Witnessed This on a Psych Unit

I was on the unit for a behavioral addiction. It was basically half patients with mental illness, and half patients detoxing from drugs or alchohol. Some of the people detoxing were on very bad shape - couldn't walk straight, had the shakes so bad they couldn't hold a cup without a lid, etc. My second night there, a bunch of us wake up because we hear a code blue being called over the announcement system. Tons of staff comes running to our unit, eventually EMTs arrive and we see them wheel out a guy as they are still doing chest compressions on him. The next morning we hear that he didn't make it.
This brings me to my question...do you think it's safe to detox in a psych hospital, or should it always be in a regular hospital?

If the appropriate medical staff are on hand then detoxing in a psychiatric unit carries the same amount of risk as doing so in a clinical setting. I suppose without knowing what actually happened to this guy, there's no way of knowing what the contributory factors were. Was it a suicide attempt or was it a withdrawal reaction at all?

Some of the Hospitals Ive been in separate the drug-detox patients from the psych patients. Because these are two totally different animals. Been on both sides of the coin so i speak from experience. As long as they follow protocol they have in place for situations like this thats all that matters. Well except hopefully the patient lives.

It wasn't a suicide attempt. He was in bed and he simply went into a code blue (I'm not sure if he stopped breathing, if his heart stopping breathing, or if both happened at once). I know the staff did all they could once they were aware of his condition and summoned an ambulance right away. He was rushed to the medical hospital 5 minutes away but he didn't survive

I'd say that no hospital will guarantee survival. You can die in the best hospital in the world, either due to your time being up, or due to some human error or faulty machine. Generally, psych wards or hospitals are full of highly trained staff dealing with the most challenging circumstances. So, if you ask me, there is no such place as a "safe" place when it comes to survival.

Yes I would agree. When God calls you home, that's all there is to it. We don't have a choice. We die. Logically I should be dead, but I'm not. I've been in some dangerous situations and have lived.

I did not even know that psych hospitals still exist. In my home town, we had the first one built in the state. Just before it closed down in the late 1990s, I was working at an university under a grant program. As I was working with a population with psychological issues, the hospital graciously allowed me tour the facility. Quite frankly, it was an experience of a lifetime. Upon closing, the university took over the building and eventually sadly demolished all of the historical structures.

I would imagine that this is the best case scenario. In some of the larger hospitals, I have seen them equipped with both types of facilities. It is smaller, rural towns that hospitals may not even have one of these wards available.

That's weird, they should separate patients with mental illnesses from drug addicts. They are two different cases. But whatever.

It depends on the unit, really. Sometimes it's better than in a mental hospital, as the staff are trained to work with cases like these. But regarding how most mental hospitals treat their patients nowadays... I think it's better to be in a regular hospital. Just for your own safety.

It's called dual unit for both slightly mentally ill like say you took a bunch of pills to try, and kill yourself. You're not like really crazy, but you tried to hurt yourself with pills or while on pills, booze etc.. Then you are considered both rehab/mental. I know that is what I was. I think these places are suppose to be well prepared for something like this. I know where I was it was basically a hospital. It could be different else where. The real nuts were kept in different wings of this place. Like A wing was were all the bad mentally ill where. We saw a guy from one wing get loose from nurse, and try to kick in the double doors to our wing. He was nuts we were told to get away from doors. It took several guys to get him under control.

No not a good idea at all. It is common for the hospital to throw these people together. I mean look, the whole psyche thing is about money and putting people in a trance to make money. I don't care about all these new drugs they put people on. It's all the same. Mindless junk that makes you into a drone. If your detoxing street drugs of course they wouldn't mind getting you hooked on something. They make a kick back. It's all about money. Crazy behavior is enough to drive you crazy. Why would you want to get clean around people with all sorts of psychological issues. It is enough to go through as it is. If you didn't have a mental problem when you go in, other than the addiction. You may just find yourself with problems you didn't have before. Narconon, no drugs and no shrinks. I think that most people who enter a drug rehab in a hospital psych ward. Don't fool yourself, you are just looking for a different drug. You don't need it. Oh, I was depressed so I did drugs. Oh, my mother ruined me as a child so I turned to drugs. It doesn't matter whatever your reason you don't need more drugs or psychoanalysis. You just need to get clean and take care of yourself. Nothing special. The basics is all you need. Many street drugs and psychotropics will full on give you all sorts of mental issues. Don't fall for it, just flush the junk out.

When I went I wasn't on any kind of meds. This place literal forced on me. I was told by the other people in there with me just act like you are taking them. If you don't they will not release you, and I wanted to go home so I took them, but through them in the trash. I saw one girl get hers, and throw them on the floor I **** you not I saw another girl pick them up, and take them.

That is a horrible thing to experience. These people who are supposed to help others aren't doing so by shoving pills, otherwise they wouldn't have any patients now would they?

I agree with the idea that drug rehab patients need to be separated from straight mental illness patients. The last thing someone who just attempted suicide or is thinking of suicide needs to do is be around one of us when we are detoxing. I know I was awful to people when I was detoxing - screaming, cursing, randomly crying. People who are fragile mentally already don't need to deal with that. Also, some detoxes are dangerous. I wouldn't want to be on a huge mixed unit if I was detoxing off alchohol because there can be some life threatening side effects. I feel like if nurses were dealing with both, they wouldn't be able to give proper care and attention to either group.

Whoa, that sounds horrible! I feel bad for the guy that didn't make it. I definitely think it you're going through withdrawal, you should be surrounded by people who actually know how to handle it. I doubt a psych ward knows what they're doing!

Well, I think people who are qualified to deal with detox are the best professionals for the job. It is simply one of the ways you can get those who have experience and training to help with any medical issues that come up. I think that detox is a rough time under the best conditions and those who are in poor medical condition to begin with may have more problems.

The reason they mix both types of patients together is because both deal with behavorial as well as mental issues. Alot of people dont realize it but addiction is a mental disorder. As listed in the DSM-V. I think there should be some separation especially during the detox phase of an addicts stay in the hospital. Anyone could have a heart attack at anytime........Health care professionals are trained to treat people until EMTs show up. Ive been in the Psyche ward as well as drug detox at the same hospital. They use to mix them up now they separate them. Which i do think is better. In the end there are no guarantees in life.

Any competent clinic should carry proper medical staff, but I am shocked to find out that mental illness patients are allowed to intermingle with simple rehabbers. That sounds like a simple recipe for trouble. I guess it's a factor of our declining capacity.

I don't think the patients there for mental illness, overall, would've had much of a bad effect on the people in rehabs far as interactions go. Most people with mental illness aren't violent or unfriendly. But if you have both mixed I'm concerned that those detoxing wouldn't get proper medical care and supervision. If you have patients with mental illness admitted to the unit because they are suicidal, they have to be watched closely - that takes away from staff providing proper medical supervision to those at risk of serious withdrawal effects.

Some people really need the care of a psychiatric hospital, such as in cases of dual diagnoses, or even drug-induced psychosis. But I think hospital would mean they have the right doctors on staff to handle most of the major effects of withdrawal. Unfortunately there are more patients that need care than there are qualified doctors and nurses, and as a result addicts don't always get the best treatment.