly 3 groups. All the black people hung out in one area, all the whites in another, and all the hispanic folks in another area. Most of the fights occurred between the blacks and whites. For some reason, nobody messed with the latinos, who were mostly from South America and not Mexico. Since I speak spanish, I felt more comfortable and safe around the hispanic guys, so hung out with them most of the time.

I've been thrown into solitary in a private hospital for a stupid reason but never in the state hospital. There was one guy at the state hospital who would walk up and start punching random dudes for no reason. They would throw him in solitary but only for like 30 minutes then he'd be out again. The techs at the state hospital couldn't really stop fights from happening but if a big one broke out, they would call a code on the intercom and techs from other halls would run over and help break it up. Myself being in a psychotic state but not violent, the experience was scary as hell.

I spent 2 and a half months in the short term male only ward only a couple of weeks in the long term co-ed ward. For some strange reason, with women around, fights never happened in the co-ed ward. I don't know why but the presence of females seemed to have a calming effect I guess because there wasn't as much testosterone running rampant everywhere. But the Risperidone shots really fucked me up, which may be another reason why by the time I got to the co-ed ward things were calmer. Maybe everyone was doped up on shots and didn't have the energy to fight. IDK

 

[paranoid android]

Thanks for sharing. I remember reading parts of your story before. It still blows my mind that y'all were allowed to smoke weed in there. When I was in the state hospital, they didn't even allow cigarettes or any tobacco products other than patches that they provided. One time someone somehow got some cigs in my room. We had like 8 beds per bedroom and they passed a single cigarette around. I decided to take a drag to fit in and so they wouldn't think I was a bitch. Well by the time the cig made it to me the filter was soaked with spit and I almost puked. lol

Yeah, most of the techs were big dudes so no one really fucked with them. But the common area was a huge room with a couple of TVs, a ping pong table, and mostly worn out chairs. It was unofficially segregated like a prison where people of the same race tended to flock together, mainly 3 groups. All the black people hung out in one area, all the whites in another, and all the hispanic folks in another area. Most of the fights occurred between the blacks and whites. For some reason, nobody messed with the latinos, who were mostly from South America and not Mexico. Since I speak spanish, I felt more comfortable and safe around the hispanic guys, so hung out with them most of the time.

I've been thrown into solitary in a private hospital for a stupid reason but never in the state hospital. There was one guy at the state hospital who would walk up and start punching random dudes for no reason. They would throw him in solitary but only for like 30 minutes then he'd be out again. The techs at the state hospital couldn't really stop fights from happening but if a big one broke out, they would call a code on the intercom and techs from other halls would run over and help break it up. Myself being in a psychotic state but not violent, the experience was scary as hell.

I spent 2 and a half months in the short term male only ward only a couple of weeks in the long term co-ed ward. For some strange reason, with women around, fights never happened in the co-ed ward. I don't know why but the presence of females seemed to have a calming effect I guess because there wasn't as much testosterone running rampant everywhere. But the Risperidone shots really fucked me up, which may be another reason why by the time I got to the co-ed ward things were calmer. Maybe everyone was doped up on shots and didn't have the energy to fight. IDK

Well we wherent allowed to smoke weed we did anyway though. Just like we wherent allowed cigs but what are they gonna do really? Fuck all is what. I was one of the only people in there that knew how to roll a joint so i always had weed. I wasent going to let them treat me like a criminal fuck that.

The security guards at the ward i was on where fucking pussies. It would take 4 of them to get me into solitary. They didnt even step in and stop a fight between me and another patient ffs my brother had to break that up. I even pissed on a guard after i was thrown in solitary lol. Fuck them right off. Thankfully the only trouble i had with any patients there was with this big fat pervert who was in for shaking his dick at a prostitute. He stole a few cigs from me one time but i didnt beat on him because by then i was not psychotic so he was definitely not worth getting a charge over. Other then that everyone pretty much got along.