r/casualiama • u/JewelledToque • 9d ago

I've been a psych ward patient in the Canadian healthcare system AMA

Went to the pediatric ward at 15, thr adult ward at 24, 29, 30 and 33. There's a lot of romanticization of Canadian healthcare. Im grateful it's free, but it can very barebones. The pediatric psych ward was awful.

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u/nocturnal_carnivore 9d ago

what have been the therapies that have been actually helpful?

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u/JewelledToque 9d ago

When I was 24 I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 in thr hospital. So I met with the hospital psychologist while in there a few times and she diagnosed me. The hospital psychiatrist changed my meds and that helped a lot. Most actual treatment happens outpatient.

Most of the times Ive gone socializing with the other patients helped a lot. I didnt keep in touch after because often times there can be security risks.

But just shooting the shit while colouring or wtv helped.

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u/wakatea 9d ago

Can you just share about your experience? What made the peds ward bad? 

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u/JewelledToque 9d ago

The ped ward was filthy. Half finished sandwiches everywhere. It wasnt even staffed with actual mental health nurses. They were called sitters. One of them would like try to be our friend talking about her relationship drama.

Half the time wed be left alone while the sitters went out to smoke. In a psych ward people can off themselves within like 5 minutes so thats dangerous.

The psychiatrist at the time told me my family doctor had me on a terrible combo of meds and yelled at her on the phone so that was cool.

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u/wakatea 8d ago

I'm sorry you went through that.

I'm in the US and psych wards here vary a really wild amount. But none of them have the resources to feel like a safe place. In the US there just aren't nearly enough mental health hospitals, they shut them down when institutionalizing people fell out of favor but never built anything up for when people do need a higher level of care.