Tw/ mental hospitals, abuse

It’s messed up that our “solution” to mental health crises is throwing people into under funded wards where they’re completely dehumanized and often abused by poorly trained techs for a couple of weeks and then thrown back out into the world (THREAD)

Most inpatient hospitals (public AND private ones) treat you like garbage. “Dehumanizing” is genuinely the best word I can think of because when I was in the “psych ward,” I felt stripped of my own humanity.

I’m not trying to speak for everyone, but most people I know who have been involuntarily committed to inpatient mental hospitals have been further traumatized and/or have ended up back there again. Psych wards, as they function now, don’t solve anything. They’re a band-aid fix

TW// suicide

Because they never EVER address the root problem of ANYTHING. ex: suicidality is a symptom of countless environmental factors and illnesses. I ended up in inpatient because my OCD thoughts were so bad that I didn’t think I could bear to put up with them anymore

And the way to address that cause is different than the way to address suicidal ideation as a result of abuse, mood disorders, poverty, etc. But shoving people into psych wards where the doctors don’t address these root causes doesn’t solve anything in the long run

And we wonder why this system doesn’t work. We wonder why people continue to end up in these places over and over and over again. We shame them for it. We even BLAME them for it. But it’s not their fault. It’s not ANYONE’S fault. It’s a systemic problem.

When I talk about interconnected issues, this is what I’m talking about: why is this system so fucked up? Why do we resort to this method of “treatment?” Look at our health care system. Then, look at our criminal justice system. Then look at wage gaps and economic disparities.

If we’re not addressing the root PROBLEMS of SYMPTOMS, were never gonna get anywhere. We need a universal health care system that works for EVERYONE. But we also need policies that support and protect victims of abuse and the mentally ill. We need a livable minimum wage ...

We need to defund the police and reallocate that money to SCHOOLS and HOUSING and COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. We need to look at the whole picture. Mental illness isn’t an isolated issue. “Mental health advocacy” has to be intersectional, and it has to include political activism.

I’m frustrated with “it’s okay to talk” YES. IT’S IMPORTANT. Of course it is. Stigma reduction is important. But ending stigma doesn’t address the systemic problems. “Talking about our problems” isn’t a substitute for health care. It’s not a substitute for real change.

This has been on my mind for a while and I decided to make a thread talking about it. Disclaimers: I’m not an expert in anything, I don’t claim to have the answers, and I’m not trying to speak for everyone. Everything I write comes from what I’ve observed from personal experience