A Suicide in my psych ward

[SweetSpot086]

Someone hanged themself in the room next door...I cant believe people can sucessfully kill themselves in such situations and we cant do it at home..

 

[blivogade]

I guess it just goes to show how desperate one can get that despite being in the place they're supposed to be safest they still manage to succeed... its sad, even sadder when majority of the time its neglect on the staffs half.

 

[kkatt]

When I was in prison (rooms are almost identical), there were numerous suicides. All inmates registered as "at risk" (self harmers etc) have to be informed. Cells were often adapted to prevent recurrances.
But when I was in the psych ward,there were so many ways that a truly desperate person could ctb. Short of watching them 24 hrs a day,there's really no stopping the determined

 

[SoupSnakes]

In my old job, I saw many people commit suicide (mainly hanging) and it always amazed me how creative desperate people could get to be able to CTB.

 

[134340]

That must have been a jarring experience for you, there was an attempt at a hospital I was in once and it was intense. I find it disappointing (disappointment that lies in the healthcare system) that people have the means & time to ctb in a place that's supposed to keep people safe, but it speaks to the desperation behind it.

 

[Bruceleelives1969]

How are you able to post if you are in a psych ward? They take away all electronics.

 

[MeltingHeart]

wouldnt surprise me if half the time people are in there anyway-cos they didnt get early intervention/ help in their illness & so it worsened. Also being in one of those places must be utterly miserable, it prob pushes them over the edge just the very fact of being in there!

 

[Soulless_Angel]

How are you able to post if you are in a psych ward? They take away all electronics.

Not in every country!

 

[kkatt]

How are you able to post if you are in a psych ward? They take away all electronics.

Over the past 10 years or so,wards in our area confiscate charging cables or anything that can fit around the neck,but let you keep a mobile

 

[exhausted]

I heard a story of a patient who managed to commit suicide in a psych ward via water intoxication. She drank herself to death. If someone really wants to, they will find a way.

 

[PDAnnie2610]

Geez...no wonder a mental health nurse once told me that such places are meant to keep people safe, and that they have to be tough while doing so, because failure to do so means death (and possibly being subject to subpoena in coroner court which is not fun at all).

Which is the reason why I don't support ctb in psych units - it's patently unfair to most staff who really only want to do their job well and earn to support their family...

 

[Untitled]

When I was in prison (rooms are almost identical), there were numerous suicides. All inmates registered as "at risk" (self harmers etc) have to be informed. Cells were often adapted to prevent recurrances.
But when I was in the psych ward,there were so many ways that a truly desperate person could ctb. Short of watching them 24 hrs a day,there's really no stopping the determined

I never understood the purpose of suicide prevention in prisons. Is it to make sure that the inmates serve their full sentence without "escaping" it? Or is it purely from a pro-life point of view?

Geez...no wonder a mental health nurse once told me that such places are meant to keep people safe, and that they have to be tough while doing so, because failure to do so means death (and possibly being subject to subpoena in coroner court which is not fun at all).

Which is the reason why I don't support ctb in psych units - it's patently unfair to most staff who really only want to do their job well and earn to support their family...

The thing is that many patients in a psych ward don't choose to be there. The staff does choose be there. A suicidal patient who is at a psych ward, against their will, can't CTB somewhere else; but a nurse can indeed choose to work somewhere else.

 

[kkatt]

I never understood the purpose of suicide prevention in prisons. Is it to make sure that the inmates serve their full sentence without "escaping" it? Or is it purely from a pro-life point of view?

The prison staff have a duty of care regardless of your crime

 

[NotMemorableEnough]

That must have been a jarring experience for you, there was an attempt at a hospital I was in once and it was intense. I find it disappointing (disappointment that lies in the healthcare system) that people have the means & time to ctb in a place that's supposed to keep people safe, but it speaks to the desperation behind it.

How is it dissapointing ? I mean yeah they need to be kept safe but not under the means of taking every little freedom they have left, I really hate psychwards so that's talking out of me, but being watched 24/7 or getting locked up shouldn't be the way.

 

[woxihuanni]

The thing is that many patients in a psych ward don't choose to be there. The staff does choose be there. A suicidal patient who is at a psych ward, against their will, can't CTB somewhere else; but a nurse can indeed choose to work somewhere else.

Precisely.

 

[134340]

How is it dissapointing ? I mean yeah they need to be kept safe but not under the means of taking every little freedom they have left, I really hate psychwards so that's talking out of me, but being watched 24/7 or getting locked up shouldn't be the way.

i think that it's disappointing that wards don't have enough staff to keep tabs on all patients. I understand that having your freedoms taken away can be awful (I've been on a ward 6 times) but I do believe that some people can get better and do have hope, so being in a place where they can actually be safe and monitored can help. I'm sorry your experiences have been so bad.

 

[mattwitt]

Someone hanged themself in the room next door...I cant believe people can sucessfully kill themselves in such situations and we cant do it at home..

When somebody is serious enough about suicide they will find a way and can't be stopped.

 

[bornsinner]

How are you able to post if you are in a psych ward? They take away all electronics.

not all of them. we are allowed to have electronics in my local psych ward

 

[Nem0]

During my two week stint in the psych (where they charged 100k for the privilege of receiving scabies and not much else) I actively thought up ways to ctb if only to spite the hospital. Want much else to do except stew in my own thoughts. There were a surprising number of them. Those doors that swing open either way can act as an anchor point with a knot and yourself acting as counterbalances. The beds weren't screwed down so they could easily be placed upon a neck. Bunch of others too. At night the routine checks become less frequent. I was there through labor day and checks became very limited.

 

[I'm exhausted]

I choked myself with a bed sheet and because they do their rounds and checks every 30mins I thought I had enough time. Nope, my favorite nurse found me and they (5 or 6 staffs) had to restrain me and inject me. I was upset that I wasn't successful and upset to see my favorite nurse with a serious look. She's a very bubbly, happy person. I told her she's my sunshine in my rainy life. I had like six favorite nurses/staffs while the doctors made me cry. Oh and after five weeks being there with no help, they threatened to evict me. They as in the doctors. They called the hospital cops to escort me out.

 

[terry_a_davis]

During my psych ward stay (UK) staff would literally sit just feet away from patients they considered at risk from self harm. They usually read books or used social media while doing this.
During the day this went on all day, and at night in regular intervals. I remember 1 staff member actually waking me up in the middle of the night to check on me. It was a bit overkill but i suppose they have to be safe but it felt quite intrusive.
Eventually i was put on 'obs' which meant being visually checked on every 15 mins.

 

[BabyYoda]

My former English teacher used to work as a nurse and he visited a psychiatric hospital, and one of the patients actually tried to escape through the window. He hung himself. I heard that they can't keep any sharp objects inside the rooms to prevent the patients from self harm.

 

[PDAnnie2610]

I've been in a psych ward in 2 different countries, and experiences differ. In Australia, in the psych (ICU), it was pretty intensive. It was less intense and more chilled after I transited to the open unit which was meant to help patients transit to being discharged.

In my home country, almost all psych units are lockdown units, hence it's pretty intense. Experiences differ based on class of ward, and the type of hospital.
In almost all settings, abscondance is almost impossible and self harm/suicide attempts are impossible, and I shudder to know how punitive it can get for someone who's found trying. I tried self harming once while inpatient and I hated what was done to me.

 

[passenger27]

Sometimes they get sloppy searching you when you're admitted. My fiancee snuck a double-sided razor into a psych ward. Luckily she didn't use it but it goes to show it can happen.

 

[kiko]

Someone hanged themself in the room next door...I cant believe people can sucessfully kill themselves in such situations and we cant do it at home..

This must be incredibly hard on you and the ward. Im sorry you are in this situation, were you close to the person?. The head nurse told me before in our ward someone killed themselves with a ball point pen through the eye to the brain.

I nearly managed to with some broken tiles from the yard when i was in. i have a scar about 7cm wide the lenght of my forearm. No nurses/doctors talked with me about the attempt. It fucking sad.

Also in september the last time i was in a women i had spent alot of time with killed herself 6days after her release. I had been in her old bed in the hospital when it happened and i found out. So if you want to talk about it give me a shout.