Just in case people actually read these blogs, I am going to write about my recent hospitalization.

I had never been in a psychiatric hospital before nor has anyone that I know ever told me what it was like. I landed there through a terrifying psychotic episode so I may have been happier to be there than most people. I had called 911 and the police took me to the emergency room. There the psychiatrist on duty asked me if I would be willing to check myself into a facility to “stabilize my condition”. I had no idea what my condition actually was but I knew it was psychological so it seemed like a good idea. Since my only knowledge of such a place was from watching the movie “One flew over the cuckoo’s nest”, I was afraid that once I checked in, I might never get back out again, so I called a good friend and asked her what I should do. She said that I should go, but not until the emergency room psychiatrist told her which hospital they were thinking of sending me to. This friend began advocating for me immediately over the phone and they got me into the best hospital in my state. I was moved to the psychiatric hospital early the next morning.

I know that this will sound odd, but it really was a very good experience from start to finish. I was a little disoriented at first, not understanding why my cell phone and shoe laces were whisked away so fast, but everything was done in a caring and reassuring way and I was treated with the utmost respect the entire time that I was there (6 days).

I’ve lost track of how many psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers that I saw while there, but it was an intensive team effort and again, I want to emphasize that I was treated like a very valuable human being while in their care. I was educated very quickly about my disorder and all of the meds that I had been put on because of it. They also took over and changed the dosages of my non-psychiatric meds because the new meds were going to interact with them.

There was structure throughout the day but I never felt that I had to do anything against my will…..although the meds were probably not optional, but in my condition, I wasn’t about to refuse anything that might bring me down off of the ceiling. I was terrified when I arrived there.

I just wanted to mention this in case people have read negative things about hospitalization. The internet is more likely a place for the dissatisfied to vent so maybe people don’t get to hear how good it can be.

I know that not every experience is this good, but we have to have hope that we are putting ourselves into the right hands when a crisis strikes.

I hope that this post will offer hope to someone else who is alone and afraid as I was.