By: Lauren Carbonara

October 30, 2013, was by far one of the scariest days of my life. I sat in an uncomfortable lobby room chair for about eight hours before being evaluated. Once I was finally taken back to talk to a nurse, I was asked what seemed to be hundreds of questions. ‘Do you want to hurt yourself?’ ‘Have you ever attempted suicide?’ were just a few of the many.

After they determined I should be admitted into the hospital based on my answers for the previous questions, I had to say goodbye to my mom and my sister, who were crying more than I was. I remember cursing at the ground because of how upset I was, and I got scolded by the nurse, which only made things feel worse.

Having seen TV shows like American Horror Story Asylum, I honestly had no idea what to expect of a psychiatric hospital. Were people going to be locked up in rooms constantly screaming? The Asylum season of American Horror Story was set in the 1960s, so of course things and practices have changed, but I was nervous about the things that haven’t changed.

The media is great at painting horrific ideas of psychiatric hospitals, or mental hospitals, through movies and television. Based on the media, psychiatric hospitals are prisons to the most eccentric of oddities. Patients are always being strapped down to beds while nurses struggle to calm them. Nurses are also always portrayed as using crude medical remedies and unruly treatment to their patients.

It is easy then to understand why people are often intimidated and put off by psychiatric hospitals; however, is the media’s portrayal of these hospitals true? While mental hospitals are not the most comforting of places to visit, the media tends to over exaggerate the negative aspects of psychiatric hospitals, like they do with most everything else.

As someone who has visited relatives in psychiatric hospitals and someone who has been in one myself, I would like to bring a more realistic idea of what really goes on behind closed doors. Of course I know the media paints mental institutions as twisted, haunted buildings for entertainment purposes; I myself like a good, creepy movie, but I think more people need to know the reality of such a serious issue.

On my second day, which was Halloween, all of the patients in the adolescence unit went “trick or treating”. We all made masks to wear to get into the holiday spirit, and all of the staff members gave us candy. Never in a million years did I think I would be spending Halloween in a mental hospital.

After Halloween, things went back to what was seemingly normal. We participated in many group discussions and therapies every day. It was interesting to hear what other people my age were going through in their life. It reminded me that no matter how alone you might feel, there are others that know what you are going through.

I think the biggest misconception about psychiatric hospitals is that only insane people with a laundry list of severe problems are admitted into these hospitals. With the way the media sells psychiatric hospitals, it is easy to understand why people think this way.

After my week in in-patient and two weeks in out-patient, I have a completely different perspective of what really goes on in mental institutions. Patients there are regular people who have been dealt a bad hand and have their fair share of problems. Everyone goes through tough times in their life, and there is nothing wrong with needing additional support to get through them.

While I am not planning on returning to the hospital anytime soon, it was an amazing learning experience for me, and I am almost glad it happened. I was able to meet some incredible people who have the same problems as I do and people who truly care about your journey to recovery.

On the day I got discharged, I was warned to not tell people why I had missed so much school, and that I should make up some sort of cover up story. I understand the reasoning behind telling patients this, but it is discouraging that a lot of people have to lie about where they were in fear of getting bullied or looked down upon. Support from friends and peers is an important step after transitioning from the hospital back to daily life; others should be supportive and encouraging.

If you or anyone you know needs help, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. While it may seem scary, it will be worth it in the long run. Help is out there; you just need to ask for it.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255).