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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 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.
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"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."
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Just.. odd.
It was a very bizarro time in my life.
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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."
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-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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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