Involuntarily committed to mental hospital

*I think this is the right area to post this? 😃

Just curious if anyone wants that to happen to them. Its happened to me 3 times. Part of me doesn't enjoy some of what happens like being trapped inside a building not being able to go outside when I want but mostly the part where the cops Knock on my door is kinda scary but once talking with them im ok, or worrying about rent cause i cant work but i always catch up, another part of me is embarrassed for craving it and liking the care and attention or lack there of sometimes. Some medical staff are pretty mean off bat because of the reason im there, they are quick to react and not patient at all like they want to escalate the situation when when im not doing anything by not explaining there demands so I say no then using force .and some are so kind. I dont know how to explain it but being locked in a ward, restrained and sedated, being talked to like a child, labeled mentally unable to care for myself , being in custody of the state brings me so much comfort, life overwhelms me. Part of me wants it to happen over and over again. i meet awesome people in there its like I fit better in there than the outside world. I could never call the hotline again. It makes me feel shame when the cops know i called the hotline and they say well you called that hotline. Its like im asking for it and i hate that, i dont want no one to think i want this and its just embarrassing when they think that. Does anyone have a real want to actually commit someone over and over again? Having that power over someone, is that a thing? Or want that for themselves? Is this taking to far? Unhealthy? I just wanna talk someone else who feels something similar to this? Is this similar to anyone else's medical fetish, i know some people make there fetish a reality.

I find the details of your commitment exciting. I went to a special disability school for a while. The experiences I had there most people wouldn't understand but i loved it.

@silverlining

How old were you when this happened?

My age was 14 first time then 21 and then 28 (currently)

I think I understand what you mean. I have fought for my independence, and it’s better to have it. That said, people have often used that concept to bully me. I have seen many get what they want, by being pitied. There is a certain belief I struggle with that equates love with help.

I'm not really up on the latest for being committed to a mental hospital, especially against your will, but don't you need a court order for that?

Personally, I would rather die in a fire, plane crash, car crash or by a suicide bomber than have someone else decide how I was going to live.

This is indeed an area that I have knowledge and experience. The use of involuntary commitment is usually not the norm; certainly not where I am from. It's purpose is to protect the individual from harm either to one's self or others. This is a very high level of concern and should not be used to provide attention, a warm bed, or punish a person.

There is a limit to how long one can be held. I believe it's 72 hours and then a court must intervene. Individuals who may require an inpatient stay are at risk and for the moment experiencing very difficult times with regulation of thinking, mood, behavior and substances. Things can improve once the storm is understood and controlled. Most often, early intervention and staying in care avoids more intensive steps. My preference is that individuals seek behavioral health care before becoming so overwhelmed.

@julie13 said

This is indeed an area that I have knowledge and experience. The use of involuntary commitment is usually not the norm; certainly not where I am from. It's purpose is to protect the individual from harm either to one's self or others. This is a very high level of concern and should not be used to provide attention, a warm bed, or punish a person. . . . .

What is your experience with this?

I have worked for a behavioral health clinic in the past.

What silverlining wrote— I would love that to happen to me in the play settting. I would like to be committed and then forcibly injected with meds while I was held down and then restrained to a bed for a little bit in seclusion.

I have had this fantasy for many years... just wishing I could make it happen in real life.

I have had this fantasy for many years... just wishing I could make it happen in real life.

You must mean play out the fantasy, not be committed in real life! 😁

Yes to play out the fantasy.... but I want it very realistic in every way possible.

Yes, I feel it would be beneficial with intense individual and group therapy

To those folks who would enjoy being "committed", please consider a sabatical or health spa or something else instead. That environment is not for just getting away from it all, and many of the residents (patients) are in deep trouble, though they look and act like you and I. Many are trying to get through not from day to day, but even just hour to hour, and it can be terrifying. If you hear it once, you will hear it everyday. "No, I don't want to die. I'm just so scared to live." And you will be the one saying it. Most medications leave a person feeling like a zombie, or at the very least like your own personality has been altered to the point that you're not sure who you will be the next day. And sometimes you need six other drugs or more to deal with the side affects of the original one. Yes, you can meet other people going through some of the same challenges, even become friends, but more than likely you will never see them again when you leave the hospital or they do. If you are released and on a program of meds and counseling, things will be fine. For awhile. But a large percentage of people will make return visits, and at some point, feel even more like a failure. Not to mention what your family and friends will go through. The very, very lucky will one day leave there with people who genuinely love and care about them. People who are willing to give them another chance. And as time goes on, and with a lot of honest, hard work, they will look back and say to themselves, "yeah, this is better". Silverlining, I wonder if this is really a medfet thing for you. If it is, please consider a different scenario. The "commitment" thing can also become habit forming, and it is not real life or just a fetish. To the others though, go ahead and use it as a medfet fantasy. Just be very thankful that that has not happened to you.

Thank you for reading.

Very well said, @Jajonly . You don't get intense individual and group therapy.. you get diagnosed and "stabilized" and you get to be discharged with a psych diagnosis that will follow you and affect your care for the rest of your life. If you have friends that can play out this scenario for you, great. If you're tempted to do it FOR REAL - DON'T.

There is something very frightening about being on a locked floor and not knowing when you will be going home. In medical school during my psych rotation I saw involuntary commitment hearings. One involved taking a potentially violent patient out of the hospital to court. Yes, in a strait jacket. No, it wasn't exciting or sexually stimulating.

You can lose a lot of your rights and freedoms if you are involuntarily committed. You don't get the opportunity to say "um.. I was only kidding" after the fact.

Doc

For me back in the early 80's when I was a still a teenager, I was first diagnosed Bi Polar and was going through a manic episode I was hospitalized and held on a 72 hr hold because of my dangerous behavior. My family talked me into staying longer voluntarily to get stabilized, I signed my self in after the 72 hrs and was in the hospital for a month which I didn't find fun at all. But I have come a couple of times times very close to being involuntarily committed for self harm and substance abuse which is scary situation. I have only been hospitalized never had to go before a judge which I think I'm very lucky I didn't. I'm also very happy that I'm still alive. Got the help I needed and have been clean and sober for 17 yrs. I have learned how to live with my Bi polar disorder and know that I have to take my meds every day to keep my mood stabilized. IN PLAIN ENGLISH WHAT I'M SAYING IS IT'S NOT COOL TO GET THROWN IN A PSYCH WARD AGAINST YOUR OWN WILL!!!! sorry for the rant! Just get the help and stay out!

I completely agree with @docinny45. You do not want to be involuntarily committed. Your life will be ruined. Many jobs will exclude you as a candidate because you are unsuitable, you will have other freedoms taken away, a background check will prevent you from buying certain things, etc.

When I was in college I had a cute mid-thirties psychology professor, of all possible subjects 😁 and the one who taught me that shrinks were total bullshit. He was flirty with me and I was very flirty back. Sleeping with your professor then was not as verboten as it is today. I was 20 or 21 years old when I did this the first time. I did this scene with my professor over a weekend that he had written. My boyfriend, now husband was not part of this, but he and I have done the scene a few times over the last 25 years. It is a two full day mental hospital scene, which could go on longer if there is more time.

This professor and I had gone out for coffee a few times and got very touchy-feely with each other. After one particular lecture when I cracked a joke about him in front of the class, he called me up to his office after class and he spanked me one time on my butt, which prompted me to smile and slap him in his face. I told him never to do that again, so he spanked me again, so I grabbed his crotch, telling him not to do that again. This was clearly a case where "no" did NOT mean "no" which prompted him to grab me with a bear hug and kiss me saying he didn't know we were so friendly. I smiled again and said we weren't, but he said I still needed to be punished. Over lunch, he told me how he was going to teach me a lesson, which culminated in an elaborate scene and I agreed to do it with him because I was always looking to expand my S&M experiences. I will look for the outline to this scene and add it to this post.

Doc & SS here are absolutely right.

It can be a fun topic for a CNC (Consensual Non-Consent) scene, but in reality, this is the farthest from a fun situation one could ever imagine. I too have worked in emergency psych services - and for every patient I ever met - I guarantee, kink was the LAST thing anyone was thinking about.

It's also a topic that, for some, may be WAY too much to explore. Play carefully in this space.

@Kid I'm not sure what your all caps bit means. Is it ok to be hospitalized if you need to be hospitalized and may not have the insight to know? Yes absolutely. Is it ok to fake mental illness to be involuntarily admitted? No, it can be a very short sighted decision with lifelong implications.

I'm glad you both got the help you needed and that you've been stable and sober for 17 years.

Doc

I was intrigued by this post because I've known people who have been admitted to psychiatric hospitals, and ended up regretting it. Here's the issue with that. Most folks go through temporary downturns and rough times. Well meaning, they seek mental health care, which rarely addresses real-world problems in an effective manner. Most therapists treat symptoms, not the source. The guidelines that they follow reflect current academic theory, and textbook rhetoric, basically opinions. The inherent danger of going to a psychiatric ER, is that you'll likely end up being involuntarily committed even if you've gone on your own free will, in part because of liability issues, and the insurance payout to the facility. From that point on, you'll be given a generic, and probably inaccurate diagnosis, and placed on potentially harmful meds. You will literally have all of your freedoms stripped, during your mandatory stay. If that's not bad enough, as other posters have mentioned, you'll be extremely lucky to find any form of employment, particularly one that involves a background check. (Most do). And let's not leave out the social workers, who will swear that they'll help you find work and housing, and will literally do nothing, because you're just another case piled up on their desk, and they don't have effective resources, nor do they have a clue. I would prefer to be jailed for a misdemeanor crime, than to be in a mental health facility. With a misdemeanor record, within reason, you'll likely be forgiven. With a psychiatric history, you're almost guaranteed to have a future of economic struggles, and emotional stress. Potential employers and landlords won't trust your sanity. If you need help, there are better sources than the mental health system. Have a talk with a trusted friend, seek outpatient group therapy, read online forums, even your personal physician likely would be more effective.

I was intrigued by this post because I've known people who have been admitted to psychiatric hospitals. Here's the issue with that. Most folks go through temporary downturns and rough times. Unfortunately, they seek mental health care, which rarely addresses real-world problems in an effective manner. Most therapists treat symptoms, not the source. The guidelines that they follow reflect current academic theory, and textbook rhetoric, basically opinions. The inherent danger of going to a psychiatric ER, is that you'll likely end up being involuntarily committed even if you've gone on your own free will. From that point on, you'll be given a generic and probably inaccurate diagnosis, and placed on potentially harmful meds. You will literally have all of your freedoms removed during your mandatory stay. It that's not bad enough, as others have mentioned, you'll be extremely lucky to find any form of employment, particularly one that involves a background check. (Most do). And let's not leave out the social workers, who will swear that they'll help you to find work and housing, and will literally do nothing. I would prefer to be jailed for a misdemeanor crime, than to be in a mental health facility. There's a drastic difference in how your future will pan out. If you need help, there are better sources than the mental health system. Have a talk with a trusted friend, seek outpatient group therapy, read online forums, etc.

Oh my fucking god.

Stay the hell away from any form of psychologist/psychiatrist or social worker and god help you if a court ever mandates you to be seen by one of them. By and large the shrinks need mental help more than any other group in society. They know that and that's why so many of them went into the field. They will ruin your life more than the police or a prison term.

Pay attention to the previous posters who said to stay away from the shrinks.

The shrinks don't know anything that might help you and they will only make your situation worse.

Paper around here did an expose of the local mental hospitals (oh, sorry "behavioral health centers"). They used the government funded county hospitals as a baseline for involuntary committals and then looked at the for profit ones. Guess what they found?

For profit had significantly more requests for involuntary committals, they tended to be scheduled at times when weekends intervened and the government assessors/psychs/whatever couldn't get there for a few more (billable) days, they had more requests overturned either initially or on appeal, and they lied much more often to patients and family.

Also there was this curious coincidence that these patients who were a terrible risk to themselves or others got significantly improved on the day their insurance stopped covering.

Paper around here did an expose of the local mental hospitals (oh, sorry "behavioral health centers"). They used the government funded county hospitals as a baseline for involuntary committals and then looked at the for profit ones. Guess what they found?

For profit had significantly more requests for involuntary committals, they tended to be scheduled at times when weekends intervened and the government assessors/psychs/whatever couldn't get there for a few more (billable) days, they had more requests overturned either initially or on appeal, and they lied much more often to patients and family.

Also there was this curious coincidence that these patients who were a terrible risk to themselves or others got significantly improved on the day their insurance stopped covering.

Why am I NOT surprised about any of this?

"Behavioral health centers" HA! That's like calling garbage collectors (or sanitation workers if you are being politically correct), "sanitation ENGINEERS." Garbage collectors are NOT sanitation engineers. Engineers have various science degrees, something I suspect garbage collectors lack.

Why am I NOT surprised about any of this?

Extremely disappointing thing is it seems to have been ignored. I think they yanked the license of the worst offender, but no major changes in regulation. Hopefully now people will know more and will fight more.

Telling people to stay away from mental health workers is dangerous advice. There are people who *need* those professionals. ie people with clinical depression, schizophrenia, bi-polar etc.

I know some people who have or have had serious issues, and yes it can get scary/dangerous/etc. There is however a noticeable amount of corruption in the system, corruption that leads to people being roped in when they don't need to be and people being ignored when they need treatment.

My best friend a few weeks ago, was suicidal. She has battled this problem since we were in our 20's. She has been in a few institutions here and there, both in California and here in Kentucky. A few weeks ago (we might be at about a month now), she was beyond stressed out. She was crying over everything that went wrong (her insulin prescription was messed up and it was sort of freaking her out, where normally, she would have been "like oh well" and over it.). We were in the middle of moving and there were unexpected financial stresses, her son and I were not quite getting along and other things that were adding to her stress and overwhelming her. We went to our primary care physician and she suggested my friend go to the e.r. We went back to the house and packed her a bag of clothes, toothbrush and other things she would need. I stayed with her in the E.R. as long as I could until it was getting late. They wanted her sugar to go down before she was admitted upstairs. They had interviewed her, and since she had a plan, they decided they needed to keep her. No problem, she wanted their help.

She had a shrink that was a total weenie. He was pretty much useless. She was there for almost a week, supposedly trying to find her another place to go for long term care. He wanted to send her to Western State, one of the state run facilities here in Kentucky. It's in Hopkinsville, KY. Look it up. It is a creepy inside as you would think. It's a horrible place and they do not properly take care of their patients. She didn't want to go there. She wanted a different place to go, she didn't care where. Western State is awful! Well, she started scratching herself and making deep and horrible scratches in her arms and wrist. He got pissed off (rather than helping her or trying to help her) and sent her off. This was not her first time there. Hopefully, it will be her last. We are learning the "ropes" about a being a patient there. It's been about 5 years since the last, but things will be remembered.

When you visit, the guards (yes, guards in uniform) take you through the building. You can't take anything with you (except pen and paper if you need to). Your stuff gets locked up in a locker, but you can keep the key. They escort you through the building, unlocking and locking doors as you go, so you are locked in and unable to leave on your own. When you're ready, you have to tell one of their useless nurses (their nurses, I am not insulting all nurses, I swear it!) and wait about 10 minutes or so until the guards come back for you. The walls are thick. The place was built in the 1840's and you can tell it. From a historic point of view, its history is quite interesting.

The thing is, she was conveniently placed there involuntarily, when she went to the other hospital voluntarily. They put her in on Thursday, which doesn't count as far as her 3 day hold went. Then they got another 3 days. The nursing staff gave her meds that she didn't want to take because they were not telling her what they were giving her. She was refusing her insulin, and explained to them why she was refusing it (because they use as sliding scale and she is insulin resistant. They were rough with the needles and she was sick of being poked with 10 units when she needed at least 30 to bring her sugar down). She had the runs and they wouldn't give her Imodium or talk to anyone in charge to give her Imodium. Turns out, they were giving her laxatives. They treated her like she had no brain, like (unfortunately and not to be unkind) most people in there are.

She complained. I called her social worker and ended up (after trying all day long) talking to her nurse. I complained loudly. I was pissed at the way she was being treated. The nurses (I saw them on a visit) sat around on their phones and gossiped with each other. They ignored the patients unless someone was acting up, or it was time for meds or food. The food was horrible and cold. This is the short story. The next day, she was magically "well enough" to be discharged. When she was there 5 years ago, she also complained to someone in charge and the next day, they let her go. It seems to me, that if someone has any sort of intelligence of their own or someone on the "outside" to fight for them, they don't want you there. It's horrible!

I work in a downtown urban area, and often see homeless people. One woman, who's been living in shelters, and the streets, was speaking with me last week. She basically just wanted someone to talk to. She's been in and out of psychiatric hospitals, and jails most of her adult life. Her stories reflected the fact that she's never received proper long-term care, and she hasn't been able to find an apartment, job, or any stability. The mental health system has bounced her around, and provided false promises. The already broken system has failed her. Many of the social service agencies are underfunded, and hire the lowest common denominator. The people in need, have no place to go to get effective help. If you don't have to be involved with the mental health system, consider yourself lucky.

I read something online about a social worker that told a patient, if you ever feel like talking, please stop by my office in the clinic, and I will make time for you. The patient according to the story had a full time job, that was very stressful, so one evening she stopped by the clinic, and sure enough the social worker, was there. Patient told her, that her position was very stressful and some days were really hard. All along she was supposedly assessing her. Then in a moment, she said stay right here, I will be right back. In just minutes she came back and said follow me, as a Dr. is here, the patient said she needed to go home and have supper, and the social worker replied just take a bit and talk to the Dr. She is waiting, so the social worker led her through a couple lock doors and into the awaiting Dr. office, she sat down and talked with the Dr. and she basically said the same as she told the social worker, very stressful at her work, but not suicidal. Then a nurse came in, and the Dr. told her he was admitting her. The patient was shocked, and argued that she needed to go home, and that she needed to be at work. Nothing doing, she was quickly admitted and sedated and her stay was indefinite

I think the harder life is, the more things come into focus. Just how it is been for me.

I think there is a real difference between being depressed and "depression".

I'm depressed a lot, because I don't like what life presents. One can try to change and affect as much as one can, but we don't control everything.

The world is a hard, cruel place, and like a previous said about putting on a helmet...

No one can make us happy. Searching for happiness is like chasing a ghost. There is no greater sense of fulfillment than learning and mastering something new, being able to take care of yourself, and finding out who you are and what makes you tick. Happiness is being able to draw something, just like it appeared in your mind. Happiness is that mathematical equation you just solved. Happiness is the dish you cooked coming out better than expected with the first bite. Happiness is seeing a planet or star through your telescope. Happiness is discovering others who think just like you do.