[Wondergirl]

from wrongplanet --

1. "I recomend you dont and if you really want help go straight to a psychiatrist in your own time. Ive been in the psych ward twice (involuntary) and seen many people join in voluntary and then get baker acted for no reason. They then have to stay for an extra 72 hours minimum plus the 24 previous. Trust me you do not want to be in a psych ward, it is no real help and likely will only cause extra problems in your future."

2. "That depends on your goals. You are dehumanized. Remember, you presented yourself as unable to function outside of their environment. You are not considered to be in full control of yourself.

3. "Sometimes I wanted to be able to get away, but mental hospitals are not the best places. Unless you believe yourself to be a risk, carefully consider the committal."

4. "I was involuntarily committed once as a minor. My other time in such a hospital was more of a voluntary thing.

My outpatient shrink who I was seeing regularly and I thought of it. He arranged an appt with a nurse who asked a number of questions and I sort of straddled the line in describing how depressed and hopeless I was but it was enough for her to recommend a stay. As for my experience there as an adult, it was absolutely benign but maybe as pointless as anything I've ever done. I re-introduced myself into routine of showering everyday and eating and sleeping properly but really no hope of getting any value out of it. It felt like a place where people are churned out, come in full of despair and get revitalized back out into the world. My disposition didn't really change the whole time and people probably mistook my introversion for something more negative. If the cost of my insurance covering the stay didn't get passed on to society I'd say meh, but that's a decision I sort of wish I didn't make.

Everyone's different but I'm not sure why to do this except as a last resort. Will say if the real world were half as orderly as it is inside such a place I'd be coping better."

5. "In many places they will not allow you to stay in your room; you have to be out and with people all the time. If you stay in your room, they may assume you are isolating yourself and keep you hospitalized until you can force yourself to stay with everybody else all day every day for several days.

There's very little reason to go to a psych ward other than being suicidal or psychotic and wanting not to end up dead or injured. You do not receive therapy that's any better than what you can get outside; and you'll almost certainly be heavily medicated. In fact, in many places you do not get individual therapy at all.

If you are in danger of losing your life or doing something exceedingly stupid or dangerous because your brain is running away with you, then yes, check yourself in. But if you are not in that situation, then you will not get any better being in a psych ward. The primary benefit of a psych ward is that you are less likely to be able to kill yourself there. All they do is basically stabilize you and send you home. You cannot do long-term learning in a psych ward because you have to do that in the real world.

If you want help, you should find a normal therapist. It's a very incorrect idea that because institutionalization is more intensive, it will help you more. In fact, it will probably help you less. Being in your own home, in your own environment that you can control, facing the real problems of everyday life, you will be much more comfortable than staying in a place where you have no privacy, where people treat you in a very condescending manner.

I thought the first time I went inpatient that they would help me, because going IP meant getting serious about getting better. I was sorely disappointed. All they will do is medicate you and check on you very often to make sure that you don't kill yourself."

and more on How to voluntarily commit oneself to a psychiatric hospital? - General Autism Discussion

[Raiderman]

I agree. I imagine I would start thinking of myself as a mental patient and that would feel worse. Even if the outside world didn't stigmatize me it would be like stigmatizing myself. But I think I need something more intensive than an hour a week of therapy.

[Wondergirl]

Do two hours a week -- twice a week for an hour. And go to someone like me with a master's.

You can even go for a third hour to a group. :)

[Raiderman]

I'll give that a try. Thanks for the encouragement. When you had that patient like me, what kind of homework did you give him?

[Wondergirl]

He decided on his own homework assignments each week and then reported back to me how they went.

[Raiderman]

Sound like a dream patient. It's like he was his own therapist. I would not be able to do that. I would have to be told what to do.

[Wondergirl]

He was not a dream client! And you would do as well or better. Look how well we have been doing here!

He did not want to make choices about his life. I forced him into it. :)

[Raiderman]

How can you force someone to make choices? What kind of force can you use? It's too bad you're not here. I need someone who has that power.

[Wondergirl]

"Force" was a bit heavy -- I asked questions, asked him to consider choices which we talked about, and then he decided which one to try. Each week he made choices like that, and then, after reviewing his success or failures the previous week, reassessed those choices, and then revised with different choices or tweaked choices for the next attempt.

[Raiderman]

OK. That sounds reasonable. Can you give me an example of a choice (I assume you mean homework assignment) and how it worked out. I'm particularly interested in successful ones that I may consider.

[Wondergirl]

He knew he had to be more social and get out of his house and away from his beloved cat Snoopy. Before coming to me, he had joined (paid money!) to join a singles group that had weekly dances on Saturday night plus mingling and refreshments. He had never gone, so his first assignment for himself, he told me, would be to go to the next single group get-together. We discussed what he might find there, what he would possibly do (dance? Eat? Talk to someone? What would he say?). He would report back to me at our next session

[Wondergirl]

Before he went to his social group the first time, we talked about what he would wear, about his cologne even, what streets he would take, and talked our way to the singles meeting place with parking and walking into the place. We talked about his choices once he was there. We roleplayed meeting other singles and the conversations that might occur (where do you work? Where do you live? Do you like your job? etc.) He needed to learn how to be a good listener (was too much inside himself and worried about his performance), so we worked on that. We worked on facial expressions and body language. And so on.

[Raiderman]

I did something similar. I went to a meetup at a restaurant. I was motivated to go out of curiosity - just wanted to see who goes to these things. Turns out it's people who probably have more social anxiety than I do. It went OK as far as it goes. Talked to people a bit. It seemed once my curiosity was satisfied I no longer had the desire to go. That was in Oct. may possibly to to another one at a bar near me on Xmas eve. Don't have any family to go to anyway.

[Raiderman]

There is do much talk about AS now because they same the Connecticut shooter had it. I asked my psychologist and he said I definitely don't have it.

[Wondergirl]

There is do much talk about AS now because they same the Connecticut shooter had it. I asked my psychologist and he said I definitely don't have it.

Authorities are not saying the shooter had AS. He may have been on the autism spectrum, though. AS is high-functioning. He was not that.

[Raiderman]

He was high functioning in terms of intelligence and he never caused any problems before. He must have had comorbid conditions. I wonder if he was bullied in school and that was why he had a grudge. I was bullied in school but that was in junior high, not elementary school.

[Wondergirl]

He was high functioning in terms of intelligence and he never caused any problems before.

That's not true, not from what I have been reading. Yes, he was very intelligent, it is being said, but there were problems with him at school. His shop teacher has spoken up, Adam had eventually been homeschooled, and a fairly dark picture is emerging. And we don't know if he had a grudge.

There was a mental illness that had nothing to do with autism, was apart from it even if he had been autistic.

[Raiderman]

I know he was home schooled. But all they mentioned was shyness and social akwardness. No one mentioned any thing else. There must have been more but we don't know about.

[Wondergirl]

I know he was home schooled. But all they mentioned was shyness and social akwardness. No one mentioned any thing else. There must have been more but we don't know about.

His high school shop teacher, school bus driver, and some former classmates gave a bit of information. I am awaiting a profile from the authorities.

[Raiderman]

I heard the same. The dad and brother must know more. Getting back to myself, I trust my psychologist's assessment. I definitely think I have an anxiety disorder that is hard to specify. Probably social, agoraphobia, and some OCD. I do have some fear of traveling alone and tend to overly worry and ruminate. I may try one more drug. None of the SSRI 's have done anything but my doc mentioned Cymbalta. I never stay on drugs long though. I get discouraged easily and nervous about sude effects.