I had a bit of a temporary relapse recently, in my emotional & mental health.  I spent last week in a psychiatric ward.  I signed myself in, voluntarily, to try to save myself from my own self-destruction.  I am far too sensitive for this world, sometimes.
     It was not an easy experience.  When I arrived, at the emergency room, I was asked why I was seeking medical treatment.  I was scared and paranoid, and could not answer "in front of all these people, looking at me".  So, I wrote "psychiatric reasons", on an index card, and gave it to the woman, working at the check-in desk.
     Within a few minutes, I was called into the ER.  I asked to bring my husband in, with me, but I was told to come in alone, to "get settled in".  They brought me into a room, with only a stretcher, that had leather handcuffs, ankle cuffs, and lots of straps.  It also had a camera, near the ceiling, and a mirror near the ceiling...no chairs, no TV, nothing else.  I saw the straps on the bed and panicked.  "You're not going to tie me down, are you?", I cried.  The nurse said no, and said that they had no other beds available. "I want a chair", I said.  They brought me a chair, and told me to remove most of my clothing, and put 2 johnnies on.  They could see me changing my clothes, through the window, in the locked, heavy door, and through the camera. I was scarily, aware of this.
    When they came back, they took all of my clothes and belongings away, and searched them.  They took me to the bathroom, and insisted that I pee into a cup, to drug & alcohol test me.  When they took me backed to the locked room, they also insisted on drawing my blood.  I wouldn't let them take my blood, until my husband was allowed in the room with me.
    I complained about the room, saying it was scaring me, and complained about all the people "staring" at me, and the camera "spying" on me.
    A few hours later, an even more psychotic man arrived in the ER, and they needed my room, and gave me a regular room, with a regular stretcher, a chair, a TV, etc, and a bit of my fear left me.
     I was asked extensive questions..."Why are you here?"  "Do you want to hurt yourself, or anyone else?"  "Did you have an actual plan to harm yourself?"  "What type of health problems do you have?"  "What medications are you on?", etc, etc.
   After several hours, I was told that there were no beds on any psychiatric units available, that I would have to spend the night in the ER, until a bed was found in a hospital.
   I was transported about 24 hours later, by ambulance, to a psychiatric ward, at a different hospital.