Life On A Psych Ward: Not Like The Movies

Ever wondered what life is like on a Psych Ward? 

Disclaimer: This is from my experience alone, I cannot speak for everyone's experience as everyone has had a different experience. I have tried to keep it trigger free. I do apologise if anything discussed is triggering.

Not Like the Movies make you believe:

This is a very personal subject for me since it's still quite fresh in my memory, despite it being quite a few years since the last time I stepped foot in a psychiatric ward. 

Just to put things straight, psychiatric wards are not like they are presented in movies from early 2000's/ the 90's. 

There are no straight jackets, there are no padded isolation rooms which is a blessing. I could never imagine being put in a padded room.

The ward I was on was quite warming and seemed like a welcoming environment where they would try to make the environment as normal as possible while giving patients clinical treatment. I remember not sleeping for the first night because I was terrified, not only because I was in hospital but because my thoughts were so intrusive that I wouldn't wish them upon the people I dislike most. 

The staff were very friendly and dressed in a casual but smart fashion, which made things a bit less over whelming. And they would always trying to get us involved in the education that they had on during the week days.

The Importance of Routine:

The routine on the ward was very regimented but it did help with making the days go by a bit faster. It would usually start with being woken up at 8am by whoever was on 15's. Most of the others wouldn't get up but I would go to the kitchen, with a staff member and make a brew and some toast. This would be my morning routine for the following 8 months of my hospital admission. Throughout the day we would have education similar to that of secondary schools. Education would usually be finished at 12pm for lunch and restarted at 1pm until 4pm when it was finished for the day. 5pm was usually time for tea or dinner depending on you language preference. Bed time or more like the time we had to be in our rooms was about 9-10pm on a week day and 10-11pm on a weekend.

Medication was always given at about 8am and 8pm. For me it was both morning and night.

Fun and games:

On the ward some of us would play card games. Usually I would play card games with one or two staff members, which was quite fun and allowed me to get to know the staff members a bit better.

Other times we would have art therapy which was great because we got to be a bit creative by painting or drawing. I did a few paintings and did a drawing with took me longer than my admission to finish.

There was one time where we had a local animal sanctuary bring in some animals for animal therapy like; a dog,  two giant rabbits and hamster and some other animals that I can't remember. As much as I loved the fluffy animals I was unable to attend because of my allergies. Even being outside the room that they were in would make me sneeze and make my eyes feel like they were rubbed with sandpaper.

Also, there were some occasions when we would go on trip out to the museum or the cinema.

The Not so Good Aspects:

The things I didn't like about being on a psych ward was the constant feeling of not being listened to, which was very apparent because all the staff brushed off my concerns and symptoms and tried to blame them on trivial things like anxiety or being over dramatic. It go to the point where I stopped taking my antidepressant which gave me terrible side effects, luckily the antidepressant I was on had a short half life and cleared out of my system within a day or two. I do not recommend doing that because it can be dangerous and withdrawal symptoms are awful. So please consult a doctor or psychiatrist before coming off medication.

Another down side to being on a psych ward is that if you are sectioned then your hospital admission can go from a short stay to a longer stay. Luckily my stay was only 8 months long because the community mental health team couldn't decide if I should be under children's mental health services or adults mental health services. I guess this is an issue with being 17 at the time. 

I found it very hard to adapt back into the community because I spent that long stuck in hospital.

My Overall Opinion and Experience:

I would say that my hospital admission was the best thing that could have happened and overall my experience was decent, despite some of the not so pleasant or good experiences.

Good Things About Psych Wards:

• It's a safe place to be if you are in crisis
• The staff can be friendly
• It can be a short stay
• You can meet some great people who are in a similar situation

Not so Good Things About Psych Wards:

• Some wards can have very strict rules
• A short stay can become a longer stay
• Psych wards aren't for everyone
• Adult wards aren't the greatest

If anyone is in need of support then please reach out, it does help.

If anyone needs someone to talk to either talk to someone you trust or reach out to support services. Also, you can message me on any of my socials and I'll be more than happy to listen and chat.

Resources:

- Kooth: https://www.kooth.com

- Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org (116 123) free to call 24/7

- A&E: Your local A&E or if in an emergency call (999)

- Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

- Shout: https://giveusashout.org text ‘shout’ to (85258) free to text 24/7