Posted by CareBear04 on April 11, 2008, at 0:55:09
In reply to CrossPost--Complex Med/Hospital Querie, posted by Sophronia on April 10, 2008, at 21:20:02
hi sophie--
sorry to hear that you're having a hard time. i have definitely been where you are; in fact, i've rather in a similar place now.
anyway, i have had plenty of stays in the hospital, so i can speak to that a bit. i've had both good and bad experiences, and whether it's the right decision for you really depends on what you need right now. looking back, i think in general, the hospital has mostly just served to take me out of my everyday reality and give me a little break for however long. like phillipa said, it can be nice to be among people who understand what you're experiencing. if you're like me, life requires a big effort to maintain appearances, to pass as normal. taking all my meds every day is a constant reminder of being sick. in the hospital, i guess i've felt like i can let my guard down. the other patients are also there for reason, and nothing you say or do or don't do can really surprise the staff. despite what tv and movies show psych units to be, they are not really a scary place (except maybe if you're committed involuntarily). there are usually a few requirements like attending a few groups or activities and taking your meals in the common area, but you can be as social or withdrawn as you want. i think hospital stays mostly serve to allow me to avoid the realities of my life, which helps me regain some perspective. doing things like ping pong, coloring, reading, crafts... i forget to enjoy these kinds of things unless i'm reminded. it's also nice to forget about things like cooking and cleaning and be taken care of. the drawback of all this for me is the disparity between the hospital world and my real world. when i was in for around three weeks having ect, it was a huge shock to return to find the outside in the same state as it was when i went in. maybe you can avoid this if you take a more gradual approach to returning to your normal everyday stuff.
as far as inpatient v. outpatient treatment, i'm not sure what to say. it sounds like you're in a tough place right now as far as therapy goes. what do you and your pdoc do during your sessions? is it all meds? i've usually done best with one person doing both meds and therapy. at bad times, i've found it useful to see the pdoc often, especially since it gives us opportunity to make med changes whenever needed. in this way, inpatient is really good because the drs can be more aggressive with treatment since they can monitor you and intervene if anything bad develops. i've not ever really committed to it, but i haven't found cbt/dbt that useful; my impression is that, at least for me, the process is oversimplified. it's good to identify something like a recurring irrational thought, but knowing something cognitively is different than believing and feeling it.
therapy/interaction with the doctors seems to vary with the patient and the doctor. some people feel like all they get is a five-minute perfunctory check-in every morning. i've generally had good experiences in this respect, especially at teaching hospitals. some people don't like having residents and students managing their care, and it's true that they are the ones you'll mostly deal with. but they are also usually the ones who are willing and interested in talking to you. particularly if they perceive you to be generally high-functioning, as you seem to be, they will usually do a pretty good job of helping you feel like there's hope, both by the treatments they suggest and through the extent to which they are invested in your care and outcome. i don't think the hospitalizations have ever produced remarkable insights or anything, but sometimes it is nice to just have people to talk to when you feel like it.
i hope this helps, and i hope you feel better.
cb
poster:CareBear04
thread:822607
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080330/msgs/822639.html