I may be living at a mental hospital later this year

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Yup, so it's finally happened.

I'm seeing the humor in it, just think of the jokes i can make among future friends about having lived in a looney bin.

Why is it happening?
several days ago I began what was in my opinion a mildly psychotic mania, i became a danger to myself and others, I was concinved I was being followed and watched and that my home was not safe, I was truly manic. my shrink originally beleived this was just a stress reaction due to aspergers but he spoke to another practitioner later on who seemed to tell him it was more. So my my sake, and to give my family some respite an application has been sent for me to go become an inpatient at a mental hospital.

When there I will finally be given the chance to get right down to the nitty gritty of whats wrong with me, and maybe get a diagnoses of bipolar at last.

So I'll keep you folks up to date and I would appreicate responses from people with experience with these places.

I've been to numerous psychiatric wards in London (where I live). Ironically the secure unit I went to was nicer than the general adult ward. If you do go to the psych ward - bring lots to do. Otherwise it's really boring.

I say congratulations! I truly believe this is a good step in the right direction.

I've been living in a mental hospital for the last six weeks, and everything has been lovely (of course except my problems and struggles).

The staff, food and patients I've been, they have all been very good. Heck, I think I like the damn place even more than I like my "real" home and the people ("family") that I live with!

It was at the hospital that I got my AS diagnosis, and the experience has made me into a stronger man.

I think it all will be very spooky for you the first few days, and you'll stick more to your room than socializing with staff & patients. But as you gather more and more courage, I think you'll spend more time outside of your room and do stuff.

I got into a brand new interest while I was there, doing jigsaw-puzzles and building models with nothing but sticks and glue!

Please do keep us up-to-date here every now and then.

Godspeed

//Arash

I really like this thread. It's good to hear positives about being an inpatient.

I am having a lot of struggles myself at the moment and it has been suggested on several occasions that I should consider the possibility of being admitted to the local psychiatric hospital as an inpatient.

I have been dead set against it because the thought is so scary but you guys don't make it sounds so bad.

What typically happens when you're inpatient? What's the structure of the day? etc.

I believe that it is much better to go into hospital voluntarily. I was put in there under the incapacity act (which they later decided didn't cover me after all...) and the whole time was hell. I do hope you get the help you need though.

I absolutely hated it and never want to go back again for any reason. I'm scared they would drug me up and never let me out or not for a long time.

Maybe it's better when it's voluntary and you actually want help. Mine was an involuntary 30 day evaluation when I was 14.

Despite that if I had to choose between going back there and going back to reform school I'd definitely choose the looney bin. It seemed like I had more free time to do as I chose there and more access to visitors and phone calls. Reform school was very strict.

It's unfortunate that some people have a not so good experience with mental hospitals. I also believe the quality can differ from country to country.

Hanyo, sorry for your bad experience and I don't know how old you are today, but for the love of God you were only 14. At that age you can be in heaven and feel it's scary.

YellowBanana, if you have your doubts then why don't you pay the clinic a visit instead of listening to rumors? Just tell your doctor or psychologist that you're in doubt and it would feel better to pay a visit. I think that would pick away the spooky aspects that you have in mind.

Yes it is true that there can be hospitalization and medication of the patient against his/her will, but I gather such things happen only in extreme cases. Such was mine, when I was standing on the train rails a friday night and then wanted to leave the hospital the following monday. The doctors made it clear that it was their opinion that I needed rest and to be examined and observed, so they wouldn't let me leave the place.

In hindsight, it was an excellent choice to stay there for two entire weeks instead of just two days.

They daily routines can consist of exercising, hobby-activities, eating (of course) and medication. But then it is also up to you if you like to read books, watch movies on your laptops, play with your iphone or whatever.

But you know what the best aspect is? Getting in touch with other patients! It is such a valuable experience to get to know other people and what sort of problems they're coping with. Heck, I spent a lot of time getting to know and solving jigsaws with this dude who was over his 40s, and I'm just 28!

//Arash

If it were me, I'd be trying to get my act together and get over my problems. I'm not sure you're taking this seriously enough Phonic, this isn't something that your friends should joke about, living in a mental hospital isn't a good thing.

I spent 10 days in inpatient treatment when I was 21, but that was over 20 years ago, so all I came out with was "acute depression" and then 10 years later that became "bipolar" but they missed the mark both times.

The thing I liked about inpatient was the quiet, for the most part. Worst thing was group, but I hate talking in front of more than one person at a time (I can't monitor more than one person's reaction at a time.)

The most sobering thing for me was seeing the others who had much worse problems.

If you are manic, that can be dangerous, so I would hope that a hospital stay will help with that.

When my hypomania ends (and I sink back into the depression) the reality of the situation will be more immidiate.

And I don't have friends



When you finally get to a point in your life where you are convinced that the government is following you, that you are the greatest person who ever lived and that you can do anything, "getting your act together" is like trying to self perform open heart surgery, I need real help.

And yes i expect that I'll need to come up with a few things to help me pass the time, a deck of cards, DVD's, I've gotten more interested in learning how to play the cello if only because its more mobile then my beloved piano Vera.

I least look foward to the lack of basic freedom, I most look foward to the added structure to my day, because right now I just wake up and wait for the day to end, repeat. And being around non NT's might do me good.

I notice that the the people on this forum who have been to a hospital themselves were all admitted for serious illness like schizophrenia, bipolar and suicidial depression, never ASD, I suppose ASD alone isn't enough but it sure does make those former things a lot tougher.

Hypomania is particular to Bipolar II, lacking the delusions and assorted harmful side effects of the more severe Bipolar I mania. I have it about once a year, and although I feel like I'm going nutty, in retrospect it just ends up being a great mood mixed with heightened creativity. You definitely don't have hypomania...

That said, what's wrong with just sending you to a psychiatrist?

I spent a week in a childhood neuropsich. ward with my son to have his diagnosis. I promised him never again. It was devastating... I'm glad that someone in some other country has a positive experience of it.
It changed my life because I saw too much pain in that kids. My son was the only able to play even if he stimmed... most didn' stay on their feet, some didn't breath autonomously.

Being a long-time service user myself, and therefore very familiar with the mental health system in the UK, I find some of the things you have said in this post quite confusing.
Firstly, the term "looney bin" is offensive whatever way you look at it.
Secondly, you have come to the conclusion after a couple of days that you are suffering from "a mildly psychotic mania", which doesn't make any sense. People who are truly psychotic or manic don't recognise that in themselves; they lose insight, at which point they end up in hospital (usually against their will, because they can't see that they are ill).
Thirdly, people who are admitted to hospital in the UK have to be seriously ill. ie,, they pose an immediate and significant risk to their life or the lives of others. You don't just send an application and wait to see what the outcome is. If you needed to be in hospital, you would have been assessed and admitted there and then. Otherwise, you're a suitable candidate for care in the community (through an EIP team). If you really were waiting for a bed, at the very least you would be getting several home visits a day from the crisis team.
Unless you're actually talking about a respite centre, which is completely different to a mental hospital.

I'm sorry if I come across as accusatory or abrasive, but what you have described here just doesn't make sense.

Autism in the olden days was no walk in the park. I spent over four years institutionalized and managed to get out.

I swore I would never draw attention to myself and thus end up in the same predicament again, and I have managed over thirty years living in this manner.

I sure as heck hope your hospital is better than the ones I have been to because the ones I have stayed in have no interest other than diagnosing patients with many "severe" diagnoses just so they can drug them up and get more money. The last one I was in diagnosed me with BiPolar I with severe mixed episodes. When I got out I was re-tested for BiPolar I and found that, not only did I not have BiPolar I, I didn't have BiPolar Disorder at all! Just regular Unipolar Depression.


Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't mean to sound all woe-is-me. I really hope you can get the help you need.

My brother was just in one last year for a few weeks. I visited him and thought it's really pretty nice there, kinda like a break. I probably wouldn't mind, as long as I can ban visitors. ( My mom visited him everyday and I could hardly tolerate being with her for half an hour, not to mention several hours a day.) But then my brother might have liked it. He's not aspie after all.

They lock away his wallet and keys and IDs. Beware of that. Try to remember all your online password to sites that you want to visit. I don't know what facilities they have, bring some running shoes or swim pants for exercises. You don't want to just sit there and eat and end up gaining 20 lbs. Those anti-psychosis drugs are notorious for their weight gain side effects.