Reply to Hospitalization for mental illness

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[quote=Anonymous]My experience is from 20 years ago.  I was 15.  My parents put my in Shepard Pratt for 9 weeks.  I don't know if this program still exists.  It was at the recommendation of my psychiatrist. Looking back I know now that my school teachers and counselors were also involved in the decision and it was timed to coincided with a quarter at school.

Honestly, for the first 2-3 week it SUCKED!  I was miserable.  I had limited privileges.  But as the weeks went on, I learned so many coping skills.  By the time I was discharged I was elevated to a level that allowed me to wander the grounds with my room mate for about 30 minutes at a time.  I was also allowed to walk myself to the school building and to meals.  For in-patient privileges, these are huge.

Discharge and re-entry into normal life was very difficult.  I learned to rely on the structure and routine of the facility.  But my therapist from SP saw me as an out patient 3x/week at first.  Then we tapered down to 2x and finally 1x.

I was severely depressed and had attempted suicide a number of times before my parents made this decision.  I know it was hard for them but it was probably the best thing that they could have done for me.

I didn't know the words for my feelings or how to express them.  Once I learned how to express myself, I found that people were willing to listen and help.  The individual therapy, the group therapy, and the general being around others liked me helped me a way that years of previous out patient therapy could not help me.

I stayed with my SP therapist as an out patient until I graduated HS.  I did fine in college but fell apart in grad school again.  The difference this time was that I recognized what was happening and knew who and how to ask for help before I started drowning.

If this program still exists, I highly recommend it.[/quote]

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