Being in Hospital

You either already have been, or eventually will be, in the hospital. Even if it is only for a day or so to sleep off a bad episode, bipolar folks tend to spend some time in the hospital. The biggest thing to remember is that it’s not a big deal! Being in the hospital can even be fun. It is boring every now and then, but being able to talk to the other patients, getting their perspective on life and mental illness, can be extremely enlightening.

While you’re in the hospital the best thing to do is make friends, sleep as much as you need to, and participate in as much therapy as possible. Remember not to be violent, listen to the facilitators, and let your doctor in on everything that’s going through your mind. The ability to deal with your doctor is a skill that is acquired over time.

After being in the hospital five times and dealing with several doctors, I’ve realized that there is one key ingredient to establishing a wonderful relationship with him/her – the truth! Speak nothing but the truth to your doctor. Let him know absolutely everything. He’s there to help, he’s there to help you avoid having to come back, and he’s there to improve your life in the long run. Lying to your doctor is a big mistake, mainly because it will probably result in him/her setting you up with the wrong medication and therapy regimen.

Trust me...what you want more than anything is to get treated properly. Walking out of the hospital with the wrong treatment program is a TERRIBLE thing. This is a road you definitely don’t want to go down, so tell the truth.

Make friends! There’s nothing that the hospital staff wants more than seeing you getting along with all of the other patients. Not only does this improve your image to the people who are in control, but also it’s fun!

Being able to talk to everyone and have conversations about your lives is a very important component to enjoying your time in the hospital. Patients not only want to open up, but you can LEARN from them! Most of the patients will probably be older than you, so they will usually have some decent insight into mental illness. Plus, it will give you an opportunity to TALK ABOUT YOUR OWN PROBLEMS!!! And there is nothing better while you’re in the hospital than talking about your problems. You will only get 15 or so minutes with your doctor each day, so talking to others will give you more opportunities to get things off your chest. There will be other therapies each day, but one-on-one with another person is always helpful.

SLEEP!!!! If you need to lie down, do it! Take a nap! Take two naps! Guess what? You’re in the hospital. It doesn’t matter! That’s what they want you to do, anyway. They want you to rest and get better. And sleep often does that for bipolar patients. Often times you need opportunities to physically adjust to new medications or to just recover from a really bad episode. And the beds are usually pretty comfortable. So, if you need some rest, take it.

Do the therapy! Every single opportunity you get to participate in a therapeutic session, TAKE IT! Participation is part of the success formula for getting out of the hospital as soon as possible. The facilitators and your doctor keep track of all the times you go to therapy and participate in that therapy, so the more you go, the better. Plus, the therapy is usually quite fun.

Remember that the key to getting out of the hospital is GETTING BETTER!! Therapy is a main component to getting better. I noticed during my first couple of trips to the hospital that there were numerous patients who “refused” to participate in the therapy. Well, a few days later they weren’t refusing, mainly because they were watching patient after patient leave the hospital and go home because of the progress they had made in therapy. So don’t waste any time and go to as much therapy as they offer.