Hospital?

[janey50]

Hi again all you long-suffering friends. I just wanted to know if anyone on here has suffered from acute anxiety and been in hospital with it, and how did you cope? It sounds like I'm getting closer to that option and I just can't imagine how I would deal with it. Would be glad to hear from anyone who has survived this scarey scenario. Thanks, Janey

[decca]

Hi Janey,
Do you mean having to go into hospital because of an Acute anxiety state or do you mean coping with your anxiety whilst in hospital for something else?
Decca

[smudgie]

Hi janey

yes ive been in hospital, 3/4 times. A few times voluntry and a few sectioned for my own protection.

I cant say its very pleasent feeling your in the hospital but you get time to yourself and you will meet others with problems and talk.

of course its where you go and the level of support you have, I must say i guess if i didnt have it at certain times i wouldnt be here now.

i dont like to think about it really but i does have its benefits.

Sorry i cant help you more, pm if you want and i wish you all the best.

take good care of you
smudgie

[doodah]

Hello janey,

In the 80s my doctor suggested I go into hospital "for a rest". I didn't realise she meant a psychiatric hospital and of course One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest sprung to my mind back then! I was pretty anxious/nervous about going in and, I think, for the first day I was almost begging my parents to take me home! BUT ... I have to say I got more help in there than I ever have anywhere else. As smudgie says, I guess it depends what hospital you go to. I was a voluntary patient a few times. I have to say that I met some of the nicest and most genuine people ever when I was in there.

Also, if you ever want to pm me, please feel free.

Wendy xx

[janey50]

Hi Janey,
Do you mean having to go into hospital because of an Acute anxiety state or do you mean coping with your anxiety whilst in hospital for something else?
Decca

No, I mean going into hospital because of my anxiety - sometimes it gets so bad I do think of self-harm etc. Thanks, Janey

[marie1974]

hi janey i always keep busy to help my anxiety, so mayb kp busy indoors or go on a brisk walk as this works for me and halfed my anxietys i do it every day now, or get into a hobby just to take your mind off things hugs xxxxx

[Bill]

Janey,

I went into hospital a couple of times when I was really bad. Once was for ECT which as you know I refused after the first treatment and the other time was to help with my self harming and od's.

The one real benefit were the therapies I was offered. I was taught how to use meditation, how to tackle panics and even tried art classes there.

Alot of us used to sit together in the evenings for a chat, play games or just watch a dvd. The hospital was "open" so we could come and go as we chose so I'd often take a walk into town. The only Bad part was the ECT!!! I met some very nice people there but at the same time I felt very sad when they told me of their suffering.

There was one woman in her thirties. She was suffering from severe depression. Her husband would visit with her kids and so you can imagine how upsetting it was for all of them. They were Such a nice family. I'll never forget them. It was So sad.

Don't be afraid of hospital if you find there really isn't any other alternative but I do feel you can get better without having to go in.
I wish I could do more to help you.

[janey50]

Janey,

I wish I could do more to help you.

Bill, you're such a nice person, I can just tell. I wish someone could do something to help me too. today have self-harmed - only scratches but still a load of melodramatic nonsense which scared both me and the dog! And screamed and smashed up a plastic bucket (how very stupid) and just wonder where all this drama is coming from because I've never been like this before and I'm 51. Just get so terrified and tense. I'd just like to be taken away somewhere safe but I don't know where that is and the Crisis Team are scaling down their efforts as they can see I'm notwhat they deem to be 'at risk' - so it's tempting to o/d just to get atttention. How weird is that? I guess you understand that better than some. Feels like my life is disintegrating. No real sense of a direction therapy is going in - no more mention of ECT or Lithium, I'm just struggling on on this latest anti-d, Trazodone, and feeling like shit. Please keep rooting for me. Janey.

[dawny]

janey,

im so saddened to read your post...please dont do anything silly......always remember janey that you will get through this,

the day will come janey when you will start to feel better....i know janey ive been where you are......im glad i held on in there......

....ive never been admitted to hospital, but then i would have been to afriad to go anyhow, but janey, please dont give up hope, nothing ever stays the same...your life will move on....

take care

dawny xxxxx

[Bill]

Hello Janey ,

Yes, I understand how you're feeling..................

today have self-harmed - only scratches but still a load of melodramatic nonsense which scared both me and the dog! And screamed and smashed up a plastic bucket.........so it's tempting to o/d just to get atttention.........Just get so terrified and tense. I'd just like to be taken away somewhere safe but I don't know where that is.......Feels like my life is disintegrating.

............because I went down the same route. Sometimes I used to get So frustrated with my anxiety and my life that I wanted to release it by hitting a brick wall down just like you did with the bucket. Try hitting a pillow next time!

I then used to try and release the anxious feelings by self harming which helped for a short while but then I found myself in a cycle of self-harming because the pain always returned.

As a last resort I turned to od's. I just felt so desperate for the pain to stop that I didn't care in the end what happened to me because life just didn't feel worth living. I just wanted the pain to stop and to feel safe.

I think you're suffering a general "insecurity" because you only feel safe in the home And if your husband is with you. As you say below from your previous post.....

I am so agoraphobic it would freak me out. I have a Mind Befriender but it's not been a very fruitful relationship really, in that I am so consumed with anxiety that I can't make the most of the contact - initially we took the dofg for a walk together but I couldn't do that now, or I should say, at the moment. i keep hoping I will feel better one day but at the moment I just feel worse and worse.....you will until you take back control of your life.

I feel you're in a spiral where worry is compounding worry to the point that you're feeling trapped by your fears and everything is feeling hopeless. You just want the the anxious feelings to stop and to feel safe so you're looking to medication to ease the symptoms and your husband to provide the securities you need.

There are couple of things you need to install in your thinking - self-belief and self confidence - and these can only be installed by learning that you're actually more capable than you're feeling.

You need to learn to switch off your awareness side of your mind. When you're at home alone you've been doing gardening which although it can be helpful, it isn't really engrossing your mind so that you're still thinking about being on your own. You need to find something that you Really Enjoy that is Totally engrossing say by doing something like a complicated jigsaw puzzle. You need something to keep your mind from thinking about your surroundings because it's "your thoughts" that are driving your anxious feelings. Also, engaging in conversation can stop your anxious thoughts.

You also need to confront your agoraphobia no matter how difficult it feels because you Have to break free from your trap that is creating all the problems for you. Use your befriender to take you out just for a short walk or ride at first then keep building on it by taking a small step further each time.

If you allow your anxious feelings to control you and stop you from feeling free by not allowing you to get out then your anxious feelings will just feel worse.

Honestly, you will be amazed how much better you'll feel once you start taking steps to regain your life. You just need to install more faith and courage in yourself because I Know you CAN beat this just as I managed to stop the cycle in my bad days.