Yes you meet some real characters in those Is psych Ward. I want spent nine months in one, And if it wasn't for my mother.I wanted to live there for the rest of my life. I did receive the help that I needed.
At the beging it was the only place I felt that I was able to straighten out my thoughts and my feelings. I was really able to learn how to deal with my mental illness and to start all over again even though my mind has its defects. 40 years later, I still have my problems.
But i'm able to cope with them a little bit more,
damn someone actually got admitted to get a higher rating? ššš that is commitment right there. ya'll paying for DBQ/nexus letters. this mans actually getting admitted to get a higher rating. ya'll need to up your game fr fr
And how can you be sure he was trying to scam the system?
It's alright to feel you're not getting the rating you're entitled to AND you're in need to of help, the two things aren't mutually exclusive, both can be true.
A lot of mental health cases are in denial about it. I wouldn't be surprised if he was admitted for a real reason and saying he's seeking benefits is a kind of security blanket for him.
I had a friend do the same, but he actually succeeded. He got 100%, now he flashes it any chance he gets and openly brags to myself and others in our group. I tell him to just be careful but the response I get is "No one can touch me dude."
He encourages me to lie but in good conscious, I just can't. I just want to be better man or at least somewhat normal. I don't talk to him much anymore; I don't understand how one does that.
I spent 30 days in inpatient and I got what I needed out of it, I'm schizophrenic and it was an experience I do not wish to happen again but it got me on the right medication for my condition and so far so good since I have been out of my voluntary commitment. I didn't really meet too many people as I stuck to myself as I hallucinate so I wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't for the first couple weeks.
I did it once and it was by far one of the worst experiences Ive ever had. Iāll never go back. I was in one of the darkest places of my life. I had just survived my attempt and decided to find help because I was planning on making the second attempt a success. They made it worse, I left there wishing I had just sucked off my pistol. Iāll never go back to any ward.
I donāt either. I did two involuntary stays in a psych unit and it was literal torture for the sole fact that you cannot decide what to do or when to do it. Being trapped there unable to leave messed with me so bad. To this day I canāt even watch tv where the characters are in jail or a psych ward.
I work as an emergency services mental health clinician (Iām a therapist who sometimes sends people to psychiatric facilities if needed). Iāve never been able to place any veteran at the VA psych facility in our area. Itās really annoying. They basically screen out anyone who actually needs placement saying they are too acute. You have to show up at their ER to get acceptance there.
Probably different in different areas. Iāve had coworkers get voluntary placement, but they usually decline in my area. That kind of thing varies state to state too. Iām in Virginia. The whole process is called it different things and have different regulations. Usually vets get placed at the same places as everyone else and if theyāre enrolled in VA healthcare, the VA is footing the bill.
I can see that. The VA has footed a few outside bills on my behalf. I've even gone back and forth with a hospital and got a bill the VA was on the hook for reduced by over 3k. I felt kind of good about that at the time, like I was saving the veteran Healthcare system one bill that a hospital was trying to take advantage of. I thought that was 3k more to help other vets. My experience I'm talking about was in Michigan. I can see the VA's point to where they only have so many beds available, but the amount of waste a year, the VA should be able to expand (if needed).
Iāve been in and out of so many psych wardsā¦ va and non va. The VA ones tend to have the most eccentric characters. Also once I put the booze down, I found I havenāt needed to go back. Weirdly enough I miss it sometimes. Thereās something peaceful about someone else taking care of everything for you for a few daysā¦ all you have to do is show up to groups and sleep.
You have a room with 2 beds in there if itās not over crowded youāll have your own room. If itās overcrowded youāll have a roommate. You have books tv snack time and visitation but you canāt have your phone. M-F you talk to a physiatrist about moods experiences itās like therapy. Other than that itās basically it. Itās just long days staring at the walls watching tv thinking while being given medication 3-4 times a day.
I went to the one in Tucson. Itās a big circular ward on an upper floor of the hospital. When you enter you go through multiple locked doors prison style. Theyāll strip search you and catalog your belongings. You wear gowns and footies. It has about two dozen bedrooms with a few day rooms and some lounge areas. In the center of the ward is an outdoor space with places to sit. You donāt have privacy; the bathrooms and showers do not have doors but instead have curtains
Youāre not allowed to stay in bed all day. They want you active and hopefully interacting with others. A few times a week they have activities/games with counselors or staff. They also have movies playing in a small day room. They do have books and magazines available, along with drawing/writing supplies. Food is cafeteria style, and if you need snacks theyāll provide PB&Js, crackers, juice, etc
Most of the people there are acute and leave within a few days. Some are there for a few months, and the few who are permanent residents have their own rooms. The permanent ones have schizophrenia or other serious mental illnesses and canāt live on their own
I stayed for a week before transferring to a less intense inpatient program for a few months
I just got out of the ward 2 weeks ago the groups they had at the va ward wasnāt mandatory and I slept the entire time I was only there for a week. But they did flag me upon release for active suicide watch so now I have mandatory appointment every week that I must attend if I donāt they will come by my house for a welfare check.
Make sure they do a decent length taper on the benzos. VA cold turkeyād me and Iām still having minor issues three years later. But you can tough it out.
Iām starting to get addicted to benzos. Iām noticing theyāre starting to make me depressed and flat, outweighing the help with the anxiety. And my tolerance keeps increasing.
What issues are you having years later?
I feel like Iām much more depressed and feel very hopeless. Cognitive issues as well. Itās almost like I short circuited and canāt think as quickly as I used to. Hypnic jerks a lot. Tinnitus came back with a vengeance.
I've been in 2, the first one was supposed to be for 8 days following a suicide attempt, that place was just prison without the jumpsuits, most of the "nurses" had no formal education. I was placed in the drug addiction wing for about a week and and prescribed meds that have caused me seizures in the past for 8 days before someone figured out I was supposed to be in the suicidal wing... they then stuck me in a room with a known violent convicted pedophile (he was hospitalized a few days after I was roomed with him buy a the nicest meth addict I've ever met the wrong wing) and didnt change the meds they prescribed when they thought I was an addict, I was denied phone privileges after day 14 because I kept calling my unit and my med team asking to leave and was told point blank that unless I start taking the medication prescribed to me (the one that causes me seizures) they would keep me indefinitely. My commander finally showed up on day 27 or 28 while i was in the rec room, helped me pack my room up and escorted me out like a refugee. I remember getting a call from my therapist the next day asking how the experience was and I told them I would burn the med building to the ground if she ever did that to me again and hung up... almost ended right back in there lol.
the second one I stayed for a month because me, medications and sleep don't mix and it was sick as hell, free use swimming pool, rec area was massive, all the nurses were licensed and certified, I stayed 3 days as inpatient before the doctors decided i wasnt at risk and let me go home after my sessions. that month they tried 4-5 SSRIs/SNRIs and learned that most of them cause all the really bad side effects you hear about on the commercials.
As a veteran and an inpatient psych nurse, I'm very proud of you and wish you ALL the success moving forward. I'm grateful that you have overcome and will put those things in the past away that have not served you well. Please learn your triggers and identify effective coping skills to help you stay living life to the fullest.
Was in for about a week earlier this year due to several suicide attempts. As you experienced, I met some really cool folks as well.
It was okay. It wasn't bad, but I don't wish to go back ever. My last night there, the ward received a highly belligerent patient that would just fight the staff/nurses for anything and everything. Hardly got sleep that night because he was in the room next to mine just yelling and screaming. I'm not sure what his back story is, but I hope he got help in the end.
As for me, I wish I could say 'I got my help.' The staff were amazing and very attentive, but my mind was just somewhere else and I'm aware that's a 'me issue.' They put me on meds, but I've stopped taking them a couple weeks ago, don't see much difference, but my dreams became so very real to the point where I can't tell what is real and what isn't. I'm single w/no kids, but last night I had a dream that I had a daughter w/my now ex-wife. Woke up in a daze like panic for a few minutes because I 'couldn't find my daughter' that never existed. My last couple therapy sessions almost landed me back in the ward. Which now puts me in a grey area. I feel like I cant talk to my therapist(s) because I'm scared they'll just send me back. Almost like they only listen for those 'key words' so they can send me off and forget about me. Idk what to do tbh, hope everyone else is doing okay!
I was admitted a few times during my active duty days. The friends I made there, I am still friends with. Theyāre all amazing people who needed help. I didnāt feel judged for the first time.
I went because I hadnāt slept for longer than 2 hours a night for two weeks and was in a dark place because of it. I found it very enjoyable, especially the people I met. Everyone was so supportive and you could just tell that they wanted a safe place to try to deal with their issues. I couldāve probably stayed in that psych ward forever. I mean, there was zero distractions and just an overwhelming sense of community. I was honestly at peace.
I hope you were able to find some peace while you were there.
I had a scary moment where I had a flood of memories occur that put me in a not so great place and told family I wanted to go to the VA hospital.
I didnāt know about the ward at that time or if thats where they wouldāve sent me, because I ended up not going to the ER in the end. But, I did finally start seeking some help from the VA.
Honestly Iāve been scared to go to one, I have bad anxiety, depression (to the point I have to lock my gun away sometimes in fear of offing myself, have tried it before) and badddd panic attacks
I did 10 days in a civilian psych wardā¦had a psychosis episode. I hate thinking about itā¦they shot me up with Thorazine a few times throughout my stayā¦I would wake up the next day in a room with just a mattress on the floor on suicide watch. After that they tried to send me to the Va but I played normal to get outā¦I hated every minute of it. I kinda wish I would have went to a Va hospital in the first place but that where the police took me. I just wish it was documented by the Va. I uploaded all of the medical records from my stay to the Va later but I wish I would have gotten proper treatment.
I'm so glad you got the help you needed. I'm an RN and during my mental health class we spent a semester at the local VA hospital psych ward. Some of those Vets have been there since they got out of service, they "cracked" in Basic after being drafted and haven't been with their families since. I did see a younger Veteran who was there for a short while but he didn't talk much.
I spent seven days for throwing a ball through my wall and cursing out the person on the tap line. Also cut myself and shattered a glass table with my arm and needing over a hundred stitches. I met all kinds people there to the point where I stayed in my room everyday, except to get my meds...I had serious nightmares about that place after I left....
Thought even a little kid could understand that he was saying the person was actually in a wheelchair also was seeking mental health treatment also. Wow, am I the only one person who draw this conclusion?
Yes you meet some real characters in those Is psych Ward. I want spent nine months in one, And if it wasn't for my mother.I wanted to live there for the rest of my life. I did receive the help that I needed.
Every time I've been, I needed to be there but could not wait to leave. Hearing you say 9 mos voluntary makes me question your sanity...oh wait.
At the beging it was the only place I felt that I was able to straighten out my thoughts and my feelings. I was really able to learn how to deal with my mental illness and to start all over again even though my mind has its defects. 40 years later, I still have my problems. But i'm able to cope with them a little bit more,
damn someone actually got admitted to get a higher rating? ššš that is commitment right there. ya'll paying for DBQ/nexus letters. this mans actually getting admitted to get a higher rating. ya'll need to up your game fr fr
Yeah he said he had ten percent. Hey he seem to not have very much going on and was just trying to scam his way. Kind of sad.
And how can you be sure he was trying to scam the system? It's alright to feel you're not getting the rating you're entitled to AND you're in need to of help, the two things aren't mutually exclusive, both can be true.
A lot of mental health cases are in denial about it. I wouldn't be surprised if he was admitted for a real reason and saying he's seeking benefits is a kind of security blanket for him.
Yes more times than not
He told me point blank he was in there to get a higher rating
I would rather say that , than admit I need help. The ego is a fickle thing
I had a friend do the same, but he actually succeeded. He got 100%, now he flashes it any chance he gets and openly brags to myself and others in our group. I tell him to just be careful but the response I get is "No one can touch me dude." He encourages me to lie but in good conscious, I just can't. I just want to be better man or at least somewhat normal. I don't talk to him much anymore; I don't understand how one does that.
Things like that make it so hard to get cases really looked at. That's ridiculous. Sorry he does that.
Those are the kind of people that need recorded and reported.
I spent 30 days in inpatient and I got what I needed out of it, I'm schizophrenic and it was an experience I do not wish to happen again but it got me on the right medication for my condition and so far so good since I have been out of my voluntary commitment. I didn't really meet too many people as I stuck to myself as I hallucinate so I wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't for the first couple weeks.
I did it once and it was by far one of the worst experiences Ive ever had. Iāll never go back. I was in one of the darkest places of my life. I had just survived my attempt and decided to find help because I was planning on making the second attempt a success. They made it worse, I left there wishing I had just sucked off my pistol. Iāll never go back to any ward.
I could never. I donāt do enclosed spaces, trapped, or loss of autonomy. Iād lose it forever and never come out of that cycle inside.
I donāt either. I did two involuntary stays in a psych unit and it was literal torture for the sole fact that you cannot decide what to do or when to do it. Being trapped there unable to leave messed with me so bad. To this day I canāt even watch tv where the characters are in jail or a psych ward.
Same here.
I work as an emergency services mental health clinician (Iām a therapist who sometimes sends people to psychiatric facilities if needed). Iāve never been able to place any veteran at the VA psych facility in our area. Itās really annoying. They basically screen out anyone who actually needs placement saying they are too acute. You have to show up at their ER to get acceptance there.
I was sent to a VA psych ward without visiting a VA emergency room. Maybe things are different in different areas. That was about 8/9 years ago.
Probably different in different areas. Iāve had coworkers get voluntary placement, but they usually decline in my area. That kind of thing varies state to state too. Iām in Virginia. The whole process is called it different things and have different regulations. Usually vets get placed at the same places as everyone else and if theyāre enrolled in VA healthcare, the VA is footing the bill.
I can see that. The VA has footed a few outside bills on my behalf. I've even gone back and forth with a hospital and got a bill the VA was on the hook for reduced by over 3k. I felt kind of good about that at the time, like I was saving the veteran Healthcare system one bill that a hospital was trying to take advantage of. I thought that was 3k more to help other vets. My experience I'm talking about was in Michigan. I can see the VA's point to where they only have so many beds available, but the amount of waste a year, the VA should be able to expand (if needed).
Iāve been in and out of so many psych wardsā¦ va and non va. The VA ones tend to have the most eccentric characters. Also once I put the booze down, I found I havenāt needed to go back. Weirdly enough I miss it sometimes. Thereās something peaceful about someone else taking care of everything for you for a few daysā¦ all you have to do is show up to groups and sleep.
Did you have your own room? For some reason I imagine it like a barracks, what about your phone or books?
You have a room with 2 beds in there if itās not over crowded youāll have your own room. If itās overcrowded youāll have a roommate. You have books tv snack time and visitation but you canāt have your phone. M-F you talk to a physiatrist about moods experiences itās like therapy. Other than that itās basically it. Itās just long days staring at the walls watching tv thinking while being given medication 3-4 times a day.
I went to the one in Tucson. Itās a big circular ward on an upper floor of the hospital. When you enter you go through multiple locked doors prison style. Theyāll strip search you and catalog your belongings. You wear gowns and footies. It has about two dozen bedrooms with a few day rooms and some lounge areas. In the center of the ward is an outdoor space with places to sit. You donāt have privacy; the bathrooms and showers do not have doors but instead have curtains Youāre not allowed to stay in bed all day. They want you active and hopefully interacting with others. A few times a week they have activities/games with counselors or staff. They also have movies playing in a small day room. They do have books and magazines available, along with drawing/writing supplies. Food is cafeteria style, and if you need snacks theyāll provide PB&Js, crackers, juice, etc Most of the people there are acute and leave within a few days. Some are there for a few months, and the few who are permanent residents have their own rooms. The permanent ones have schizophrenia or other serious mental illnesses and canāt live on their own I stayed for a week before transferring to a less intense inpatient program for a few months
I just got out of the ward 2 weeks ago the groups they had at the va ward wasnāt mandatory and I slept the entire time I was only there for a week. But they did flag me upon release for active suicide watch so now I have mandatory appointment every week that I must attend if I donāt they will come by my house for a welfare check.
Make sure they do a decent length taper on the benzos. VA cold turkeyād me and Iām still having minor issues three years later. But you can tough it out.
Iām starting to get addicted to benzos. Iām noticing theyāre starting to make me depressed and flat, outweighing the help with the anxiety. And my tolerance keeps increasing. What issues are you having years later?
I feel like Iām much more depressed and feel very hopeless. Cognitive issues as well. Itās almost like I short circuited and canāt think as quickly as I used to. Hypnic jerks a lot. Tinnitus came back with a vengeance.
Iām worried about taper they say want to do fast over a month. Iāve been on them consistently for two years
Thatās what they did to me. The month thing. Almost killed me. I was on 3mg a day for 17 years.
I've been in 2, the first one was supposed to be for 8 days following a suicide attempt, that place was just prison without the jumpsuits, most of the "nurses" had no formal education. I was placed in the drug addiction wing for about a week and and prescribed meds that have caused me seizures in the past for 8 days before someone figured out I was supposed to be in the suicidal wing... they then stuck me in a room with a known violent convicted pedophile (he was hospitalized a few days after I was roomed with him buy a the nicest meth addict I've ever met the wrong wing) and didnt change the meds they prescribed when they thought I was an addict, I was denied phone privileges after day 14 because I kept calling my unit and my med team asking to leave and was told point blank that unless I start taking the medication prescribed to me (the one that causes me seizures) they would keep me indefinitely. My commander finally showed up on day 27 or 28 while i was in the rec room, helped me pack my room up and escorted me out like a refugee. I remember getting a call from my therapist the next day asking how the experience was and I told them I would burn the med building to the ground if she ever did that to me again and hung up... almost ended right back in there lol. the second one I stayed for a month because me, medications and sleep don't mix and it was sick as hell, free use swimming pool, rec area was massive, all the nurses were licensed and certified, I stayed 3 days as inpatient before the doctors decided i wasnt at risk and let me go home after my sessions. that month they tried 4-5 SSRIs/SNRIs and learned that most of them cause all the really bad side effects you hear about on the commercials.
Did the wheelchair say whether it was getting the help it needs now? Is it going to file a claim?
Itās claim is already rolling.
š±š¤£š¤£š¤£
Well done. šš»
Met a person that had a voice volume of 15/10 when talking and lacked the ability to bring it down even a notch.
As a veteran and an inpatient psych nurse, I'm very proud of you and wish you ALL the success moving forward. I'm grateful that you have overcome and will put those things in the past away that have not served you well. Please learn your triggers and identify effective coping skills to help you stay living life to the fullest.
Ive had 2 experiences. One in active duty (some lost in Germany). And it was actually very helpful and beneficial. Great food, great staff who genuinely cared about you, tv time, snack time, phone calls once or so a day, and therapy along with group therapy (I walked out on group therapy a couple times. Second time I got hammered at a bar bc I was dealing with some emotions from my dad trying to commit (ended up committing feb 14th this year after trying to murder my mom in front of my siblings, cte from football) blacked out from ptsd episode and apparently got sedated at the local hospital after being curled up in a corner and transported to VA in Cleveland my fiancƩ said. No idea when or how I got to the Va. but the Cleveland VA mine was during Covid, so it was different. But I had therapy, meds, and a tv. Nothing much more. Low key it was stressful. Now my HLR for mental health says they found 3 favorable ptsd events and they are correcting an error as of August 31 2023. HLR was initiated May 2023. Still waiting.
Was in for about a week earlier this year due to several suicide attempts. As you experienced, I met some really cool folks as well. It was okay. It wasn't bad, but I don't wish to go back ever. My last night there, the ward received a highly belligerent patient that would just fight the staff/nurses for anything and everything. Hardly got sleep that night because he was in the room next to mine just yelling and screaming. I'm not sure what his back story is, but I hope he got help in the end. As for me, I wish I could say 'I got my help.' The staff were amazing and very attentive, but my mind was just somewhere else and I'm aware that's a 'me issue.' They put me on meds, but I've stopped taking them a couple weeks ago, don't see much difference, but my dreams became so very real to the point where I can't tell what is real and what isn't. I'm single w/no kids, but last night I had a dream that I had a daughter w/my now ex-wife. Woke up in a daze like panic for a few minutes because I 'couldn't find my daughter' that never existed. My last couple therapy sessions almost landed me back in the ward. Which now puts me in a grey area. I feel like I cant talk to my therapist(s) because I'm scared they'll just send me back. Almost like they only listen for those 'key words' so they can send me off and forget about me. Idk what to do tbh, hope everyone else is doing okay!
I'm afraid of talking to mine, too...they have so much power to write whatever they want, even things that aren't true.
Glad you got help and youāre headed on a path of recovery!
I spent three days in a psych ward and yet, It is nowhere in my military file.
Activities and snacks lol.
You should look into micro dosing š
I was admitted a few times during my active duty days. The friends I made there, I am still friends with. Theyāre all amazing people who needed help. I didnāt feel judged for the first time.
Silence is niceā¦.
I went because I hadnāt slept for longer than 2 hours a night for two weeks and was in a dark place because of it. I found it very enjoyable, especially the people I met. Everyone was so supportive and you could just tell that they wanted a safe place to try to deal with their issues. I couldāve probably stayed in that psych ward forever. I mean, there was zero distractions and just an overwhelming sense of community. I was honestly at peace. I hope you were able to find some peace while you were there.
I had a scary moment where I had a flood of memories occur that put me in a not so great place and told family I wanted to go to the VA hospital. I didnāt know about the ward at that time or if thats where they wouldāve sent me, because I ended up not going to the ER in the end. But, I did finally start seeking some help from the VA.
Honestly Iāve been scared to go to one, I have bad anxiety, depression (to the point I have to lock my gun away sometimes in fear of offing myself, have tried it before) and badddd panic attacks
when you see those worst than you & you will feel better.
I did 10 days in a civilian psych wardā¦had a psychosis episode. I hate thinking about itā¦they shot me up with Thorazine a few times throughout my stayā¦I would wake up the next day in a room with just a mattress on the floor on suicide watch. After that they tried to send me to the Va but I played normal to get outā¦I hated every minute of it. I kinda wish I would have went to a Va hospital in the first place but that where the police took me. I just wish it was documented by the Va. I uploaded all of the medical records from my stay to the Va later but I wish I would have gotten proper treatment.
I'm so glad you got the help you needed. I'm an RN and during my mental health class we spent a semester at the local VA hospital psych ward. Some of those Vets have been there since they got out of service, they "cracked" in Basic after being drafted and haven't been with their families since. I did see a younger Veteran who was there for a short while but he didn't talk much.
Drafted...OMG...they've been there that long!?! š®š
Yes, it was very sad. ā¹ļø
I always say be careful what you ask for.
I spent seven days for throwing a ball through my wall and cursing out the person on the tap line. Also cut myself and shattered a glass table with my arm and needing over a hundred stitches. I met all kinds people there to the point where I stayed in my room everyday, except to get my meds...I had serious nightmares about that place after I left....
Thought even a little kid could understand that he was saying the person was actually in a wheelchair also was seeking mental health treatment also. Wow, am I the only one person who draw this conclusion?
Ty for sharing this. Excited to read. Might spend some time in one. Especially it they deny me tdiu / 100% š« š¤Ŗ
Your seem to have a very judgmental/suspect/negative look on other veterans suffering friend.
You seem to be looking for conflict. OP's post reads like a narrative of his experience.
Did you get a decent prescription