Comments on: Psychiatric hospitals: perception does not equal reality

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:16:03 +0000

I’ve been on in four hospitals. None of them looked like the photos above. They didn’t look like house, but they most definitely looked like a hospital. Only one was free standing. Two let us outside. The outside at one of the places was a courtyard, and at the other was some grass and asphalt surrounded by barb wire. None were particularly unpleasant or dilapidated, but they all looked like hospitals and they were all quite clinical.

The pictures you are showing are more of top dollar residential treatment centers. I went to a much cheaper long term youth RTC ($300 a day vs $1000+ for the photos you show). It was more home like, but many of the rooms were basically falling apart, chipping paint, graffiti, etc. We lived in a communal dorm, one big room with 6-8 beds and a table in the middle. Our beds had screws that stuck out from them. There were other rooms in the facility our staff would check out for us to use, to watch a movie or play pool or whatever. We also had a very crowded dining room. There was a tiny library, a decent art room, a small gymnasium, and a nice sized fenced yard. But those were only used during school hours.

By: Carly

Carly — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 02:59:54 +0000

Most places look like the one House was in. I have been in several. Those that you have found are generally for longer term stays and are a lot more expensive. Furthermore insurance doesn’t cover very much of it. Believe me, if it did my parents would have dropped me off a long time ago.

By: lionsmakeyoubrave

lionsmakeyoubrave — Mon, 28 May 2012 08:51:29 +0000

I’ve been hospitalized seven times in four different places; they all looked like the one House was in. The staff was horrible. The nurses were ugly and mean, and the psychiatrists were distant and strange and spent 2 minutes with me before prescribing me all different kinds of medications.

The therapists were condescending and seemed to all have anger issues. It was weird.

House’s hospital and my hospitals werent colorful and decorated like those fantasy ‘facilities’ you’re talking about but I liked it and I liked the simplicity.

I miss the hospitals…

By: you're wrong

you're wrong — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:59:27 +0000

i’m not sure why you want to believe that mental hospitals are nice places to go, but they’re not. I was in a children’s psych ward and it was worse than House’s. The windows were covered with black wire mesh with graffiti carved into it that said things like “LET ME OUT” and “I WANT TO DIE.” We slept on cots, and some of the patients including me were made to drag our mattresses into the hallway to sleep. We were not allowed outside. We had several times a day where we were supposed to go watch videos or play with puzzles in the rec room on hard plastic chairs.

I really don’t understand wanting to cover up the truth like that.

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 03:03:42 +0000

I think this was a great article. It is really unfortunate how the media portrays the worst possible depiction of people with mental illnesses and the facilities that house those with mental disabilities. The pictures of these real life facilities look lovely, much more warm, and welcoming than most would ever imagine. While, I realize that every facility may not be as attractive as the ones shown above; I do think it is great that these facilities are even acknowledged for creating such a warm and inviting environment. The author of this article is right, the picture of the facility on House looks the complete opposite of inviting, and it certainly does not encourage anyone to check into it to receive help. It only makes sense that it is important for facilities that house those with mental disabilities to create a comfortable/inviting environment, after all people with mental illnesses are still human right? They have the same need to feel comfortable where they are living just as much as one without a mental illness. Hopefully, there will be a day when television and movies more accurately display facilities that house those with mental illnesses.

By: Dan H

Dan H — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 17:04:57 +0000

So the article claims that TV is getting it wrong, only to have numerous people who’d know telling you that TV is in fact getting it right. Any chance of updating the article? Or do you still think that TV should be putting a bright face on real-world ugliness?

By: Stephina

Stephina — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:01:29 +0000

Also, we were never allowed outside.

By: Stephina

Stephina — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:00:57 +0000

when i was hospitalized, it looked like House’s hospital. The only real difference was that we had carpet, and our beds were way worse than the military ones. maybe it’s only like this in california…

By: shame on me shame on you

shame on me shame on you — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:12:25 +0000

I (SPENT TIME) IN XENIA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, MT. CARMEL, ST. ANN’S AND OSU. THE ROOMS WERE CLEANER THAN THE ABOVE DESCRIPTIONS. OF COURSE, THE WINDOWS HAD LOCKS (ALL PATIENT ROOMS HAVE THEM ON EVERY PATIENT ROOM WORLDWIDE). THE TREATMENT TOPICS WERE NOT OF USEFUL IMPORTANCE, BORING, SHORT AND VERY STRESSFUL. THE TALKS WITH THE (1) PSYCHE WAS ONLY 5-10 MINUTES. HE ONLY ASKED ME, “HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY ?” OF COURSE I SAID, “FINE.”

THAT’S THE GEST OF IT. OH, WE WERE LET OUTSIDE, AS THE SMOKERS (THEY HAD A RIGHT TO BE OUTSIDE). OH, WE HAD AN HOUR, TWICE A WEEK, TO GO TO THE RECREATION ROOM AND LEARN/MAKE CRAFTS. NOT TOO AWFUL, JUST NO REAL HELP TO ME.

By: Lisa Blount

Lisa Blount — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:21:54 +0000

The only public place to go where I live is the Ruth Cooper Center in Fort Myers, Florida and it makes these places look like not five star hotels, but palaces. When you arrive you get to go into a holding cell – a sort of waiting room until the beds (really cots – with no real pillows) are available. It is freezing cold. The lights are on in the holding cells 24/7. The holding cell is just a small enclosed area with a hard bench. You cannot sleep on it, it’s too small. They do give you a loose woven blanket (you can’t kill yourself with it) but no pillow (you’d kill yourself with it they think). It’s a little better than jail but not much. Interior design is not even in their minds. “Safety” is. Florida is number 49 in the nation for mental health funding. This place is so “safe” it might kill you – no kidding.