Voluntary Hosp. Admission Uk?

[Cin]

Hi all, I was just wondering does the UK do voluntary admission into hosp.? and what are the terms and conditions of going in and coming out, and for how long?Getting turned away is the last thing i want.but if there is no help fair enough...

Cin

[Nightvision]

I believe that theoretically one does have the right to admit oneself into hospital - according to the mental health act 1983 you can be detained if you are deemed to be 'at risk of harming yourself or others', but it's usually up to other people such as a GP or Social worker to assess the 'risk' and define what is meant by 'harm'. Also it seems a lot depends on the area you are in, mental health services vary around the country and some appear more exacting in their standards for admission than others, just as some hospitals are simply better environments than others.

In any case, if you are in crisis, the first port of call is to get a GP's referral (which you would sometimes need to use a GP's out of hours services for) and then if the GP thinks it necessary they refer you in for an urgent assessment the same day or night. That's the way it works where I live, anyway.

You must be in a very low place to be considering what is a pretty drastic step. I wish you well, let us know how you are getting on.

Info for you:

Mind guide to The Mental Health Act 1983

Mind guide to Hospital admission

[kib0ne]

I think it depends on the ethos of your mental health team to a certain extent. If you really feel its necessary then you can only try, but I'd be very clear about your motives before you're assessed. Have you been admitted on Section before?

[dolita]

i've lived in 4 different areas of this country, had total mental breakdowns in all of them and never once been hospitalised (apart from suicide attempts where i was discharged asap). basically, i think if you're sane enough to know you need help, you're not going to get in. my mum works in a mental health ward and basically you have to be being a serious threat to others to get anywhere near a hospital.

go to the gp and you'll probably get referred to a crisis team. they'll refer you to someone else. this will all take months, during which time, if you're anything like me, you'll have gone loop de loop again and run away somewhere else where you'll have to start the whole process again. that, at least, has been my experience. i'm sticking to it this time, because i can't cope with my life being in perma-disaster mode.

sorry that sounds so pessimisitc, but there's so few spaces in mental health wards and while, theoretically, you SHOULD be able to get in if you're a risk to yourself, i, and many of my uni friends, know different. in the nhs it's all about trying to pass you off onto someone else's waiting list.

[drew]

i dont think its easy to self admit

[Pebble_4444]

Hey there,

I was admitted to a mental health hospital the week after my 18 birthday because my GP considered I was a risk to myself. That time I had no choice. But I was in crisis again just before Christmas (now 19) and I asked me therapist if she would consider hospital admission and she said she would talk to my psychiatrist. That evening I got a phone call from my social worker saying there was a bed for me and she would come and collect me and take me there. I was admitted that night and spent 4 weeks there. It helped a bit but to be honest I am no better than I was before and have even relapsed on certain things. The area I live in does have fairly good mental health services luckily... and they do listen if you really feel you need that level of help. So its not impossible to admit yourself but you really need to be aware what you are signing up for and remember it is a short term fix for a crisis, not a long term solution.

Hope you feel much better soon

Katie XXXX

[yorkiegal73]

I was admitted in november as an 'informal' patient for four weeks following an overdose. I didn't want to go in but was given the option of being voluntary with advice that if i didn't say yes it would be a section. Once you're in there you can't just leave. You have to ask for a review, which means a psychiatrist has to come that day to see you. I did that on day three and was told again that I'd be sectioned if I insisted on leaving. So there's nothing really voluntary about it. In retrospect I'm glad they convinced me to stay as I needed to be there. As far as getting yourself admitted goes, too many people feel they have to resort to an OD just to get themselves heard. Not that I'm reccommending that at all, but now that I'm thinking more clearly I think that's what was behind my attempt. It doesn't work by the way. After a few weeks they chuck you out with only the most basic of after care (one follow up appointment with a cpn) and there's no therapy on the ward at all.

I prefer to be at home with the help of the crisis line and my gp where possible.

[wordsmithy]

i've done it before.

i um, i have essentially three options when in this situation.

1. a referral to a mh crisis respite place.

2. i can have the crisis team visit me at home, as much as everyday or because of family stuff i can visit them at their place.

3. admittance on the psych ward as an voluntary inpatient.

usaully i do no' 1.

i've been on the psych ward, i went through my crisis team and because i admitted i would not tell anyone at the respite place (if i went there instead) if i was going to do something risky, they agreed i should be admitted on to the psych ward.

i was there for four weeks with some home leave in the last two weeks. apparently, according to my crisi i should have only stayed there for a week, but obviously i seemed to need more as my consultant psychiatrist thought i needed to be there for a month.

i think if you already have a crisis team (or similar), go through them first, if you have psych/therapist/counsellor/asw/keryworker at your cmht go through them. and also you could speak to you gp and tell them honestly what you are going through (if you are going through a time when you need a residential stay), and then get you will be reffred to help you need, should you need it.

hope you are ok.

- edit. i also forgot, that if you have no access to any of these people, then you could go to your emergency department at your local (general hospital) and they'll help you sort it out. although this would be risky for me to do because personally i dont know the people who work at the general hosp.

[leedavid08]

Hallo,

Being a bit melodramatic now, if you turned up at any healthcare establishment stating you were going to harm yourself or had the intent of doing so to others they would under the conditions and duty of care act have to put some form of intervention in place.

What mental health support system do you currently have? GP, CPN(Comm. Psychiatric Nurse), Psychiatrist, Psychologist etc).

I think the question on my mind here as someone who's received training in this field is what are your motives for wanting to be admitted onto a ward; many people are under the illusion that once in hospital you begin to receive intense treatment right away and it continues until you're doing cartwheels and shouting from the rooftops how great life is. You have to remember the NHS, particularly mental health at the moment, is vastly under-funded and beds are few and far between. So admissions are done on a graded scale (Immediate and severe risk to self or others, right the way through to low/no risk to self or others).

Incase I missed your point mental health admissions work like this. If you are admitted informally (i.e. by your own free will) you may leave as and when you leave - however, if you are deemed to be at risk (for example if they think you're off to the local train track and not for some trainspotting) you can be detained under the Mental health act (often called Sectioning or 'being commited').

To summarise like I say going in to hospital is certainly no quick fix, and psychiatric wards are very unpleasant places to be. You're likely to be there for a few months at least if your needs are such.

Looking at your profile you're from North London the number for the N. London CMHT (community mental health team) is: 020 3214 5700; give them a ring, they'll talk to you for a while asking a few basic questions and if they deem you to be unsafe will advice you therein.

Here's a few other numbers worth noting:

MIND (mental health charity): 0845 766 0163

The Samaritans (again another brilliant, anonymous service): 08457 90 90 90Y

The Samaritans Email service: jo@samaritans.org

Also in my signature is my MSN/Email address, feel free to contact me at any time if you just need a chat. All the best!

x

[eman]

Hi All,

Can anyone who has been hospitalized talk about what it is like.

IE, I've read the snake pitt & I want to make sure that I am not going to be raped / electroshocked / force fed drugs & so forth, if I admit myself.

Cheers.

[tripper]

As a voluntary patient in Australia (not sure about UK) you have the right to refuse some treatments (like electroshock, meds, etc) as they have to gain informed consent for these procedures.

Unfortunately if you do go in voluntarily and you have a medication regime in place, you cannot refuse to take your meds simply because you don't want to, in that case they will almost certainly use force depending on the situation.

Rapes in hospitals sadly no occur but it is in the low minority. I've never once that I am aware of been dealt with inappropriately by nursing staff or doctors. The patients sometimes you may need to be wary of, as yes on my ward there were convicted sex offenders but they are generally watched very closely.

[yorkiegal73]

Hi All,

Can anyone who has been hospitalized talk about what it is like.

IE, I've read the snake pitt & I want to make sure that I am not going to be raped / electroshocked / force fed drugs & so forth, if I admit myself.

Cheers.

Hi Eman,

I think one hospital can be very different from another. I saw a documentary a while ago, where patients didn't have their own rooms and only had a curtain for privacy on mixed wards. I was lucky. We have a great hospital here, mostly single rooms, nice tv room, smoke room, art materials and games if needed etc. I had no problems with it being a mixed ward. There were always plenty of staff on hand if I felt unsafe. I didn't think much to the occupational therapy, which was limited to keep fit or drawing, and it was generally just the student nurses who showed any interest in chatting. Most people behaved themselves and those who didn't were threatened with the special ward upstairs which was apparantly all plastic cutlery and no cigarette lighters etc.

I quite liked it there, which in itself is a bad thing as I ended up taking another overdose just to extend my stay. Couldn't cope with being alone at home. Luckily they figured that out and tended to ignore me if I had a strop. The only time I've ever felt unsafe was in my first visit when i was just 18. A patient who'd been violent the night before and sedated, emerged from his room the next morning whilst i was walking past, and exposed himself to me. As a rather naieve 18 yr old, i found that quite distressing. I don't think mixed wards work for teenagers.

I had my follow up appointment yesterday and couldn't wait to get out of the place. Doc was very pleased with how well i'm doing and discharged me!

[icu_baby]

i've lived in 4 different areas of this country, had total mental breakdowns in all of them and never once been hospitalised (apart from suicide attempts where i was discharged asap). basically, i think if you're sane enough to know you need help, you're not going to get in. my mum works in a mental health ward and basically you have to be being a serious threat to others to get anywhere near a hospital.

go to the gp and you'll probably get referred to a crisis team. they'll refer you to someone else. this will all take months, during which time, if you're anything like me, you'll have gone loop de loop again and run away somewhere else where you'll have to start the whole process again. that, at least, has been my experience. i'm sticking to it this time, because i can't cope with my life being in perma-disaster mode.

sorry that sounds so pessimisitc, but there's so few spaces in mental health wards and while, theoretically, you SHOULD be able to get in if you're a risk to yourself, i, and many of my uni friends, know different. in the nhs it's all about trying to pass you off onto someone else's waiting list.

Dolita, thats interesting. How long were you detained after your suicide attempts?

My first serious suicide attempt in which I was at deaths door I was not even detained (except in the ED) and on my second serious suicide attempt I was detained for only 3 days because I acted normally and was well presented and had good eye contact with the psychiatrists.

They really do emphasis on just detaining until the crisis is resolved but in my opinion alot of people who need help are discharged prematurely and then you get this revolving door situation happening.

[icu_baby]

I was admitted in november as an 'informal' patient for four weeks following an overdose. I didn't want to go in but was given the option of being voluntary with advice that if i didn't say yes it would be a section. Once you're in there you can't just leave. You have to ask for a review, which means a psychiatrist has to come that day to see you. I did that on day three and was told again that I'd be sectioned if I insisted on leaving. So there's nothing really voluntary about it. In retrospect I'm glad they convinced me to stay as I needed to be there. As far as getting yourself admitted goes, too many people feel they have to resort to an OD just to get themselves heard. Not that I'm reccommending that at all, but now that I'm thinking more clearly I think that's what was behind my attempt. It doesn't work by the way. After a few weeks they chuck you out with only the most basic of after care (one follow up appointment with a cpn) and there's no therapy on the ward at all.

I prefer to be at home with the help of the crisis line and my gp where possible.

I love it...that is circular reasoning to the core - we are going to force you to accept voluntary admission and if you don't we will section you...sounds like you had no choice here to me but I am glad your hospitalisation was helpful to you. If you read my topic in the borderline forum on involuntary hospitalisaion you will see I was far from helped but suffering from ptsd from my 3 day experience...and I got one follow up appointment. The ideal situation would be to remain free at home with extensive outpatient treatment. Your right there is no therapy on the ward, the psychiatrists just assess you and its basically a holding area, a very dull and boring environment. You could almost die of boredom, excuse the pun!

I agree with you, people do terrible things to themselves like OD to get themselves heard and its very sad, prevention is much better than cure, its an old adage but its true. Why is it that people have no problems going to the doctor and getting treated for psysical illnesses. Is our soicety saying something about mental illness, that it is somehow not as serious as a physical illness?

Icu_baby

[icu_baby]

Hi All,

Can anyone who has been hospitalized talk about what it is like.

IE, I've read the snake pitt & I want to make sure that I am not going to be raped / electroshocked / force fed drugs & so forth, if I admit myself.

Cheers.

If you want to read about my experience as an involuntary patient see the forum under borderline personality disorder. In brief the first night I had a "hissy fit" after being transfered to the mental ward from ICU. I was so frightened to go I had to be taken there strapped to a strecher. I will never forget how humiliating that was. I was in the acute ward by the way, so keep this in mind, if you admit yourself you have more control over your treatment. Anyway, at 11.00pm its "bedtime" and the living room is closed off by this big security wall so basically you have no where to walk but a corridor where your single rooms are. Being quite autonmous and feeling somewhat "confined" I had a hissy fit and four nurses locked me in my room. I thought to myself, fine they have the power to lock me my room, but I also have the power to lock them OUT OF MY room, thereby equalising the power struggle between them and myself.

I pushed the bed to the door to lock them out. I thought that that was a brilliant idea! They didn't see it that way but saw it as manipulative behaviour. They forced it open. Then they gave me two pills to swallow and I successfully hid one under my tongue but spat the other out because of the bitter taste. Without warning, and this really scars me to this day (happened two months ago) the two mail nurses held me down and I was forcibly given an injection in my behind. I think I screamed out something like "go to hell". I was given another injection but in my leg later on.

I was also thrown in seclusion (this all happened in the same night btw) and after the first 30 seconds of sheer panic I got the matress (the only thing in a bear room) and used it to block there view of me so I could get some privacy. Again I was trying to regain a sense of control. I slept and I don't know how long I was in there to this day (whether it was 10 mins or 2 hours I really have no idea) but when the door opened this bitch of a nurse told me I could get out now and I told her she rudely woke me up and I was enjoying my nap and then they forced me out of the seclusion room and put me in my normal room. I later learnt that its protocol to "debrief" a patient as to why they were put in seclusion and the nurses didn't do that to me, I was told nothing and consider this a violation of my right. I saw seclusion as punishment for my behaviour and not as a treatment.

In the morning though I was met by this lovely nurse (there was a staff change over) and the next 2.5 days were pleasant. I also had a great psychiatrist.

In terms of feeling safe from sexual abuse there is a danger there but the nurses are mindful of this and my door was locked from the outside so I could get out but no one could come into my room at night.

So here is my experience, in short I feel like I need psychotherapy to get over the trauma of being involuntarily committed - this is the irony.

Thanks for reading my story.

icu_baby

[eman]

Hi all,

Thank you everybody so much for replying & being brave enough to share your stories. I really, really appreciate it. I still haven't decided whether or not I need to admit myself, but it helps a lot to have an idea of what to expect.

Cheers,

E

[yorkiegal73]

just remembered the other thing i hated about being in hospital. the enforced midnight bedtime! i missed the ending of so many good films thanks to that! as a night owl i really struggled with this and usually ended up standing with my head tilted at a 90 degree angle whilst i tried to smoke a clandestine cigarette out of the small gap in the window. The nurses said it would give me an opportunity to develop regular sleeping habits, however they didn't mind me sleeping on my bed all day? When I got home I reverted straight back to my old habits and now stay up most of the night. Thank heavens ITV had ditched those awful phone in quiz shows. At one point just prior to admission I even resorted to phoning those at 75p per go, because i had no one to talk to. Never got through though!