what to do before going to mental hospital?

[paroxysm]

hi im going to a mental hospital tomorrow what should i do before i go there? also i can't bring an electronics so anything i should bring so i don't get bored?

 

[EndofSmallSanctuary]

bringing a few books helped me a lot

 

[thepiecessatup]

Take some books with you and if you're allowed jigsaw puzzles I'd recommended them too. I've found puzzling really helpful with managing my mental health symptoms and they really help pass the time. Some people love colouring in books. Good luck.

 

[Temporal_Anchorite]

Not sure. I was hospitalized in multiple psych wards 5 different times as a teenager (4 times in an acute hospital, once in residential), but never once was I afforded the luxury of preparing for it ahead of time lol

At least in my experience, you're not really allowed to bring any sort of personal items, belongings, or trinkets. Everything will be confiscated from you upon intake and stuffed into a bag/cubby (aside from your clothes) that you'll then later collect upon your discharge from the hospital. At my stays, the hospital staff on the unit supplied us all with various items to help keep busy & pass the time: journals, books, puzzles, playing cards, sudoku pages, crossword puzzles, fidget toys, etc.

And don't take this the wrong way or anything, but asking what you should pack like you're taking a luxury trip to Cancun or planning for a weekend getaway just feels idk...a bit weird? Mental hospital stays are intended to stabilize you if you're in the midst of a mental health crisis. And if you're in an immediate crisis, well you're not exactly going to be in a mindset where pondering how you'll kill idle in the hospital time becomes a priority. I don't know your exact situation, but have you maybe considered intensive outpatient therapy or partial hospitalization. Checking yourself into inpatient care isn't something to be taken lightly and those beds ought to be reserved for those who truly need it. Good luck nonetheless.

 

[-Link-]

bringing a few books helped me a lot

Yeah, I found boredom to be the most challenging part of inpatient, and for me, books were the best counter to it.

@paroxysm wishing you the best of luck with your hospital stay.

 

[JoysoftheEmptiness]

hi im going to a mental hospital tomorrow what should i do before i go there? also i can't bring an electronics so anything i should bring so i don't get bored?

They'll take anything off you than you can harm yourself with. So phone charging cables, etc. Spent a month in a psych hospital, never again. Be good and you get day leave, that's worth its weight in gold as a psych patient.

Not sure. I was hospitalized in multiple psych wards 5 different times as a teenager (4 times in an acute hospital, once in residential), but never once was I afforded the luxury of preparing for it ahead of time lol

At least in my experience, you're not really allowed to bring any sort of personal items, belongings, or trinkets. Everything will be confiscated from you upon intake and stuffed into a bag/cubby (aside from your clothes) that you'll then later collect upon your discharge from the hospital. At my stays, the hospital staff on the unit supplied us all with various items to help keep busy & pass the time: journals, books, puzzles, playing cards, sudoku pages, crossword puzzles, fidget toys, etc.

And don't take this the wrong way or anything, but asking what you should pack like you're taking a luxury trip to Cancun or planning for a weekend getaway just feels idk...a bit weird? Mental hospital stays are intended to stabilize you if you're in the midst of a mental health crisis. And if you're in an immediate crisis, well you're not exactly going to be in a mindset where pondering how you'll kill idle in the hospital time becomes a priority. I don't know your exact situation, but have you maybe considered intensive outpatient therapy or partial hospitalization. Checking yourself into inpatient care isn't something to be taken lightly and those beds ought to be reserved for those who truly need it. Good luck nonetheless.

Those beds in psych units are like gold dust for really ill people. Sadly, I won the lottery once, and won a bed in one.

 

[Blurry_Buildings]

Clothes that don't have strings on them.

When I went 9 years ago they examined all of the clothes I had brought and confiscated a pair a of sweatpants that had a string on the waist and my coat. They explained it was so I couldn't hang myself in the room. I don't think they allowed long sleeve shirts either, for the same reason. They took everything else and stored it in a bag that I collected when I was let out a week later.