Emo Scene Community

its obviously not gonna be the best experience of your life... but i think in the end its YOU who will make it helpful or not. good luck xxx

It sucks the food is shitty and the staff are a bunch of morons chances are you may end up getting into fights with people. I know I hated inpatient 'therapy' but you'll have to see for yourself after all perception is everything. Also if the hospital you go to goes by the same guidelines as the one I went to they check on you every five minutes while you sleep that is if you don't get paranoid and are able to sleep

varies ward to ward and place to place, normally if you ask your DR there's often a PDF file or rule /handbook you can read with the outlines to your plan and place etc general : (from experiences and friends who have been on/off the wards) you will be on a mixed gender ward in most cases with kids of a similar age (your case those who fall under the hospitals adolescent bracket) with varying psychiatric conditions and as expected bedrooms/bathrooms will be with people of the same gender as you. phone/internet access can be limited depending on your case and ward rules and this also applies to family/friends visiting outside therapy session hrs, so it's best to check the set limitations on those along with off site visit rules etc if you want to put things on wall of your room: Pins are generally banned along with paper clips (in some places) also check if blue tack is allowed as i know of friends who we're not allowed that.. cello tape is your best bet! :) structure of a day: normally have set wake up times, meals and a ward school that is fitted round your treatment plan so you dont fall behind on studies .. make sure you have your correct work with you or emailed to the ward, if not you may be able to have a teacher bring it in, as in most UK wards there is no set subject teachers like schools only general ones or even just ward staff (again depends on the place and its facilitates/your needs) school will normally start a week or so after your admittance so you have time to adjust to the place /routines. Often there will be some group actives with the rest of the people on your ward to help you all bond together alongside your therapy/treatment plan. bathroom /sleep monitoring room searches will happen and things are gone through with a tooth pick (as it were) if any objects /material staff find that troubles them or is banned at some point in a 1-1 with your dr/case worker etc it will be brought up and you will have to explain yourself and in some cases if its a banned object, it will be confiscated and given to your parents or kept till the end your stay (extreme cases destroyed ie if it were a blade and you were in for self harm) and then disciplinary measures will occur ie extra limitations will be added to you. for varying reasons/safety shaving is also sometimes monitored by a same sex member of staff (but depends on your treatment plan and personal rules/restrictions). Showers and toilet breaks are usually timed, so be warned 30 minute long showers wont happen in most places. sleep monitored in some cases so worth asking your DR / ward staff. if you are in a single room same gender staff may check your in your room after curfew and ask for lights out etc, If in a shared room it will depend on your other room mates conditions as to whether regular monitoring is needed and if that's the case you will probably be told about it.If your uncomfortable about it speak to a ward staff member or DR as you may be able to change rooms, I've had mates write on their admittance forms their worries over sleep monitoring and they have asked for a single rooms. discharge: is staggered in most cases so you still feel supported and not just dumped back in the world again. you may be given a routine to follow after discharge which your dr and family etc will check your following, this is so your recovery can monitored and any problems/bad habits stopped before they get worse. at the end of the day, they are the type of place that "are what you make them" and you "take away what you want from it" remember the staff are there to help you recover /get through your time on the ward so if you have problems/concerns speak to them and Don't bottle it!! best of luck and hope things work out well for you soon! ^ apologies for the length of the response, i've tried to condense it the best i can and i hope this is of help to you :) If you want anymore advice or someone to talk/listen to you, feel free to PM me :)

Wow that's a lot, thank you :) so helpful! it really sucks because I'm being admitted through the NHS, so there's a bloody waiting list! So I could be off school for ages just sitting here waiting :/ Yeah I am a bit anxious about the sleep monitoring, as I can't normally sleep anyway because I have very disturbing nightmares

your welcome :) try and study through the best you can :) and dont stop learning just because your waiting to go onto the ward. if your currently on meds for sleep you'll still have to take them when on the ward, but speak to your DR/head of ward about the sleep monitoring and see what they can do for you

Well, when i went to one it was weird at first, but you quickly make some friends. Sometimes, depending on where you're going, the staff are pretty nice. You'll be a unit with people in the same age range with you. And every 5-15 someone will come in to check on you/make sure you're ok and alive (if in there fro suicidal stuff) with a flashlight while you try to sleep. Annoying as fuck. Well, at the Ridge, you are not allowed to touch anyone as some people might have sexual trauma. Girls shower in the morning and guys shower at night (this might be different for you). You are not allowed to exchange personal info like phone numbers, e-mails etc...but most patients do it anyways. The food sucks. And if you were like me when i first went there, i was considered high-risk and put into the suicide watch room where there is no door for your bathroom, only a curtain and a security camera in you "bed" room where you'll most likely have a roommate of the same gender. And when you get in there, you'll be searched and if it was like mine, you'll strip-searched. Basically looking for anything you might be hiding like drugs, a blade, broken glass..etc and they'll be looking for self harm as they are well aware it doesn't just happen on the wrists. You'll have to pee in a cup and get your blood taken. In search for drugs and other stuff. You'll do activities and have one-on-one therapy and (maybe) group sessions with everyone else in the unit. Depending on why and how severe, you'll be given medicine and maybe even diagnosed with stuff. Like for me it was depression. There's usually a room where if you get out of control or if you just really really need to be alone that they can put you in. It usually has a bathroom in it as well. You'll have different therapy things to do to help you find ways for you to cope/deal when you leave. You can have like around two phone calls a day and there are visiting hours. I was not allowed to wear tank top, bras with wires, jackets or hoodies that has strings, boots, jewelry, piercings, and I had to take out my shoes strings and they gave a some zip ties to hold my shoes together. They had a gym too. and yeah. if you have any more questions just ask. and remember that this may be vary on the place you're going to