My cousin has been involuntarily committed
To a psychiatric hospital. This is completely horrible. My parents and sister came back from visiting her an hour away from where we live. Apparently, she was sectioned because she got medically tested for symptoms and illnesses she did not have and everything came back negative, but she kept insisting on tests and came up with new illnesses to check for. She is not a physical danger to herself or anyone else and she is not in a psychotic state like I was over three years ago. How can someone be locked up for being a hypochondriac about their health. Unless they thought that indicated delusions or hallucinations about her physical health. Honestly she is getting a lawyer and suing the hospital for committing her against her will. I can’t say I blame her because this is outrageous. Yes something is clearly wrong but she shouldn’t be involuntarily committed. Just the fact that people can do this is infuriating you know medical professionals and psychiatric/ psychological professionals, social workers, law enforcement, etc. I have never heard of someone going to a psych hospital for being a hypochondriac. I hope they let her out soon. I could have sued the local hospital over three years ago for involuntary commitment but I wouldn’t have had a case because I was in a psychotic state and a lawsuit would take forever. This is not a free society where people can get sent to the mental hospital against their will for a myriad number of reasons.
I got sent to the mental hospital twice in my life one for a suicide attempt at 16 and another at 30 almost 31 for a psychotic break from reality. My sister got sent for inpatient residential eating disorder clinic at 17 turning 18 where if you didn’t eat your food you were force fed through a tube and they wouldn’t even let them walk much and avoided going outside in over 80 degree weather. I never want to be put back in a psychiatric hospital ever again or see anyone I love in a residential inpatient program for eating disorders or mental health. I remember crying everyday I was in the psychiatric hospital. The loss of freedom and privacy. Staff could put their paws on your stuff and decide what you could and couldn’t have on you. The lack of contact with the outside world except for half hour visits to one hour visits from loved ones and phone calls that could only last 10 minutes each. You couldn’t use the bathroom or clean up or be in your room without constantly being walked in on. I hated having to share a room too. I couldn’t contact my ex boyfriend for two weeks because we weren’t even allowed cell phones or computers. I didn’t feel like a patient. I felt like a prisoner.
It was also torture to see my sister on zoom or video call platform from the eating disorder residential inpatient facility because they couldn’t have visitors because of Covid balling her eyes out going crazy because she was used to having activities to do and not just sitting on her butt all day. They force fed the “ patients” through a tube if they didn’t eat their food in an allotted period of time during meals and snack times. It’s been really rough for my family all these years.
Being locked up was very traumatic for me. Even the opposite sex staff could check on you. My parents were a little in disbelief when I told them the opposite sex staff could check in on you in the bathroom if that’s who was available. They said they don’t separate by sex? I’m intersex but phenotypically female so I was treated as a female. Honestly you had to be in bed by a certain time ( I'm surprised they let a couple of people stay up in the common room when most prisoners I mean patients went to bed.) The only thing you could do was decide when to clean yourself for the day and eat your food upstairs if you didn't want to go down to the cafeteria. and of course you had to wake up for vitals and medication. Vitals were taken twice a day. If you refused your medication I knew they could keep you there longer. You didn’t have to attend groups they had but would count it against you getting out if you didn’t. Being in a psych hospital was an introvert’s nightmare. You could only read, write, draw, or color pictures or play cards there. You couldn’t go anywhere without a set designated time for fresh air. I will take my medication for the rest of my life if it means I never get sent back to such an awful place.
There are four places I never want to end up in my life: group homes, psychiatric hospitals( again) hospitals ( again) or jail.
I got sent to the mental hospital twice in my life one for a suicide attempt at 16 and another at 30 almost 31 for a psychotic break from reality. My sister got sent for inpatient residential eating disorder clinic at 17 turning 18 where if you didn’t eat your food you were force fed through a tube and they wouldn’t even let them walk much and avoided going outside in over 80 degree weather. I never want to be put back in a psychiatric hospital ever again or see anyone I love in a residential inpatient program for eating disorders or mental health. I remember crying everyday I was in the psychiatric hospital. The loss of freedom and privacy. Staff could put their paws on your stuff and decide what you could and couldn’t have on you. The lack of contact with the outside world except for half hour visits to one hour visits from loved ones and phone calls that could only last 10 minutes each. You couldn’t use the bathroom or clean up or be in your room without constantly being walked in on. I hated having to share a room too. I couldn’t contact my ex boyfriend for two weeks because we weren’t even allowed cell phones or computers. I didn’t feel like a patient. I felt like a prisoner.
It was also torture to see my sister on zoom or video call platform from the eating disorder residential inpatient facility because they couldn’t have visitors because of Covid balling her eyes out going crazy because she was used to having activities to do and not just sitting on her butt all day. They force fed the “ patients” through a tube if they didn’t eat their food in an allotted period of time during meals and snack times. It’s been really rough for my family all these years.
Being locked up was very traumatic for me. Even the opposite sex staff could check on you. My parents were a little in disbelief when I told them the opposite sex staff could check in on you in the bathroom if that’s who was available. They said they don’t separate by sex? I’m intersex but phenotypically female so I was treated as a female. Honestly you had to be in bed by a certain time ( I'm surprised they let a couple of people stay up in the common room when most prisoners I mean patients went to bed.) The only thing you could do was decide when to clean yourself for the day and eat your food upstairs if you didn't want to go down to the cafeteria. and of course you had to wake up for vitals and medication. Vitals were taken twice a day. If you refused your medication I knew they could keep you there longer. You didn’t have to attend groups they had but would count it against you getting out if you didn’t. Being in a psych hospital was an introvert’s nightmare. You could only read, write, draw, or color pictures or play cards there. You couldn’t go anywhere without a set designated time for fresh air. I will take my medication for the rest of my life if it means I never get sent back to such an awful place.
There are four places I never want to end up in my life: group homes, psychiatric hospitals( again) hospitals ( again) or jail.
31-35, F
