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35 Psychiatric Hospital Employees And Patients Share The Creepiest And Most Disturbing Things They’ve Witnessed
Interview With Author
Mental health continues to be a topic that many people ignore entirely. Some think it’s taboo to speak about it openly. Others might rush to judge those with mental health issues without digging deeper. While still others choose to ignore their problems instead of tackling them with the help of licensed professionals.
Most people’s experience of psychiatric hospitals, for example, comes from movies and TV shows. However, reality can be more gruesome, brutal, and bizarre than fiction. Redditor u/N3SSDOGG sparked a very open discussion after asking the people who have either worked at or been admitted to mental health units to share the strangest things they’ve witnessed. You’ll find their candid stories below.
Bored Panda reached out to the author of the thread, redditor u/N3SSDOGG, who is currently working in a psychiatric hospital as a mental health technician. They shared their thoughts on why there's still so much stigma surrounding mental health and revealed some of the signs of a great mental institution employee.
Warning: keep in mind that some of these stories are rather unsettling and might not be for all of you Pandas.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Hoo boy.
There was this kid like 14 years old with Schizophrenia. He would take off his shirt, scream and throw things if the nurses wouldn't play for him a Red Hot Chilli Peppers' live concert DVD over and over again. It was honestly sad to see. Most of the people I was with were really chill actually, and hearing that music on the repeat made us only feel worse. One day, close to my release date, I sat to have lunch next to him and he had a sudden moment of lucidity. He told me I was a really good person and that I should go back to the real world, because my mom wouldn't want to see me sad like that. I was sent to the ward because I was deeply depressed as my mom died early that year. I stood up and gave him a hug.
Mario, wherever you are, I hope you are ok. I'm about to get my college degree and it's thanks to you and many other wonderful people I've met.
Abigail Hill 1 year ago
Oh goodness. I had to listen to this kid I know (he's about my age, teenager, but I still consider myself and him to be kids) talk for 5 to 10 minutes today about how psychiatrists are wrong and how they can't understand the human mind because they could never know his next move because he has *schizophrenia* (in stars because I dunno if he's actually diagnosed or what if he doesn't believe actual doctors know what they're doing). Then he talked about this martial arts thing called "demon brain" and "demon back" which I think we're probably made up and how these techniques result in trauma. He finished his talking by saying "oh well back to schizophrenia". Just... goodness gracious brother, do you not know how you sound..?
Ponyo (they/them) 1 year ago (edited)
i hear so many stories about hugging but when i’ve been to a HUGE amount of psych hospitals and eveytime i tried to hug someone i either got physically detained or booty juice, is that not normal?
RELATED:
#3
I was in an adolescent inpatient facility for 30 days. Two people come to mind.
One kid named David who was very tall for his age, I think he was only 13. He insisted on watching Friday the 13th movies on movie nights and everyone was afraid to disagree with him because of his violent nature and frequent homicidal fantasies. He hated taking his meds, and probably 2 or 3 times a week he'd brawl with the psych nurses over it. No joke, it took 5 to 6 large grown men to overcome this kid. He was scary.
The other one was just sad, a girl named Wendy. She was 13, really nice. But she always wore the same clothes and she stank really really bad. Apparently this is a common defense for kids who have been repeatedly assaulted by family. They don't clean themselves or they'll even soil themselves to make themselves undesirable to their abuser. I gave her a big hug every night in the common area when it was time to go to our cells.
DanandSheryl Oberheu 1 year ago
I worked in a locked facility with abused adolescents. Your acts every night were a message of kindness. " I will not hurt you." Thank you.
The OP revealed to Bored Panda that they're 18 years old and have been working at the psychiatric hospital for 4 months. "I’ve never worked in this field before, but in my short time here I have witnessed a spectrum of bizarre, dangerous, and outright disgusting events," redditor u/N3SSDOGG shared with us.
"After a particularly traumatizing shift, I wanted to know if other people, both former patients and staff who have spent time in psychiatric facilities, might be able to share similarly outrageous stories. I figured r/AskReddit was probably the best place to ask."
The redditor believes that the stigma that surrounds mental health is the reason why so many people avoid talking about it in the first place. "Misinformation and a lack of education on the topic has led society to deem mental illness as something the victim should be ashamed of, as though it makes them less human," they explained.
#4
Someone I knew said there were two people who thought without a doubt they were Jesus on his floor and he was ACHING for them to meet. One day, it finally happened because the nurses couldn’t keep them apart. They had a long, intense conversation and walked away deciding that Jesus A was Jesus before the Crucification and Jesus B was post-death Jesus. “Altogether what I would have expected Jesus to do and say.”
Jennifer Clayton 1 year ago
This was published by a psychologist who encouraged them to meet, only to realize there was no therapeutic reason for doing so. He had given in to curiosity.
#5
My mother worked in an asylum in Ireland when she was about 15. This was in the early 60s. She loved working there, despite the fact that some of the patients would physically try and kill her. One patient always stuck out to her, every day he would tell my mum he was going to kill her when she finished work. She knew he loved music, so would tell him she was out dancing that night, and could he wait until the next day, which he agreed to. The next day he would forget what he had said, and would threaten her again, and she'd say the say thing again. This went on for a couple of years that she worked there.
#6
I was brand new and was eating in the day room alone. an NA Meeting came in , even though ive never had addiction before I was too shy to leave. at the end of the Meeting an old man handed me a drawing of me he had just done. It was beautiful. He told me I caught his eye because I was the only person in the room who had any sunshine left. Tripped me out in a curious way.
"Some refuse to confide in others and some refuse to admit they have a problem at all. Nobody wants to be the 'crazy' person. There’s still a big 'get over it' attitude when it comes to mental health and I don’t believe it’s taken as seriously as it should be," the OP told Bored Panda.
"It’s labeled as something reserved for the homeless, the addicts, and the self-absorbed. The truth is if more people were properly educated on mental illness and funding was increased to treat those who currently suffer from it, we’d have much lower suicide rates as well as be able to diagnose and treat people much earlier in the development of their illnesses."
#7
The saddest thing ever. They had brought this lady with dementia in for a while. Her husband had just died and she was not doing well. We would be sitting in group and she would look up and say "I need to call Bob. He doesn't know where I am." Then they would ask her where Bob was, but she didn't know. And then they would tell her that he had died. She would break down and they would take her back to her room to rest.
And this happened like 10 times a day. I had to watch this lady learn that her husband had died over and over again. It was brutal.
Ann-Marie Bentley 1 year ago
That's against dementia protocol!! There is no benefit to telling someone with dementia that their loved ones have died. Most dementia facilities are told to distract or tell a white lie instead. Like he's out shopping we can't ring him right now. He knows where you are. It's kinder to go with their delusion as there is no getting better in dementia and grieving over and over again is not good for the person. It's cruel ! Please please next time she asks about her husband make something up then distract her with another subject. Reminding her of his death does not help her.
#8
Not super crazy.
Just.. odd.
Was with a bunch of teens on a pediatric ward but we all had special rooms by the nurses desk with shatterproof, wired glass so the nurses could always look in on us easily, and the bathrooms had no locks.
Myself and another girl were in for anorexia. Another guy was suicidal to the point where he couldn't have any cutlery but a plastic spoon for meals, no blankets, special pyjamas, etc. And then there was a young homeless guy who' d been hit by a car while squeegee-ing for change, so his leg was in a full cast...yet he still had a habit of sneaking around (in his wheel chair) and hoarding extra supplies from the kitchen, the kids' playroom, the nurses station, etc., so they kept him in one of the "psych" rooms.
We formed a weird little club, and would often play cards in a lounge area together. Conversations would go something like this:
Me: "Hey does anyone want this cheese? I snuck it into my pocket so Nurse thought I ate it."
Homeless Kid: "Mine! Dibs! Here, you can have these beads I swiped from Craft Time."
Other Anorexic: "I'll get you some ice cream and saltines if you find me some sewing gear. I'm gonna sew some batteries into my hair scrunchie for my next weigh-in day."
Suicidal Kid: "Do you think I'd die if could scoop my eyeball out with a spoon?"
And so on.
It was a very bizarro time in my life.
#9
Alright a little late to this but we’ll see, I spent time in a female mental hospital in Florida.
I was committed after attempting to kill myself. It was the right decision but holy f**k was that place horrible.
We had 2 wings. One was for violent people. And one was more like a daycare. I was initially put in the violent one, I stayed in it for months. Even though I should’ve been transferred. This is because my roommate. Who spoke tongue. Peed on me and I hit her. That move meant I spent months in the violent wing. It also meant I was to be restrained. And since they thought I peed myself, I also had to wear an adult diaper.
The craziest part about a mental hospital? How much power they have over you. One of the nurses was a f*****g psycho. She clearly enjoyed tormenting us. But guess what, no one believes the crazy girl who attacked another patient. There was one time I was getting my blood taken, the medical tech noticed I was in a clearly soiled diaper. He mentioned it to my nurse. And she says “I have 20 minutes after discovering a soiled diaper to change it”. He left, and she winked at me and left.
I was also sexually abused. By my roommate, by the nurses, by some random security guy. Once again, no one f*****g believes anything you say.
If you don’t have an advocate. A parent, spouse, even a therapist. They have complete control over you.
Tweed Jefferson 1 year ago (edited)
THIS!! The staff at these places are horrible. At best, they completely ignore the needs of the patients before dumping them out on the streets with no resources. So many kind, scared people being abuse by nurses with impunity. It's terrible. (USA)
According to u/N3SSDOGG, a great psychiatric hospital employee is someone who balances mental fortitude with kindness. You have to avoid getting too close to your patients while also staying empathetic.
"You have to have a strong mind to work this kind of job and too often than not, people leave the field because it’s too much to handle and can trigger their own trauma," they said.
"It’s easy to get close with patients and be manipulated or taken advantage of because you wanted to be nice. On the other hand, you don’t want to be cold and shut off. These people often don’t come from the best of places and to treat them as human beings and just listening to them might sound simple but could mean the world to a patient," the OP told us.
"At the end of the day, your priority is to take care of your patients and keep them safe, but a little kindness and understanding can go a long way."
#10
A doctor told me I was too fat to be in there and should come back when I actually look anorexic (I was already pretty underweight) and I was released hours after that.
#11
Inner city resident psychiatrist. Seen a lot of s**t!
-woman on meth brought into ED by police. Kept saying there was a devil in her vagina. It turned out to be a small (unplugged) hair straightener.
-old homeless dude who was convinced that the street cats were telling him to kill people
-young software engineer who became convinced that a girl he met at church camp was trying to communicate that she loved him thru a microchip he was convinced was implanted in his head. Had tried to stalk her and enter her house.
-big black dude who was convinced he was Bruce Lee. Would only talk to us if we called him Bruce and he would loudly be doing Kung fu moves in his room when not chatting with himself
-400lb dude smashed through the locked doors around 4am and was chased by staff thru the hospital, was only stopped when security barricaded the front doors of the hospital, he wanted to escape bc the Popeyes down the street had that new chicken sandwich
-guy addicted to smoking PCP literally ripped out his eyeball, believing something was behind it. We saw him in the medical hospital, dude was so chill about it too
-woman w no psych hx became convinced over time that someone was living inside the walls of her house. She would make cracks and holes in her walls trying to convince her family. Ended up drinking bleach.
-woman who was on the long-term unit decided to go on a hunger strike to kill herself bc she lost hope in getting better. We can't force foods on her, and the medical decision making fell onto her mom who hadn't spoken to her in 10 years. She refused placing a feeding tube to force food. Ultimately we had to place her into palliative care.
-guy who was stockpiling cogentin in his room, then always asking about it, bc he convinced it made his penis larger.
-woman who held staff in a standoff using a shower rod she ripped off the walls to use as nunchucks
-woman who would s**t into cups
-people with psychogenic polydipsia who would drink out of toilet bowls. We had to shut off their shower and toilet water.
THERE are just hundreds of more things we see everyday. It's hard to remember them all! It's never a dull day in the psych ward. It's a shame for the higher functioning depressed patients who are like "wtf have I gotten myself into".
#12
Did psych rounds as part of my nurse training. The story I'm gonna talk is about my friend's experience when she had psych rotations a month before mine.
Apparently, she had a patient who was sexually attracted to the Sun. The star of our system. Literally. She would lie on the floor, spread her legs, and get railed by the sun rays.
There are a lot of stigmas associated with mental illnesses, going to therapy, and having stayed at either a mental health unit or a psychiatric hospital. Many find it embarrassing to speak about their struggles, others might not want to appear weak or want to avoid ‘burdening’ others by broaching the subject at all.
Men, in particular, tend to have a hard time tackling these topics. According to a survey commissioned by the Priory Group, 77% of men have suffered common mental health symptoms like anxiety, stress, and depression. Meanwhile, 40% of men have never spoken to anyone about their mental health.
#13
There was a lady who thought she was an egg. She’d only eat small packets of Vegemite and would sleep in front of the nurses station.
She would growl if anyone talked to her.
Mick Casey 1 year ago
I think the puns and jokes here are really insensitive. These people are real people, not the brunt of a joke. That is exactly how freakshows happened in earlier times. These are people, not freaks or weirdos. They are real and believe what they believe.
#14
My brother-in-law had a stint in a psych ward a little over a year ago, and on a particularly manic day they were in the middle of the community room and started singing
“I have a structured settlement and I need cash now”
This was then met by about 40-50 psych patients shouting back
“CALL J.G. WENTWORTH!!! 877-CASH-NOW!!!”
After getting a few verses in the orderlies stepped in and kindly requested they stop, which was kinda a shame since it sounded like they were all having a good time.
#15
Spent some time in a juvenile psych ward when I was in my teens. I saw a kid rip off their own fingernails. And I don't mean like bite their nails and then rip the hangers off. It was full on grab the tip of their nail, then except force and peel the entire nail backwards, taking the whole nail off. They got the left thumb, left index, and left pinky off before an orderly stopped them. They were 14ish and did it all clinically and with not a wince of pain. Creepy as f**k.
***Why was I there? Because at the time people didn't know what to do with someone with autism.***
Psychiatric wards, aka mental health units, are facilities that exclusively focus on patients’ mental healthcare. Often, wards house patients with serious conditions, ranging from major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia to psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, and others. Patients are often given round-the-clock care and they’re observed 24/7. Psychiatric hospitals are different from wards in that they focus on long-term care while the latter focus on the short-term.
In mental health units, licensed medical professionals assess their patients, prescribe them medication, and offer them therapy, as well as various other treatments, like art, music, and pet therapy. Usually, patients are given their own rooms during their stay, but they spend time together with others in shared spaces.
#16
Most amazing: for some reason a piano was in the psych ward, a patient who never spoke started playing, she knew every piece by heart. The entire ward of psychotics, manics, and even staff went and sat in that room. Not a word was spoken for a good half hour.
Craziest: family members choking a patient because his sister gave another patient a blow job. A guy who thought he was Jesus convincing the entire ward to meet on the balcony to discuss ways of breaking out. A guy would run away every day, steal a car and drive back to the ward. People speaking in tongues- scary.
#17
When I was 19 and admitted the first time. I was anxious already, and could barely sleep the first night. My roommate was quiet, which didn't alarm me at first. The next day I went I to the common room, and talked to some people, and then later went back to my room, and found that my roommate had scribbled "find them" all over the walls, and was talking to herself. I was terrified and grabbed a nurse who tried to talk to her, but couldn't make any sense out of what she said, and I asked to stay in another room. I stayed in the restraint room that night by myself, and woke up the next morning to a fight in the hallway, and nurses running past my room. Apparently one guy pulled out his d**k infront of the wrong patient, and got punched. Then later that week, I was cornered by the same guy who pulled out his d**k, and asked if I wanted to have sex in the bathroom. I literally cried after that and was f*****g terrified, so I would say my whole first trip there.
#18
My best friend's mom was in temporarily we went to visit and there were 2 dudes, one thought he was Jesus one thought he was the devil they had major beef for serious. (Not a joke)
Disinforminationalisticalities 1 year ago
Why would they allow these two people to be in proximity of each other, unless to appease some sick desire for entertainment
Because of how serious a patient’s condition is, they’re often admitted to mental health units and hospitals involuntarily. Someone who might be having suicidal thoughts, harms themselves or others, abuses substances, and lives in constant anxiety may be admitted to a ward where they’ll receive the treatment that they need.
This can take anywhere from just a few days to several weeks or even longer, depending on the situation. Then, when the patient is no longer a threat to themselves or others, they can be allowed to leave. However, the medical professionals working there may decide that the patient may need further treatment before they can go back to their old lives.
#19
I was a security guard at one for about a month while I was in college. There was a really big dude in there, used to play amateur football. I'm not a doctor, I never asked what exactly he had going on that required him to be living full time in a mental health facility, but I did get a warning that he's had a few violent episodes.
All the exits between wings had magnetic locking doors. The magnets were STRONG. Three of us couldn't open the locked door if we tried.
One day *John* (not his real name) had a violent episode. Threw some stuff around a hallway and then went for the exit. I hit the door lock button and heard it clunk locked. John peeled that m**********r open like it was a windy day and walked outside. Turned himself back in the next day, no problems. That place did not pay me enough to try and stop a guy who could open a magnetic door, so I quit
#20
It was a temporary thing for an incident I don’t care to explain right now, but in the psych ward there was this kid, like, an actual kid. And he would always cry really loud late at night. During the day he started touching himself inappropriately and screaming his father's name. I guess he was r@ped for days straight and it messed up this kids head. I wish I could see how that kid is doing now, god bless his poor soul.
#21
I was a social worker at an institution that had a hall for what we called “lifers,” it was essentially for people who had no hopes of ever being released due to their conditions.
Anyway, my hall had 14 beds and it was full.
There was this one guy who was huge. He was 6’7 and about 350. His name was Simon. He suffered from drug-induced schizophrenia and had bipolar disorder.
He talked to himself all day, but never talked to others. All the other men in the ward were scared of him.
It was my day to do first shift. I got there early to start on some paperwork I needed to finish. When I got my keys in the door, I heard Simon hit the door with his fists. I looked through the tiny window on the door and he and the hall was covered in blood.
I panicked and called security for backup because I thought he had killed somebody.
Turns out, Simon was in the throes of an extreme manic episode and had managed to walk the literal soles of his feet off. Other medication he was on thinned his blood and led to him bleeding all over the place.
We checked the camera footage and he had walked and talked all night. The orderly (who was fired that day) had slept through his whole shift and never heard Simon walking back and forth.
Sanguinius 1 year ago (edited)
Worked in a jail for 4 years. Did a shift in the psychiatric area of our medical department once or twice. I remember the time when I watched a man dance naked in his cell for 12 hours straight. Had to escort the nurse to his cell to give him meds at one point. He calmly danced up to the slot in the door, took the cup with pills and the cup with water, flicked the pills over his shoulder, drank the water, and continued dancing.
#22
I visited the psych ward as a psychology student (part of a mandatory course) and spent a couple of days there practising interviewing patients. My personal worst memories are the old man who was catatonic and who could have died without anyone noticing for I don't know how long (he looked dead all the time); and the lady who kept picking the worms she hallucinated off her skin. I can’t imagine what it must be living like that, but it's heartbraking to watch.
I knew some of them could / had been violent, I knew the ward was locked for a good reason, but these two haunted me the most.
Mental health matters. Please take it seriously.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 1 year ago
😢 poor people. I’ve never personally had to go to a mental hospital but two of my closest friends have and they both said it was soul crushing as much as it was helpful.
#23
I was in one with people who were mostly in for suicidal ideation. One patient was a nice young girl who did not eat anything the entire week I was there. A few months later I was at the grocery store and she was working there but was getting fired by what looked like a horrible bully of a manager. Watching her walk to her car absolutely defeated broke my heart. I hope she is doing better now.
#24
I did my internship (master's degree in clinical psych) in the psych ward.
The thing that shocked me was nothing the patients did. It was the staff counselors and doctors. Fwiw, the nurses were great.
Talked about their patients' sexual attractiveness, guessed about sexual attributes, fantasized about them, etc. Mostly about the male patients, but both.
Gossiped about the famous patients and told me who they were and how many times they'd been in.
Denigrated and made fun of the eating disorder patients in particular, behind their backs.
Instead of making an effort to understand, they'd say things like "he's just a sad sack" "she's a spoiled brat" or whatever. These things were true sometimes, but I don't talk about my patients that way. There's a clinical term for "sad sack", and there's a reason I use it.
The environment was so unprofessional. I couldn't wait to be done.
#25
Not my story. My wife works as a nurse and spent some time in mental health units. A 60yo lady came in because she stopped taking her meds while travelling with her husband. She came out of her room, stood in front of the nurses station and started announcing to every person around her that she was the devil and also Jesus and that they needed to bow down and worship her. She proceeded to remove her hospital gown, wrapped it around her head in some kind of shawl and started bowing and chanting on the floor butt naked. Multiple visitors, including her husband were watching the whole thing. Nurses, including my wife, and her husband were trying to redirect her back to her room or put a blanket around her and she was just fighting everyone off. Her husband was so embarrassed he just stopped trying to redirect her and left.
Another one is a guy who was recently admitted was coming down off something and was constantly pestering the nurses to go out for a cigarette. You can’t smoke in a secure unit. He got sick of the nurses saying no, flew into a rage and in the process bit off his own finger. When the nurses came to help he was yelling at them “look what you made me do, you c*nts should’ve let me out for a smoke”. My wife had to pick his finger up off of the floor.
detective miller's hat 1 year ago
To the one nurse who snuck me into the stairwell every afternoon for a cigarette: I hope everything in your life is going exactly how you want it to.
#26
I work in a hospital that has a psychiatric unit and I am in the float pool so I get sent to that unit occasionally. Few months ago I was there a patient attacked one of the counselors, detached his eye from the socket and he is now blind on that side. 2nd craziest was someone eating their poop straight from the tap
#27
I've worked in one for about 2 years now. The staff are just as crazy.
Here's some highlights
Patient got into the ceiling, couldn't get them down for a while.
Patient milked themself into their coffee. Did you know some anti-psychotics make you lactate?
The entire adolescent unit escaping because maintenence forgot to lock the gate. Don't worry they all came back eventually.
And myself getting a concussion from a patient trying to escape, they weren't successful but at least I didn't work for 6 weeks.
detective miller's hat 1 year ago
I'm sorry, but the patient getting into the ceiling really made me LOL.
#28
Was admitted December 3 years ago.
Before that I had a sibling who was in and out of the care system for years prior.
She had ward mates, one of them was convinced he was the terminator, talked like him, dressed like him, carried round a banana for a shotgun.
Another lady was dancing around the room, sticking to the walls, then taking her clothes off, she tried touching several of the males on ward, before it was discovered her husband had just died a few days prior.
There was an old fella with super bad anxiety, but he was really nice, and at the hospital I was at they had an ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) ward. After his first session, he was unquestionable changed by the experience, no longer nice, but not horrible, he said he "just felt empty."
Strangest thing that happened to me, was probably making a person up, I was friends with a person called Chris, who apparently didn't exist. I'm not psychotic, which made it all the more odd. I think it was a coping mechanism.
Mostly though, what stuck with me, I met so many creative people, painters, poets, musicians, sculpters, dancers. People who I may never come across again, but we shared a few weeks of life together.
Monday 1 year ago (edited)
Electroconvulsive Therapy is such a weird thing. A friend of the family has bipolar disorder and this is her treatment of choice. She goes to stay at a psychiatric facility whenever one her "episodes" gets really bad and swears that ECT is the best thing in the world. It really does help keep her mood in check as for months after a treatment she'll be totally "normal"....but she's forgotten an episode in her life that's was quite traumatic and we can't tell if her brain simply repressed the memories or if the ECT had some effect on it.
#29
Worked security for an emergency behavioral health.
I saw many, many crazy things. Many sad things, many confusing things.
The one I shall share today is the woman who started throwing rocks at the window of the staff area.
Why do you let the patients have rocks, you ask?
We don’t. She smuggled them in. Inside herself. A substantial number of rocks, approximately golf ball sized.
#30
Not me, but a friend of mine that struggled earlier in life. He made a birdhouse for his mother and wanted to paint it red as it was her favorite color. But he never got to because one of the other patients would always drink the red paint before anyone could use it.
#32
I was supervising a patient overnight on a snowy December night. This guy *loved* Christmas. I mean, *loved* it. In the early morning hours, we got some calls from other units saying they were missing their Christmas trees. We wondered why they thought we knew where they went, until we saw trails in the snow of ornaments and artificial pine needles leading to his bedroom window. Upon opening his door, we discovered a forest of Christmas trees packed into his room, at least 6 or 7, with him giddily sitting in the middle of them. At some point he snuck out through his window and stole Christmas from everyone. How nobody including us heard him is still a mystery to me.
Another time, we had a group of three patients all strip completely naked, elope from the complex, and run two miles away to the local Police Department. The leader of the group did this more than once, and the police officers all knew her name and if they saw her, they simply met her out front and took her back.
Jennifer Clayton 1 year ago
Never heard of a psych facility where you could just open the window and run away.. And apparently you can just walk through wards with no one noticing?
#33
I used to work in a psych unit. I have two stories. The first was a gentleman that was diagnosed schizophrenic and was medicated. He decided to go camping without his meds and was found a couple weeks later completely detached from reality. He kept screaming that he was Jesus and that he was dead and he had to wait three days to rise. He refused to stand and walk because he was dead. We had to lift him on to a gurney and put him in four point restraints. A week or so later after being on his medication he was like any other person, completely normal.
The other, I don't know the backstory, they call "Code Armstrong" overhead if they need muscle. I heard the xall and me and five other guys were being coordinated to tackle and restrain this young 100 lb girl. Basically you take her legs, you take her torso, you go for arms, you go for head. We tackle her and she still managed to get her head loose and started just smashing her head on the wall until we could chemically sedate her. She nearly fought off 5 full grown men, I'll never forget that.
#34
Guy had a "tattoo" carved into his neck. Apparently he took a pen in his fist and repeatedly carved it into his skin right on his neck. It looked very scratchy and was still red despite it apparently being pretty old.
You know how really young kids grip a crayon in their fist and grind it against the paper really hard? If you made a fist with your left hand and put it below the left ear, that was exactly how he must have done it.
#35
I saw a man smear his s**t on the window of the room he was in with a dead eyed stare. Never gonna forget that sight.
What do you think ?
wowbagger 1 year ago
I worry about posts like this. A lot of people think of psych wards as horrible, scary places, and that can make them hesitant to reach out for help or speak honestly about suicidal ideation and other symptoms of mental illness because they're so afraid of being committed to a hospital. I personally have had 5 hospital stays in 4 different U.S. states, and all of my stays have been very positive and supportive experiences that I'm grateful for. I still remember many of the other patients; they're some of my favorite people to have met in life. I'm sure there were violent or highly unstable people in those same hospitals, but staff kept them segregated from the more functional people. I always had single rooms (even though I'm on public insurance). Most of the day consisted of group therapy sessions, individual therapy, medication management, exercise group, art therapy group, and quiet time. I'm not saying it was a luxury spa, and I hope I don't ever have to go back, but I'm not afraid
2picklesinabun 1 year ago (edited)
I've been in psych units before after attempting suicide (multiple times) in my 20's. I was very sad. Most people in the psych ward aren't crazy, just depressed and very very down. The worst I ever saw, was someone yelling about not getting their meds. It wasn't a crazy place full of chaos like this thread makes you believe. It is just a bunch of sad people, figuring out how to be ok enough to learn how to live again.
Androgyny Lunacy 1 year ago
I've been in the psych hospital several times. Notable encounters: This girl crapped all over the toilet seat. The chick in the room next to me threatened to kick my a*s because I overheard their plan (which they went through with) to rush a nurse. I met a guy who tried to commit suicide by chainsaw-ing himself. This one chick.. wore a hospital gown and took a c**p outside. This one dude crashed into a gas pump thinking he was batman and that by doing so he was saving Americans money. We used nicotine puff inhaler qthings and this guy said it smelled like when his uncle stuffed a dirty sock in his mouth. The worst was when they put kids in solitary when I was a kid and all we heard was screaming all night. Hmm that's all I can think of for now. Besides staff treating me like s**t and threatening to shoot me up with meds if I refused to take them.
Shane S 1 year ago
I follow a ‘holistic psychologist’ on social media who believes all mental illness can be cured by “resetting your nervous system” without medication. I really want to show her this article. How are you going to reset the nervous system of a mental patient who is cutting out his/her own eyeball?
Joshua David 1 year ago
In 1997 I spent 3 months in a place called "Passages" in Peru IL. The unit was attached inside an actual medical hospital but was locked in. Literally you'd see a new person every morning and most were cool and just not vibing with the card life dealt but there were others. Once in an evening group, there was a very old lady with her head on the table the who group right next to me. For the whole hour kept her head down and the last few minutes looked up and said "there's a froggy in my basement." Me being 18 and a lover of all creatures asked what its name was and she literally cold clocked me out of my chair with one fell swoop I was down.
Tyranamar Seuss 1 year ago
I am OK seeing stuff like this. Because there is a common misperception in the USA that people shouldn't be conserved. That it violates their Civil Rights. When you see very ill people you recognize that they have no idea that they're sick and don't have the capacity to make treatment decisions. When you treat them you can see them get amazingly better. But then they leave the hospital and stop their meds. It's part of why we have such a huge homeless crisis. And excessive healthcare costs. Hearing about just how bizarre some of this stuff is is good. But then understand, we are sending people with these very serious mental illnesses right back out on the streets. And there's very little doctors and families can do. I have one patient right now who is cycling in and out of the hospital every 2 weeks. Gets super sick super fast and gets way better really quick. No hospital will help us conserve her because she has food (can find stuff in the garbage), clothing, and shelter- a tent.
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Isa's left eye 1 year ago
I feel really bad for my friend who's been to a psych ward at least 3 times. I knew it was bad and the opposite of beneficial (for him, at least) but I never thought about other patients.
Ponyo (they/them) 1 year ago
i have been in over 30 psych hospitals/intensive programs for anywhere from 2 days to three years. i have yet to meet one person working there that have any sense of empathy. i was physically detained, given booty juice (injectable sedatives), and horribly abused multiple times for not wanting to or not being able to leave my room during a breakdown. i was 12 years old and weighed well under 100 pounds and stood at about 5’3. ANY adult could easily pick me up and carry me around, there was no reason behind what they did. when i told a nurse that i was scared of getting a feeding tube (i had dozens of feeding tubes and they never offered sedation or pain medication like they do with most patients bc i “wanted it” bc i had an ed) instead of telling me it was going to be ok, the nurse rolled her eyes and strapped me to a chair and had four men working as security come hold my head and neck still and they made it very clear they weren’t afraid to use their guns. 1/2
Ponyo (they/them) 1 year ago (edited)
i was raped by a nurse a 12 years old and nobody believed me. nurses and doctors would tell me to my face that i wouldn’t live long and if i did i would live a horrible life and that i should just give up. a nurse witnessed me attempt suicide and did nothing thinking she was “doing me a favor”. i was scolded and abused for involuntarily vomiting after i apologized countless times. i went months at a time having to use the bathroom in front of nurses while they looked straight at me and often laughed at me. i suffered abuse for waving to a girl who looked sad. i lost my walking “privileges” for having a breakdown in the day room. i had to go through “humiliation therapy”. i wasn’t allowed to talk to my parents. that’s only a small portion of what i can post on here without getting censored bc a lot of it is so graphic and horrific. i’m 15 now and most of this happened before i started the seventh grade. i get that they’re not all bad but a majority of them are and need to be shut down and the people working at the bad places should be in prison for what they did and what they allowed others to do by being a bystander
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Gecko lady 1 year ago
This might be a dumb question but, why d they give ppl roomates if the roommate could hurt the other person?
Salty.Hag 1 year ago
Also it's not a dumb question at all, i was asking the same exact thing.
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Tim Pierce 1 year ago
My mother suffered from schizophrenia, and ending up in a mental ward is my greatest fear. If I ever get dimensia or alzheimers, I only hope I don't realize it.
Rowan_the_raging_raven 1 year ago
2 things from my 2nd hospital stay (was there for a week) I was eating cornbread and it was rlly dry, without thinking I said loudly "this cornbread dryer than my mom's ashes" the weird looks I got 😬 Another one "Hey *my name* have you had your first kiss yet?" Me: "Uh no I haven't I dont really know if I even want to" (I'm asexual btw so yeah) The person: "I could change that" WE SHARED A ROOM I WAS FREAKING TERRIFIED
Blue_Mouse 1 year ago
I’ve been in multiple places but one time in a long term girls only residential, one girl asked to have her nair. She came out of the bathroom and she had drank all of it. It was crazy. They took her to the er and I never saw her again. Hope she is doing better
Tyranamar Seuss 1 year ago
I had a man who thought he was Jesus, found having sex with a prostitution in a store window, who asked for a Koran and pornography. He also masturbated non-stop. Also, one day, in the psychiatric ER, we had a man who had painted himself silver, with flippers, googles, snorkel and gone swimming in a local fountain; a man who had painted himself red; and a man who had painted himself blue- all on the same day. Silver man had his 3 year old daughter with him. We had to have her taken by CPS. That man was in and out of our ER all the time.
Stacey Bunnah 1 year ago
Psych ward I had a man that liked to stand over me while I slept... the attendees had to pay attention to my door. The other guy my age tried to kiss me and gave me a hand drawn picture of a headless bunny- the next day I got the head
Zane Lumagrowl 1 year ago
I was in a psych facility for a week a few years back. Was in the wing with the other non-violent folks and it was actually quite pleasant, the nurses and social workers were very kind and the food was fantastic. There was one guy who went off his rocker though. He was convinced that his ex wife had him sent there to be dissected by the government and kept shouting at the staff, demanding to speak to his lawyer, the DA, the president... one day he got so mad he just picked up a table and slammed it into the wall. Security had to come get him... Didn't see him again after that.
Isa 1 year ago
Have y guys thought over the possibility of some of these people being actually possessed.Like speaking to themselves,hearing voices,possessing unnatural strength can also point out to it.In India these things happen a lot ,it is most likely mental but we can't rule out the possibility.
censorshipsucks 1 year ago
no, because ghosts don't exist, nor do gods. This is brain malfunction.
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Alecto76 1 year ago
A couple years ago, I had an incident and was placed in a psych hold. No one there was really getting the help they needed, but the staff and the other patients were all very sweet and friendly. In the group, the female patients were mostly subdued, chatting over coffee. The male patients would suddenly create all kinds of chaos simultaneously. My favorite chaos-maker was Dancing Al - he would insist on taking off his shirt and showing the room his dance routine. The staff would try to corral him, but usually just let him finish his routine. Losing your autonomy and gaining the stigma is of course awful, but it was actually a quite peaceful week.
Scribbles 1 year ago
Psych RN here- had a guy a few years ago use his nails to open up his s*****m so his testicles were completely exposed. He was taken to medical, sewn back up and brought back to psych. He had to wear mittens that kept him from clawing at himself when he got back.
Tyranamar Seuss 1 year ago
We had one guy who cut his own arm off. It was reattached. He woke up in post-op and was horrified to see it back. He ripped it off again.
Load More Replies...
wowbagger 1 year ago
I worry about posts like this. A lot of people think of psych wards as horrible, scary places, and that can make them hesitant to reach out for help or speak honestly about suicidal ideation and other symptoms of mental illness because they're so afraid of being committed to a hospital. I personally have had 5 hospital stays in 4 different U.S. states, and all of my stays have been very positive and supportive experiences that I'm grateful for. I still remember many of the other patients; they're some of my favorite people to have met in life. I'm sure there were violent or highly unstable people in those same hospitals, but staff kept them segregated from the more functional people. I always had single rooms (even though I'm on public insurance). Most of the day consisted of group therapy sessions, individual therapy, medication management, exercise group, art therapy group, and quiet time. I'm not saying it was a luxury spa, and I hope I don't ever have to go back, but I'm not afraid
2picklesinabun 1 year ago (edited)
I've been in psych units before after attempting suicide (multiple times) in my 20's. I was very sad. Most people in the psych ward aren't crazy, just depressed and very very down. The worst I ever saw, was someone yelling about not getting their meds. It wasn't a crazy place full of chaos like this thread makes you believe. It is just a bunch of sad people, figuring out how to be ok enough to learn how to live again.
Androgyny Lunacy 1 year ago
I've been in the psych hospital several times. Notable encounters: This girl crapped all over the toilet seat. The chick in the room next to me threatened to kick my a*s because I overheard their plan (which they went through with) to rush a nurse. I met a guy who tried to commit suicide by chainsaw-ing himself. This one chick.. wore a hospital gown and took a c**p outside. This one dude crashed into a gas pump thinking he was batman and that by doing so he was saving Americans money. We used nicotine puff inhaler qthings and this guy said it smelled like when his uncle stuffed a dirty sock in his mouth. The worst was when they put kids in solitary when I was a kid and all we heard was screaming all night. Hmm that's all I can think of for now. Besides staff treating me like s**t and threatening to shoot me up with meds if I refused to take them.
Shane S 1 year ago
I follow a ‘holistic psychologist’ on social media who believes all mental illness can be cured by “resetting your nervous system” without medication. I really want to show her this article. How are you going to reset the nervous system of a mental patient who is cutting out his/her own eyeball?
Joshua David 1 year ago
In 1997 I spent 3 months in a place called "Passages" in Peru IL. The unit was attached inside an actual medical hospital but was locked in. Literally you'd see a new person every morning and most were cool and just not vibing with the card life dealt but there were others. Once in an evening group, there was a very old lady with her head on the table the who group right next to me. For the whole hour kept her head down and the last few minutes looked up and said "there's a froggy in my basement." Me being 18 and a lover of all creatures asked what its name was and she literally cold clocked me out of my chair with one fell swoop I was down.
Tyranamar Seuss 1 year ago
I am OK seeing stuff like this. Because there is a common misperception in the USA that people shouldn't be conserved. That it violates their Civil Rights. When you see very ill people you recognize that they have no idea that they're sick and don't have the capacity to make treatment decisions. When you treat them you can see them get amazingly better. But then they leave the hospital and stop their meds. It's part of why we have such a huge homeless crisis. And excessive healthcare costs. Hearing about just how bizarre some of this stuff is is good. But then understand, we are sending people with these very serious mental illnesses right back out on the streets. And there's very little doctors and families can do. I have one patient right now who is cycling in and out of the hospital every 2 weeks. Gets super sick super fast and gets way better really quick. No hospital will help us conserve her because she has food (can find stuff in the garbage), clothing, and shelter- a tent.
Load More Replies... Isa's left eye 1 year ago
I feel really bad for my friend who's been to a psych ward at least 3 times. I knew it was bad and the opposite of beneficial (for him, at least) but I never thought about other patients.
Ponyo (they/them) 1 year ago
i have been in over 30 psych hospitals/intensive programs for anywhere from 2 days to three years. i have yet to meet one person working there that have any sense of empathy. i was physically detained, given booty juice (injectable sedatives), and horribly abused multiple times for not wanting to or not being able to leave my room during a breakdown. i was 12 years old and weighed well under 100 pounds and stood at about 5’3. ANY adult could easily pick me up and carry me around, there was no reason behind what they did. when i told a nurse that i was scared of getting a feeding tube (i had dozens of feeding tubes and they never offered sedation or pain medication like they do with most patients bc i “wanted it” bc i had an ed) instead of telling me it was going to be ok, the nurse rolled her eyes and strapped me to a chair and had four men working as security come hold my head and neck still and they made it very clear they weren’t afraid to use their guns. 1/2
Ponyo (they/them) 1 year ago (edited)
i was raped by a nurse a 12 years old and nobody believed me. nurses and doctors would tell me to my face that i wouldn’t live long and if i did i would live a horrible life and that i should just give up. a nurse witnessed me attempt suicide and did nothing thinking she was “doing me a favor”. i was scolded and abused for involuntarily vomiting after i apologized countless times. i went months at a time having to use the bathroom in front of nurses while they looked straight at me and often laughed at me. i suffered abuse for waving to a girl who looked sad. i lost my walking “privileges” for having a breakdown in the day room. i had to go through “humiliation therapy”. i wasn’t allowed to talk to my parents. that’s only a small portion of what i can post on here without getting censored bc a lot of it is so graphic and horrific. i’m 15 now and most of this happened before i started the seventh grade. i get that they’re not all bad but a majority of them are and need to be shut down and the people working at the bad places should be in prison for what they did and what they allowed others to do by being a bystander
Load More Replies... Gecko lady 1 year ago
This might be a dumb question but, why d they give ppl roomates if the roommate could hurt the other person?
Salty.Hag 1 year ago
Also it's not a dumb question at all, i was asking the same exact thing.
Load More Replies... Tim Pierce 1 year ago
My mother suffered from schizophrenia, and ending up in a mental ward is my greatest fear. If I ever get dimensia or alzheimers, I only hope I don't realize it.
Rowan_the_raging_raven 1 year ago
2 things from my 2nd hospital stay (was there for a week) I was eating cornbread and it was rlly dry, without thinking I said loudly "this cornbread dryer than my mom's ashes" the weird looks I got 😬 Another one "Hey *my name* have you had your first kiss yet?" Me: "Uh no I haven't I dont really know if I even want to" (I'm asexual btw so yeah) The person: "I could change that" WE SHARED A ROOM I WAS FREAKING TERRIFIED
Blue_Mouse 1 year ago
I’ve been in multiple places but one time in a long term girls only residential, one girl asked to have her nair. She came out of the bathroom and she had drank all of it. It was crazy. They took her to the er and I never saw her again. Hope she is doing better
Tyranamar Seuss 1 year ago
I had a man who thought he was Jesus, found having sex with a prostitution in a store window, who asked for a Koran and pornography. He also masturbated non-stop. Also, one day, in the psychiatric ER, we had a man who had painted himself silver, with flippers, googles, snorkel and gone swimming in a local fountain; a man who had painted himself red; and a man who had painted himself blue- all on the same day. Silver man had his 3 year old daughter with him. We had to have her taken by CPS. That man was in and out of our ER all the time.
Stacey Bunnah 1 year ago
Psych ward I had a man that liked to stand over me while I slept... the attendees had to pay attention to my door. The other guy my age tried to kiss me and gave me a hand drawn picture of a headless bunny- the next day I got the head
Zane Lumagrowl 1 year ago
I was in a psych facility for a week a few years back. Was in the wing with the other non-violent folks and it was actually quite pleasant, the nurses and social workers were very kind and the food was fantastic. There was one guy who went off his rocker though. He was convinced that his ex wife had him sent there to be dissected by the government and kept shouting at the staff, demanding to speak to his lawyer, the DA, the president... one day he got so mad he just picked up a table and slammed it into the wall. Security had to come get him... Didn't see him again after that.
Isa 1 year ago
Have y guys thought over the possibility of some of these people being actually possessed.Like speaking to themselves,hearing voices,possessing unnatural strength can also point out to it.In India these things happen a lot ,it is most likely mental but we can't rule out the possibility.
censorshipsucks 1 year ago
no, because ghosts don't exist, nor do gods. This is brain malfunction.
Load More Replies... Alecto76 1 year ago
A couple years ago, I had an incident and was placed in a psych hold. No one there was really getting the help they needed, but the staff and the other patients were all very sweet and friendly. In the group, the female patients were mostly subdued, chatting over coffee. The male patients would suddenly create all kinds of chaos simultaneously. My favorite chaos-maker was Dancing Al - he would insist on taking off his shirt and showing the room his dance routine. The staff would try to corral him, but usually just let him finish his routine. Losing your autonomy and gaining the stigma is of course awful, but it was actually a quite peaceful week.
Scribbles 1 year ago
Psych RN here- had a guy a few years ago use his nails to open up his s*****m so his testicles were completely exposed. He was taken to medical, sewn back up and brought back to psych. He had to wear mittens that kept him from clawing at himself when he got back.
Tyranamar Seuss 1 year ago
We had one guy who cut his own arm off. It was reattached. He woke up in post-op and was horrified to see it back. He ripped it off again.
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