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Magnate
Member Since Jun 2018
Location: Canada
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#1
Just an observation but it seems to me everyone tends to stay away from the psych ward and fails to visit their friends and loved ones. This both saddens and irritates me.
I have always been fortunate with several visitors daily when I have been in. However, I note that most everyone else is terribly terribly alone. Even spouses don't bother to show up. It makes me cry. I right now have two people in the hospital who I have been visiting and attending daily. They have no one else. No one there seems to have anyone. Anytime I am there I appear to be the only visitor in the entire ward. Why? Are people that uncaring? Self absorbed? Scared perhaps? Do you think staff ought to get involved and demand people actually show up? |
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Bill3, bpcyclist, SlumberKitty, TunedOut
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bpcyclist
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#2
I think there is still a lot of stigma involving psychiatric care. So while someone may feel comfortable going to the hospital to visit someone who had surgery for example, they don't feel comfortable going to a psych hospital to visit. And then there is a whole group of people who don't like hospitals period. But I think it is sad that more people don't have visitors when they really could use the support and friendship of loved ones at that time.
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Bill3, bpcyclist
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*Beth*
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#3
I agree with slumberkitty. I think it's a combination of stigma and being really uncomfortable with the idea of a psych hospitalization, and maybe fearing not knowing what to say.
I've been IP 3 times, and never had any visitors. When I was in one time, there were a couple of poeple who had visitors but they were always close family and they never stayed on the ward, they always went out for coffee, but most people didn't get any visitors. I think it's sad. splitimage |
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*Beth*, bpcyclist
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*Beth*
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Poohbah
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#4
__________________ My gummy-bear died. My unicorn ran away. My imaginary friend got kidnapped. The voices in my head aren't talking to me. Oh no, I'm going sane! |
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Elder Harridan x-hankster
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#5
I once called a friend at the urging of another friend. The friend in the hospital explained to me he was there to get away from his current environment and to please leave him alone. I didnt want visitors the last time i was in a hospital for physical health reasons. So maybe different people have different needs.
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yagr
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Magnate
Member Since Jun 2018
Location: Canada
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#6
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Magnate
Member Since Jun 2018
Location: Canada
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#7
I suppose I just don't get the fear factor. But that is me not them. Yes, I too believe it is stigma that is a reason. A shame that in this day and age we live in that kind of world. I get so upset by this. I want to grab the family member and give their head a shake.
The two I visit perk up with joy when they see me which is great. What isn't is seeing those already sad then get disappointed. I think not visiting a friend and loved one is cruel. |
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bpcyclist
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bpcyclist, TunedOut, unaluna
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#8
I wonder if people realize that it is permitted and welcomed to visit patients who are in the psych ward.
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unaluna
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Magnate
Member Since Oct 2018
Location: USA
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#9
You are assuming every patient wants visitors. Or, perhaps family is one of the reasons they are there and not having contact is perhaps better. I only allowed my husband to visit, and there were times I asked him not to come because I just wasn’t up to visiting. Some patients never tell anyone they are going inpatient. Lots of factors.
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FluffyPuppy
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Bill3, mwaxy, susannahsays, unaluna
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Magnate
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#10
But often it is fully up to the patient to specify visitation. In my hospital, no one could even know you were admitted without your specific permission much less get on the floor for visitation. In fact, even my husband had to have a specific code that I gave him to even call the floor and ask to speak with me. Security can be very tight for privacy and safety.
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Bill3, susannahsays, TunedOut, unaluna
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#11
I called the people I wanted to call. I only gave my code out to 2 people so they could call me. Normally I prefer NOT to have ANYONE visit. Including family. That's me.
Even in the regular hospital I prefer not to have visitors. If family visits I prefer them to be very short and infrequent. |
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bpcyclist, SlumberKitty, unaluna
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mwaxy, unaluna
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#12
For shorter hospitalizations, I can understand maybe wanting some privacy and not to have many/any visitors. In longer stays, though, as the months march on, loneliness and isolation can become a real problem. My longest hospitalizations was considerably longer than a year and virtually no one visited. I felt forgotten, unloved, and unwanted. Like a piece of garbage discarded. We have invisible diseases that do not show up on any CAT scan. A substantial number of people do, in fact, actually blame us for our diseases. Like, if we were just 'stronger,' none of this would have ever happened. Maybe some day that will change.
__________________ When I was a kid, my parents moved a lot, but I always found them--Rodney Dangerfield |
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Bill3, TunedOut, WishfulThinker66
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#13
Oh but @WishfulThinker66, didn't you know? Mental illness is contagious. One droplet from our crazy mouths can contaminate a whole room full of normal sane people.
__________________ "I carried a watermelon?" President of the no F's given society. |
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Magnate
Member Since Jun 2018
Location: Canada
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#14
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sarahsweets
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Magnate
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#15
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Bill3, bpcyclist
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#16
I know. There is just so much ignorance about mental illness. People are scared of us. They think we're all dangerous. Like I said, they want to blame us. Many of them I believe don't know what to do and the default position is then to do nothing. Because it has gotten so very much press over the years, addiction--at least in the States--is really very widely accepted as a thing people can recover from, even by regular lay people. Maybe someday, we can get to that place with mental illness, too. I'm not holding my breath.
__________________ When I was a kid, my parents moved a lot, but I always found them--Rodney Dangerfield |
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Bill3
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#17
I never have wanted visitors. I don't want anyone seeing me psychotic or severely manic. I'd just rather them know I'm ill and when next they see me I'm doing better. Privacy is crucial to me.
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Bill3, bpcyclist, SlumberKitty
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Bill3, Polibeth
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#18
I have an interesting take. I've been hospitalized a number of times. Last time I was inpatient over about a month ago I told the hospital not to allow my own mother to visit. Because sometimes a visitor or family member may be a contributing factor you're in a situation where you've had to be in a psych ward. My mom involuntarily admitted me and she was sick herself at the time with her own mental illnesses.
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#19
I'm kind of the opposite. I don't want visitors when I'm admitted to the psych hospital. I'm usually manic and psychotic. I don't want anyone in my outside life remembering me as being as sick as I am when in patient. I just want them to think I got sick and when next they see me I'm fine. I like being isolated.
When I was undergoing cancer treatment I allowed visitors. All I kept praying was that I didn't throw up in front of them. Sometimes I was so ill I didn't want to talk. No fun for them and not helpful to me. |
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#20
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This was decades ago. __________________ Now if thou would'st When all have given him o'er From death to life Thou might'st him yet recover -- Michael Drayton 1562 - 1631 |
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