Me/Cfs psychiatric facilities that you know of

[Ambrosia_angel]

I watched this video about a lady with severe ME who was referred to a hospital in patient facility and it made me cringe. I'm not sure if she's on this forum but I want to link you to it. I really would like you to watch it.

Part one giving information about the ward.

Part two with her giving an update.

I have posted on there under the username lollipop8816 (stupid I know. I made it when I was 12 or something). But I think you should read the all of the comments which aren't too much but two people have shared their experiences about it.

My main point of making this is to make people more aware of these facilities which promise help but really they are treating you on a psych ward as though the patient suffers from somatoform disorders. I want people to not get sucked into the idea of false hope and be very cautious like this lady was. It's very scary that these places exist in my opinion.

I also want to know if anyone has seen or heard of other inpatient facilities similar to this not just in the uk but abroad too?

Wants your thoughts on this?

 

[Ambrosia_angel]

Also I'm not sure if I posted this is the right area or not. But I don't think I have. Sorry.

 

[taniaaust1]

Hi Ambrosia.. Ive been unfortunate enough to have been committed in mental health ward of hospital in the past due to my PHYSICAL health issues including the ME, I got suicidal due to the lack of support I had around the ME. (I wasnt able to physically cope due to the ME, I still cant physically cope without a lot of home support but fortunately now do get some gov paid home support to help)

I can tell you that for a ME/CFS patient in my state of Australia, SA who is admitted to one of the big SA hospital's mental health ward, that once there, they will completely ignore the fact you have ME/CFS going on too. I had to "fake" being happy and make out I wasnt suicidal no more to get out of the place as it was EXTREMELY bad for my ME/CFS.

Some of the things I experienced while there were
1/ Being threatened of being dragged out of bed in the mornings for breakfast (I had severe insomina with my ME/CFS so wasnt getting to sleep till about 4-5am..sometimes I didnt fall into a good sleep till daybreak due to the severely reversed sleep cycle I had, yet they expected me to be out of bed to have breakfast with the other patients on the ward at 8am? I think it was (it was some ridiculous hour for me when I needed far more sleep so I kept missing breakfast as they'd just take it away and wouldnt even keep it for me).

Getting enough sleep and rest with my ME is ESSENTIAL as I go downhill very severely so I was prepared to be missing my meals if I had to do so to get enough rest if they were forcing me to be missing them due to taking them away if I wasnt there with the others to eat at a set time. It was last straw for me at being willing to stay there after the 3 days I was compulsary there, when they told me they'd start actually dragging me out of the bed!!

2/ They put me into the room not only right by the nurses station but also right by the patients recreation room and I had noise intollerance. Severe ME patient with noise intollerance right by recreation room= TORTURE!! This is no exaggeration of how it was for me. (they refused to allow me to change rooms)

I've blocked out most of my memory of my time in mental health ward but those two things were probably the worst things I experienced while there which made it very very likely had I remained there, it would of made my ME far worst. (it was a nightmare all that noise from the recreation room which didnt even allow me to be able to rest like I needed to do so during the day).

So anyway..after 3 days of my hellish experience there, I made out I wasnt suicidal no more (thou I still was at the time and SHOULD of been there but there was no way I could stay there even thou I knew I was still a big suicide risk!!), just to get out of there as it was terrible for my ME and it WOULD OF made me far worst. I know now that no matter how bad my mental health gets, I HAVE to stay away from hospital even if I needed it as I cant have my ME getting worst.

Having to fake that I wasnt suicidal no more when I was.. was even more distressing to me. I have Aspergers and truth and being in truth is sooo important to me. I look back at all that and its all still disturbing to me what happened there and the fact I had to be false to like "save myself" from the hospital and mental health ward. I personally believe had I stayed, it may of killed me due to the ME (my ME was so severe it almost killed me in the past and I have no doubt it could be capable of doing that too me if I crash too badly, I can be paralysed with my ME if it gets too bad)

 

[Beyond]

That is horrible tania and Ambrosia. We get literally tortured because people refuse to see our physical and TREATABLE illness. Of course it has a psychological side but mainly because of the physical problems leading to depression, anxiety, anhedonia etc Definetely going along the stupid shit of people pushing us the "somatoform fairytale" always leads to a swampy, and often hopeless dead end.

 

[Ambrosia_angel]

That is horrible tania. I hope you have somewhat recovered from that horrible experience. It frightens me that these places exist. Not the mental heath institute because I'm sure they benefit many, but the way they are still treating us. Do you mind if I ask what preceded the admitting to the hospital? Was it a suicide attempt or did your Dr recommend you go? I'm sorry if it's a personal question but I'm just curious if you went voluntarily or if you were brought their. If you don't want to answer than I don't mind. Sorry if it's too personal.

The thing that mainly worried me about the video above was they they expect people to be socializing and eating in communal room. I know for a fact anyone would cfs would struggle and this ward is for severely affected people. Also I think it I read their was no medical drs available. Or something along those lines. It just had therapists and OTs etc.