# What are the requirements for having yourself institutionalized?



## TheCollector

I'm probably not being realistic, but this past week, my only consolation has been in sleep and in imagining getting the help I need, and the latter, however unrealistic, seems to temporarily skew my sense of objectivity, which is precisely why it helps make my days more bearable.

However, my family can't afford therapy, and having them take me to a GP to get prescribed medication seems like a waste of their time and very scarce money. Although it would make me feel a lot better, I still probably won't be able to do any of the things I'll need to do to pull myself out of my pathetic situation, so all it will likely result in is a more tolerable solitude. (For more details about situation, read this thread.)

So I've been thinking a lot about having myself institutionalized. It's not ideal, but I can't see a lot of other options, and I'm desperate. I don't know if this would help. I don't know if anyone is capable of helping me. But I need to _something_ so that I can at least feel like I'm making an attempt to fix my problems. I feel like just being able to talk to a professional would do me a lot of good. It's unlikely, but maybe he will have encountered someone in a similar situation, and maybe he'll have some type of solution. As I said, I'm probably being unrealistic, but I feel like if I were to do this, it would remove a lot of the pressure I'm feeling, and that would be a huge deal.

Lately, I've felt worse than I've ever felt. I think a lot about suicide, but I'm too afraid to die. I don't believe in God, but lately, I've been worrying a lot about going to hell if I were to do it. I also can't stand the idea of dying as I am, of never being the person that I wanted to be, of _this _being my entire legacy on this earth. And just the idea of death, of it all stopping, when you really think about it, is terrifying, but the shame of my situation might soon surpass all that, and then I'll seriously have to consider killing myself. Still, as bad it is, my potential methods are limited, so I don't feel it's an immediate danger. As I said, sleep and imagining some type of non-lethal exit strategy help, but most of the time, I'm miserable, especially when I first wake up. Most of the day, I almost feel like there's a knot in my chest. It feels like a kind of tension and heat that is so bad that it compels me to do things I would have ordinarily put off, like typing this message or considering doing things as anxiety-inducing as writing my grandparents a letter or having myself institutionalized. My appetite has decreased somewhat, and my libido has substantially decreased. All activities remind that I'm not doing anything to better my situation. I don't quite want to die, but I wish I could just get away from it all somehow.

But as always, I'm ignorant of all practical considerations. Do you need insurance to have yourself institutionalized? Is it free? Do you have to be an immediate danger to yourself or others? How much do you have to hurt before they're willing to accept you?


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## TheCollector

Yeah, I guess I was being impractical. I can see why people are ignoring this.


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## Lasair

Hey first time I have seen this not read all of it yet - but if you want pm me, I'll pm you a reply to this anyway!


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## TheCollector

Thanks. I would really appreciate that.


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## Just Lurking

Much of this, I think, would depend on where you're located.

I don't know about the U.S., but these are bits from Ontario's Mental Health Act. There can't be too many differences.



> *Where admission may be refused*
> *
> 11.*Despite this or any other Act, admission to a psychiatric facility may be refused where the immediate needs in the case of the proposed patient are such that hospitalization is not urgent or necessary. R.S.O. 1990, c. M.7, s. 11.
> 
> *Application for psychiatric assessment*
> *
> 15.*(1)Where a physician examines a person and has reasonable cause to believe that the person,
> 
> (a) has threatened or attempted or is threatening or attempting to cause bodily harm to himself or herself;
> (b) has behaved or is behaving violently towards another person or has caused or is causing another person to fear bodily harm from him or her; or
> (c) has shown or is showing a lack of competence to care for himself or herself,
> 
> and if in addition the physician is of the opinion that the person is apparently suffering from mental disorder of a nature or quality that likely will result in,
> 
> (d) serious bodily harm to the person;
> (e) serious bodily harm to another person; or
> (f) serious physical impairment of the person,
> 
> the physician may make application in the prescribed form for a psychiatric assessment of the person. R.S.O. 1990, c. M.7, s. 15 (1); 2000, c. 9, s. 3 (1).
> *
> Same*
> 
> (1.1)Where a physician examines a person and has reasonable cause to believe that the person,
> 
> (a) has previously received treatment for mental disorder of an ongoing or recurring nature that, when not treated, is of a nature or quality that likely will result in serious bodily harm to the person or to another person or substantial mental or physical deterioration of the person or serious physical impairment of the person; and
> (b) has shown clinical improvement as a result of the treatment,
> 
> and if in addition the physician is of the opinion that the person,
> 
> (c) is apparently suffering from the same mental disorder as the one for which he or she previously received treatment or from a mental disorder that is similar to the previous one;
> (d) given the person's history of mental disorder and current mental or physical condition, is likely to cause serious bodily harm to himself or herself or to another person or is likely to suffer substantial mental or physical deterioration or serious physical impairment; and
> (e) is incapable, within the meaning of the _Health Care Consent Act, 1996_, of consenting to his or her treatment in a psychiatric facility and the consent of his or her substitute decision-maker has been obtained,
> 
> the physician may make application in the prescribed form for a psychiatric assessment of the person. 2000, c. 9, s. 3 (2).
> 
> *Duty of attending physician*
> 
> *http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/french/elaws_statutes_90m07_f.htm#s20s1**20.*(1)The attending physician, after observing and examining a person who is the subject of an application for assessment under section 15 or who is the subject of an order under section 32,
> 
> (a) shall release the person from the psychiatric facility if the attending physician is of the opinion that the person is not in need of the treatment provided in a psychiatric facility;
> (b) shall admit the person as an informal or voluntary patient if the attending physician is of the opinion that the person is suffering from mental disorder of such a nature or quality that the person is in need of the treatment provided in a psychiatric facility and is suitable for admission as an informal or voluntary patient; or
> (c) shall admit the person as an involuntary patient by completing and filing with the officer in charge a certificate of involuntary admission if the attending physician is of the opinion that the conditions set out in subsection (1.1) or (5) are met. R.S.O. 1990, c. M.7, s. 20 (1); 2000, c. 9, s. 7 (1).


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## blinds8

Canada's health care system is great when politicians like Brad Wall keep their dirty white farmer boy hands out of it. Same goes for the welfare system in this province. The provinces have far more constitutional power over themselves than you think and they use it sometimes for good sometimes to get rich. That's why Alberta's health care costs' money to use if your an alberta resident and that's because the province is rich and it's expected your health insurance should cover a visit and yet saskatchewan tries the same thing with that same style of private health care and brad wall fails because of our high aboriginal population and unemployment because there are no opportunities for anyone here unless your white, immigrant, woman, or a status indian and I'm metis and I've got mental health problems so they have no option but to take care of me until I can take care of myself and that's ok Brad wall doesn't like it he can make getting assistance harder and harder all he wants.


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## scarpia

Being institutionalized is LIVING HELL. I was involuntarily locked up in a psych hospital for two years. Believe me - it is no fun. It is VERY HARD to get them to release you. They try to put you on a stew of chemicals and if you refuse they take you to court. Then they can hold you down and inject you with stuff that can give you terrible side effects. 

The problem is that there are inadequate community health programs. Day hospitals and soteria houses are good alternatives to institutions. Do they have any programs like that where you are?


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## VaeVictis

*Hope this helps*

For a time I was on medication for depression and for awhile I couldn't find work. I had gone through a few organizations (it's difficult to find the right therapist for each situation, that's why so many give up.) and most are able to give you sample packs to get started and if you meet certain requirements, such as being at or below the poverty line, being a minor, etc., and most companies have an assistance program for those unable to afford their medication, usually free medication. As far as therapists go, alot have a sliding scale depending on your situation. You might want to see how close you are to a mental health advocacy organization, if not in your city, your state should have one somewhere.

Again, I hope this helps and good luck to you.


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## FreshPerspective

I don't particularly like psychiatric hospitals, what with the drugs n all.
A psychological hospital might be better, sometime like full time talk therapy. It depends on the hospital. Some you can just walk in, other you have to call and set it up.


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## TheCollector

I've more or less accepted that I wasn't being realistic, but I'm looking into some of the alternatives to institutionalization you guys mentioned.

Thanks for the help.


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## WhoDey85

My therapist told me when I mentioned not having a lot of money and having trouble affording going to her that there are places you can go to get therapy for almost free I believe. Like if you don't have health insurance and can't afford going.

She wrote some places down for me. I'll have to find it but maybe there is something similar in your area.


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## fallen18

I'm not really sure how it works I think most hospitals need insurance or at least the one I went to needed it. Honestly I wouldn't go to a institution unless you seriously seriously want to kill yourself though it's just because most of them don't help you it's not like you have therapy sessions everyday and when you do it's only for a short period of time. Your constantly being supervised to the point where it's annoying the place I stayed at had a guard at night that would check if you were sleeping every 15 minutes. You have to get up in the morning and immediately they do vitals checking your weight and all that pointless stuff and everyday there's a new nurse practioners there that asks why you ended up there. Which was actually bad I had to repeat my story to them more than 2 times a day to a different person everyday I actually ended up crying once. Institutions are basically just a place that keeps you long enough until their sure you wont hurt yourself.


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## HackerZC

TheCollector said:


> I'm probably not being realistic, but this past week, my only consolation has been in sleep and in imagining getting the help I need, and the latter, however unrealistic, seems to temporarily skew my sense of objectivity, which is precisely why it helps make my days more bearable.
> 
> However, my family can't afford therapy, and having them take me to a GP to get prescribed medication seems like a waste of their time and very scarce money. Although it would make me feel a lot better, I still probably won't be able to do any of the things I'll need to do to pull myself out of my pathetic situation, so all it will likely result in is a more tolerable solitude. (For more details about situation, read this thread.)
> 
> So I've been thinking a lot about having myself institutionalized. It's not ideal, but I can't see a lot of other options, and I'm desperate. I don't know if this would help. I don't know if anyone is capable of helping me. But I need to _something_ so that I can at least feel like I'm making an attempt to fix my problems. I feel like just being able to talk to a professional would do me a lot of good. It's unlikely, but maybe he will have encountered someone in a similar situation, and maybe he'll have some type of solution. As I said, I'm probably being unrealistic, but I feel like if I were to do this, it would remove a lot of the pressure I'm feeling, and that would be a huge deal.
> 
> Lately, I've felt worse than I've ever felt. I think a lot about suicide, but I'm too afraid to die. I don't believe in God, but lately, I've been worrying a lot about going to hell if I were to do it. I also can't stand the idea of dying as I am, of never being the person that I wanted to be, of _this _being my entire legacy on this earth. And just the idea of death, of it all stopping, when you really think about it, is terrifying, but the shame of my situation might soon surpass all that, and then I'll seriously have to consider killing myself. Still, as bad it is, my potential methods are limited, so I don't feel it's an immediate danger. As I said, sleep and imagining some type of non-lethal exit strategy help, but most of the time, I'm miserable, especially when I first wake up. Most of the day, I almost feel like there's a knot in my chest. It feels like a kind of tension and heat that is so bad that it compels me to do things I would have ordinarily put off, like typing this message or considering doing things as anxiety-inducing as writing my grandparents a letter or having myself institutionalized. My appetite has decreased somewhat, and my libido has substantially decreased. All activities remind that I'm not doing anything to better my situation. I don't quite want to die, but I wish I could just get away from it all somehow.
> 
> But as always, I'm ignorant of all practical considerations. Do you need insurance to have yourself institutionalized? Is it free? Do you have to be an immediate danger to yourself or others? How much do you have to hurt before they're willing to accept you?


Sounds like you feel the same way I do. I'm not sure I'd recommend institutionalization though. I mean you get a bill for that just like anything else (it's not free). Plus you've have to go through life dealing with the stigma of having been institutionalized (a fate worse than death if you ask me). 
You DO need to do something though. Meds might actually be one of your best options because they can sort of jolt you out of this bad state of mind your in. The right chemicals WILL make you feel better and if you feel better (read: GOOD) then you can actually work to make things better for yourself. 
Therapy can also help but it's more of a long term thing in my opinion (it's slow, time consuming, etc). Meds are just faster. 
And I'll tell you right now, meds will cost less than being an inpatient.

I have insurance, and someone to help me pay for things, so I'm not sure what's out there for people without the cash to afford any of this, but I'm sure it exists. Just need to look for it.

OH,but if you are hell bent on being an inpatient, just go to a hospital, tell them why you are there, and that you want to be an inpatient. If they have a bed they will take you. All you have to do is go there and sign a consent form, and you're in. Getting out on the other hand... that's going to be FAR more difficult. That's why I say don't do it. I'm not sure you really understand what you might be getting yourself into. I've never even been held for observation, but I came close enough one time that I KNOW I never want it to happen.


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## UltraShy

scarpia said:


> Being institutionalized is LIVING HELL. I was involuntarily locked up in a psych hospital for two years. Believe me - it is no fun. It is VERY HARD to get them to release you. They try to put you on a stew of chemicals and if you refuse they take you to court. Then they can hold you down and inject you with stuff that can give you terrible side effects.


They're the government and they're here to help you. Did they fail to assist you?

Involuntary commitment to mental facilities has dramatically decreased in the US over the last 40 years since a court case set forth new rules for locking folks up. In short, they can't toss you in the loony bin unless you're a threat to yourself or others.

I have serious problems with the concept of a "threat to yourself." To me it's as nonsensical as calling masturbation sexual assault of yourself. One has every right to do whatever they wish to themselves and should not be stopped from exercising their right of self-ownership. Many have a very odd concept of suicide, feeling it's limited to blowing your brains out, slashing wrists, hanging oneself and the like. They feel people must be protected from killing themselves, at least when the method results in a prompt death.

You can eat till you're so large that you need to be weighed on an industrial scale normally used for cargo, as normal scales simply don't go up to 800#. You can wash down the dozen Big Macs you have for lunch every day with a liter of Jack Daniels. You can then fit in smoking 4 packs of cigarettes a day, no easy task when your mouth is already occupied most of the time with food & liquor. This is fully legal and nobody can stop you from this behavior that pretty much assures you'll die young.

Now if you take a razor to your wrist or a gun to your head, well, now that's totally different. We have to lock you up to protect you from dying young. Anybody else see a blatant contradiction here?

Endangering yourself is fully legal, just so long as you do it in a manner deemed socially acceptable. Razor: NO! Whiskey: Yes!


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## Crazy needing help

I am in need of an inpatient treatment facility in NC for someone, with no job and no health insurance. Ideas?


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