Personal Narrative: My Experience At A Mental Hospital
I was sent to a mental hospital when I was thirteen. I was sent to an actual hospital first in order for the staff to evaluate my condition. They gave me XL scrubs that fell off when I stood up and told me to stay in my room until someone could come and ask me questions. I waited for hours until I fell asleep and was jolted awake by a harsh light. It was 3 AM and a stranger woke me up in my hospital room to ask me a hundred questions.
“Do you smoke?”
“No.”
“Drink?”
“No.”
“Drugs?”
“Yes.”
“Are you suicidal?”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
I was escorted by the police to the hospital where I would stay for about a month. They said they had to handcuff me to make sure I did not escape. I requested to go through the back door, but they were parked out front. I felt like a criminal being led to jail, not knowing how long my sentence was. The cops went 120 the entire way there, eyes glued on their phones. Ironically, police are the most unsafe drivers I know.
We walked into the other hospital, which looked nothing like a hospital, but more of a hotel lobby. There were fake palm trees and a gift shop and doors that opened automatically when you walked up to them. I wondered what the cards in the gift shop …show more content…
I was striped naked and searched; it was humiliating. All my jewelry was taken, a few were cut off. She explained that until I shown that I could handle the responsibility, I could not have any of my possessions -- no clothes, books, blankets, paper. No pens were allowed in the room either, but she snuck in a few for me when the head nurse was not looking. I was made to shower, brush teeth and hair, and make sure I was presentable everyday, show up for every meal, drink my entire gallon of water. “You’ll get used to the routine” she said as she departed. I was told to take a shower and change into more scrubs, another XL pair, before going to a group
“Do you smoke?”
“No.”
“Drink?”
“No.”
“Drugs?”
“Yes.”
“Are you suicidal?”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
I was escorted by the police to the hospital where I would stay for about a month. They said they had to handcuff me to make sure I did not escape. I requested to go through the back door, but they were parked out front. I felt like a criminal being led to jail, not knowing how long my sentence was. The cops went 120 the entire way there, eyes glued on their phones. Ironically, police are the most unsafe drivers I know.
We walked into the other hospital, which looked nothing like a hospital, but more of a hotel lobby. There were fake palm trees and a gift shop and doors that opened automatically when you walked up to them. I wondered what the cards in the gift shop …show more content…
I was striped naked and searched; it was humiliating. All my jewelry was taken, a few were cut off. She explained that until I shown that I could handle the responsibility, I could not have any of my possessions -- no clothes, books, blankets, paper. No pens were allowed in the room either, but she snuck in a few for me when the head nurse was not looking. I was made to shower, brush teeth and hair, and make sure I was presentable everyday, show up for every meal, drink my entire gallon of water. “You’ll get used to the routine” she said as she departed. I was told to take a shower and change into more scrubs, another XL pair, before going to a group