Mental Health How do you protect yourself from harm by Staff at a Mental Health Facility?

[beagleboy]

I had checked myself into a Mental Health Facility to detox from both alcohol and Xanax. I said that I was worried about my safety and the ER Dr. brought me up to the Psyche Ward.
While there, I was going through alc. withdrawals, which I have had before and they abated within a few days. I was given maybe 2mg of Ativan during that period. I had forgotten about the possibility of me going through Xanax withdrawals and as the third day arrived I started to go through Xanax withdrawals also. It drove me mad, and I did a few things that led to me getting hurt by the hands of staff and I then confronted them.

Some of my background:
When I was raised as a child, for whatever reason, my parents would covertly influence me to talk inside my head. At a 3rd grade Chorus Recital, I didn't sing, but spoke inside my head loudly at the crowd about the Devil and I think Movie stars Chuck Norris and/or Rambo. When I got off the stage, my Dad spanked me for giving this girl in front of me on the risers "Bunny Ears". For many years of my life I was talking audibly inside of my head, bragging about violence, sex and other stuff at people of all ages and sexes but I never got a response verbally or inside my head from another person about the shit I was saying. I was certain that what I was doing was real but didn't at the time understand what it truly was.
As I got older, probably around 5th grade my parents started to try to "drill morals/ethics" into me while I was almost awake in the morning. ( I know for sure that I had for the previous few years maybe not participated as much as I should in hallucinating with my family as we were in bed and going to sleep at night.) When I think about it today I wonder why my parents didn't see that I wasn't understanding that they were "drilling ethics" into me while I was slightly awake in the morning. I never displayed the character they had hoped for, instead I choose to promote and do crimes w/ and w/o other children.

What events happened at the Psych Ward In Clearwater Fl. that led to me receiving frightening dreams produced by a Staff member and which felt to me like a seizure:
-My third day I started to understand that I was also having Xanax withdrawals and that they were worse than the alcohol withdrawals that were starting to pass, so I signed a 24hr Request for court hearing paper to be able to leave.
-I was crazed and remember talking loudly inside my head while in a group at this Staff Member who had her own office. I know the feeling of Psyche ward staff setting you up to behave erratically so they can say that you have problems. I went to my bed and talked shit about her for the next hour or so
-Florida is going through changes including drug reform that happens with the Physicians and Pharmacy's and Patients.
-When I saw the nurse that night, she was holding a cup of meds awkwardly and looking for me to..IDK, play 3 card Monte or a slight of hand trick with her. I told her that I know my rights, and some of the meds I didn't want to take because they had made me sleepy all that day. She acted pretty bad.

That night I had very vivid horrible dreams and felt all these electrical shocks inside my head which hurt the next morning. The staff worked me over for what felt like ALL night long. The next morning I immediately went around ( before the night shift left, who are ALWAYS no personality slobs ) and asked who the sadistic fuck was that kept throwing somatics at my head while I was unconscious. This young blond, a 40 y.o. ex military women and this big nigre all fessed up to it. I calmed down, and made them admit that the Psyche Ward is no better than a Drug Den, told them that I live in the community, have been exiled from my Church for being in a relationship with a Psychiatrist and not made any gains in normal human ability. She did this "spin" move where I was in an alcove and she was outside in the hallway, and was supposed to be...idk, behind me for a viewpoint or something so I could be in an automaticity ( moving mental picture ).

I think the night staff at <could possibly be self incriminating> tried to give me a seizure while I was going through alc. and Xanax withdrawals because I was talking crazily inside my head at the women on staff that has her own office.

I know for sure that staff at psyche wards are abusive and manipulative towards the patients. What do you think I should have done? Is there a national hotline I should have called to report this abuse. Is there anyone here that has ever worked at a psyche ward and has in depth knowledge of how this process would go?

 

[Maya]

Hi Beagle boy, I feel sorry for what you have been through at the psyche ward. Is there a chance that you can speak to one of your closest friends and report what had happened? Perhaps a family member will be willing to listen to you?

 

[weekend addiction]

Psych wards have withdrawn me off Xanax (prescribed), alcohol, and various drugs without trying to prevent seizure or harm. I was kind of hoping for a seizure at one point because they made me stop 4mg Xanax a day for 2 days while they "approved" me taking Xanax. I'm sure the lawsuit from that kind of thing would be handsome but maybe not. I'm sorry you went through abuse but its all standard procedure really. Why do they think that forcing drug withdrawal and sudden medication changes on a bipolar person while they are going through an episode is a good idea? This happened many times.

I have been forcibly sedated before while sitting in my bed reading the Bible. I have had very mixed experiences with that branch of the medical field. The social workers and counselors were often nice and understanding but the doctors were total dicks half the time. Society doesn't do much to protect certain people. The poor, the incarcerated, the mentally unstable. Social Darwinism at its finest.

How do you protect yourself from harm by Staff at a Mental Health Facility? Most of the time you can't.

 

[ad lib]

This was a hospital? If so, you can report abuse to JCAHO

If it's not a "hospital", use this form. It's specific to reporting psychiatric complaints in FL. It's through the state's Department of Health.

 

[mrflowers00]

the best way to keep them from harming you is to stay cool calm and collected no matter the situation i know it sucks but thats just the way it is in a psych ward sometimes

 

[pasha]

I've gone through a somewhat similar experience with GHB withdrawal. It was simply devastating. I was in shock for days after, and the memories of the mistreatment lingered far longer.

I don't think there's anything that psychiatric patients can do. When you've checked in to a hospital as someone in delirium, having seizures, etc, your story is discarded immediately. You remain the psychotic mental patient, and the hospital staff remain the hard working doctors and nurses.

 

[beagleboy]

Wow, thx everyone for the helpful and insightful responses. I have had totally psychotic episodes while in psyche wards in a different State, but I always try to be personable with the staff and sometimes try to defuse tense situations ( like befriending other unruly patients or look after someone that cant defend themselves or needs someone to clue them in if they seem like they are getting the shaft for "political reasons". I believe in "passing it forward") so the ward can be a good atmosphere for other patients.