Current Events > I don't really understand the treatment cycle for people who are suicidal.

(+) Yeah! (+)

A friend of mine has been admitted to a facility on suicide watch. She's still allowed her phone I guess but the wifi is very restricted. She's putting up updates on instagram.

From what I gather, she's stuck in a place where they just pump her full of drowsy pills, isolate her from friends and family and comfort and really just talk to her to make sure she's eating food and taking pills.

While she might not be the most reliable narrator of this story, it seems like all the news she's ever being given is that they're extending her stay another fortnight or another week. The TV is just regular non-cable TV.

So stuck in a room with nothing to do, nothing to watch, no one to talk to except other people who are really unwell. She's not even allowed to see her dog.

I'll start by saying that I am entirely ignorant of all this so I'm happy to be schooled, but ostensibly it seems like they're doing exactly all the things that would make literally any sane person want to kill themselves.

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Yes, it's pretty much well known that psych wards are not at all effective in treating the suicidal. In fact, what it results in is suicidal people clamming up and never telling anyone so they don't risk being committed again.
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thanks to the clintons' healthcare policy changes during the 90s, hospitals are more afraid of litigation than delivering quality care. unfortunately the psych ward does not care whether she gets well or not, only that a.) she does not harm herself while at the hospital b.) she waits at least 30 days before harming herself after she is discharged

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huge grift

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I suppose it might work for those whose suicidal thoughts are driven by a short term crisis.

Probably makes it worse for those suffering from chronic depression though.

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Getting someone out of their environment is vital, but your average hospital psych ward is like two steps above dumping them in an alley downtown.

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Despression and other mood disorders tend to be episodic, so I think the goal is to essentially just wait them out until they're on an upswing, making sure the patient is doing all the things to make themselves get better while avoiding their normal environment.

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