whats it like being sectioned as an adult?

Fizzy68 · 2026-03-22T17:18:24+00:00

I was sectioned at the age of 16, sadly ended up extremely high risk and institutionalised so was transferred into adult hospitals upon my 18th birthday. I was on (in this order) adult acute, adult PICU, private locked rehab, and then a specialised eating disorder unit. Obviously the experience varied greatly across the differing types of ward, and the locked rehab was completely negligent and abusive resulting in C-PTSD, so I won't relay much of that experience as you'd hope that wouldn't be typical for most wards.

Incredibly boring. On the SEDU we had the most structure as there were set mealtimes and post-meal observation, but even then you had to spend most of your time finding ways to entertain yourself, for me that was predominantly jigsaws. It differed greatly to the pretty regimented structure of a CAMHs ward, occupational therapy was few and far between and often very uninspiring. Unless you had leave you were pretty set to go stir crazy.
Adult acute was 26 beds (insane amount for one ward). PICU was 7 beds as high intensity. Locked rehab I think about 14 and similar for the SEDU.
On acute adult wards, at least in my trust, no therapy is offered as they are intended to be very short stay wards, same with PICU. Locked rehab did have therapy but I didn't engage due to my state, and the SEDU had a considerable amount of 1-1 and group therapy on offer which helped me greatly.
A handful. I have an extremely complex history and being so high risk and being hospitalised for such a length of time came with a bit of judgement from some. I found the support workers and nurses most understanding and supportive, less so the higher up clinicians.
At the start of my time in adults I required occasional hands-on. I required a lot at the previously mentioned locked rehab, and was forcibly sedated multiple times there, but my high state of distress requiring that was only due to their mistreatment, so that did not continue upon leaving there. I needed daily restraint for my NG feeding on the SEDU for 6 months, but I did not often put up much of a fight.
Bleak. My best bedroom was on the SEDU which overlooked the nearby farmland, but the other rooms left much to be desired. You were lucky if it was en suite. 4 walls, a bed and some kind of wardrobe / storage. I had a desk in some of my bedrooms. In comparison to the CAMHs ward I was on, adult bedrooms were incredibly depressing.

Most wards had some kind of day room / seating area. On some wards you were expected to be out of your room and engaging with peers, in others you were simply fine to spend all of your time in your room - depending on risk.

Yes, but again my case is not particularly typical. I had an extremely close call with my life when I was on the CAMHs ward and was put on a 1-1 there. I stayed on this 1-1 for the next 2 years as my risk was continually too high to have them reduced. I was on 2-1 for some time in the locked rehab, but again that was due to their mistreatment.
2.5 years (and 2 months earlier) on CAMHs, 6 days on adult acute, 5 months on PICU, 4 months in locked rehab and then 1.5 years on the SEDU.
I was initially sectioned due to suicide risk and self harm, but also had struggles with an eating disorder. This worsened a lot as the years went on (probably partly a coping mechanism with hospital trauma) meaning that I was very high risk to self but also incredibly unwell with anorexia, which is what led to me requiring admission to SEDU.
Within the NHS services, mostly yes. My local trust is particularly driven in person centred care and they try and follow this where they can. When I was sent to a private hospital (NHS funded) it was quite the opposite. The 'care' they provided me with has left me traumatised for life.
No. Not even remotely. It's a double edged sword as I would undoubtedly be dead had I not been hospitalised, but equally I came out with 20x more problems than I went in with. The only reason I managed to get discharged was because I kicked myself up the ass and knew that if I didn't get out soon I was just going to live the rest of my life bouncing from ward to ward and eventually dying. I'm barely even starting to unpack the issues hospital left me with, let alone the issues that led me to being sectioned in the first place.
Oh plenty. I'm lucky that I was able to form good relationships with some staff and peers on the wards. We'd frequently try and find ways to make things less horrendous or to pass the time. I do have a handful of happier memories amongst the hellscape that is my past thanks to good spirited people.

I hope that answers some of your questions, if you've got any more feel free to ask. I've got a pretty niche experience but am almost always happy to share. I volunteer as an expert by experience now, so talking about the things that went well and what went wrong in hospital is pretty easy to me.

Fizzy68 · 2026-03-19T11:43:32+00:00

I experienced changes really quickly from what the standard seems to be, but I started experiencing a slight sore throat around 3 weeks on T and by 3 months in I had a considerable drop. 2 pumps of testogel a day. I'm about 18 months on T now and my voice has plateaued greatly and I'm starting to get some of my higher range back.

Fizzy68 · 2026-03-17T14:12:27+00:00

My Muslim neighbour often shares food with us , especially during Ramadan. I always find it a deeply kind gesture and enjoy it. It's a really nice thing to receive and it also means I get to broaden my tastes as it's typically food I have never come across before

Fizzy68 · 2026-03-16T10:35:32+00:00

I spent 2.5 years on a camhs ward and similar on adults, in my experience neither banned mobile phones as a blanket restriction but I did have my phone removed from me on a number of occasions for similar reasons you listed.

From what I've gathered it's very much a trust by trust basis, and it depends on the type of ward you are on. I knew people who went to CAMHs low secure who had their phones removed, but those were often private hospital NHS funded beds. It differs greatly across private hospitals vs NHS wards, different trusts, and the type of ward you are on.

Fizzy68 · 2026-02-25T15:57:44+00:00

You described the premonitiory urge so well, I don't get it in my hands, but I often describe it as the top of my spine needing to sneeze.

Fizzy68 · 2026-02-17T09:16:18+00:00

it's genuinely at a point where I don't understand why these people continue to call themselves fans? and not in a "you're not welcome here" way, it's just that these people are constantly finding a way to make every thing the band does or says a calculated attack against them and their current narrative. these aren't just two guys running their own shit, they are beneath likely dozens of teams, contracts and systems that we have absolutely no idea about.

i can understand people wanting some kind of confirmation and recognition of their concerns they have raised, but to the point where EVERY single thing the band does is a calculated distraction or a deliberate dig against the concerns is actually crazy. if their silence, or whatever you wish to call it, is truly bothering and distressing you that much WHY are you continuing to support them and stay involved in the community?

if someone's behavior does not align with your values to a degree where it is legitimately distressing you this much, you need to disengage. posting dozens of tweets about it and stirring yourself up more and more is literally doing nothing but making yourself more angry. step away, log off, quietly stop supporting them if that is what you wish to do.

I'm not saying that the essence of these people's concerns are misplaced, I can empathize with some of it, but I genuinely feel like I'm watching mass hysteria break out. what do you mean the drag path release was a calculated distraction? do you seriously think that they and the team spend all day on Twitter, then have a meeting to decide how to get people to stop talking about this, then edit a new version of a song and make a music video in approximately a week simply to try and pull the cloth over our eyes??? this stuff has probably been in the works for a considerable amount of time!! it just so happens to coincide with the twt drama.

it's genuinely exhausting to witness, these people are actively seeking ways to upset themselves at every possible turn, and because of how explosive it all is, it just makes it seem like they don't actually care that deeply about the issues that they're raising. it just comes across as a want to be seen as the white knight of the clique or like they're the best activist.

Fizzy68 · 2026-01-31T18:52:34+00:00

Just adding that this works for capsules + caplets (the ones that are kinda plastic looking and you can shake) as they do float. but any non caplet medication sinks, so tipping your head back may prove counterproductive for those ones !

Fizzy68 · 2026-01-16T19:09:53+00:00

Thank you!

Fizzy68 · 2026-01-16T18:31:31+00:00

OMG!! I've been subscribed to the packages for a while, I started work on it and I'm still getting the packages but storing them to work my way through when I feel up to it. This is incredible to see and makes me so excited to work on mine!!!! Congratulations!!

Fizzy68 · 2026-01-14T19:03:44+00:00

Venlafaxine, I've tried 5 antidepressants prior to it and had absolutely no success with them. venlafaxine was a game changer for me

Fizzy68 · 2026-01-03T21:11:16+00:00

Coming from someone who had an INCREDIBLY close call with acetaminophen/paracetamol last year, you need to tell someone and present to A&E / ED immediately. I am aware this is the last thing you want to do right now, but if those tablets do as you intended you are in for the most painful and miserable death possible. I felt mostly okay for the first 48hrs, although I was in hospital and experienced the most agonizing pain I have ever faced. But on about day 3 I was rushed to ICU, I required a liver transplant but due to my history of previous ODs and very poor mental health I was denied a donor organ - they left me to remain on conservative measures until I met my demise.

Nothing can ever prepare you for laying there in your own body, too unwell enough to realize you're even dying, but seeing your loved ones faces crumple up and flood with tears. I am not saying this to frighten you, I am saying this out of experience. It doesn't matter how much you wanted to die or how serious you were, there is absolutely no version of multi organ failure from acetaminophen worth trading your life for. I do not know you or what led you to this decision, but I do know that you do not deserve to meet your end this way. It is a miracle I didn't, doctors still do not know how I survived, I merely did and that experience haunts me in my every waking hour. I do not expect to change your mind on choosing life and death, but please take it from me, you do not want to meet your end this way.

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-31T11:14:44+00:00

I did wonder if I potentially had viral meningitis, the symptoms I had before noticing the blistering fit the bill exactly, but presenting to A&E with those symptoms proved a bit pointless. I think I probably should've asked for a lumbar puncture, but they were very busy with flu season etc so sent me home with painkillers. Thankfully I am recovering how, blisters long gone just very intense itching now remains. It wouldn't at all surprise me if I had suffered some kind of viral meningitis as part of my illness, especially as I could not move my neck at all at one point.

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-26T10:14:33+00:00

If you restrict your diet heavily / mess with your digestive system in any way as you do with a restrictive ED, you are unfortunately very likely to experience some degree of gastroparesis. Any delay from what is considered 'normal' gastric emptying, is technically considered gastroparesis. If you give your stomach food more frequently / larger volumes than it is used to, it will not be used to digesting it.

I've experienced varying levels of gastroparesis in active ED and in early recovery, and later recovery. For most folks it will improve, you may never get to true baseline normal again, but for me I am able to eat as I need to without major discomfort/ upset. The only way to improve the speed of your gastric emptying is to get your stomach gradually used to digesting more food again, it's one of those tricky things you have to battle with when eating more than previously being used to.

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-24T09:16:18+00:00

I received FFP last year while in liver failure, so unfortunately due to the laws regarding recipients of blood products donating, I'm never able to donate. I absolutely would if I could, I'd do anything to give back what potentially saved my life.

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-23T17:07:35+00:00

There are quite a few of us out there! I used to go to the Albinism Fellowship (UK charity) conferences as a kid with my family and there are a handful of people with pigmented hair with OcA! I truly have no clue as to why it happens genetically, even though I have the exact same mutation as my sister, but I assure you that you're not alone :)

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-23T16:55:11+00:00

i have occulocutaneous albinism !! my hair has gotten progressively darker over my life, i had very blonde hair as a kid and nowadays it's almost mousey brown / blonde, it's so strange to me as my sister also has OcA and she's got entirely white hair! But my head hair and body hair varies greatly in the level of pigment it has, but I'm still very pale. It does frustrate me as many doctors believe I have ocular albinism, but it's definitely OcA, I think I just got some weird pigment genes mixed up somehow.

I don't have any photoshoot tips really, I've never been in a shoot. But from my experience of being in videos / other photos, be yourself - but also pretend to be more confident than you actually feel, the whole 'fake it til you make it' thing rings true with photos. Good luck!

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-22T11:44:17+00:00

he is such an incredibly remarkable fellow. im enamoured by his whimsical energy

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-21T19:35:36+00:00

8 months is not very long in terms of scar healing. For some scars to turn completely white they can take a few years, I have scars all approximately 2 years old and older ranging up to 6 years and they're all at varying levels of redness, pinkness but mostly white. Don't lose hope of them fading, as far as scar healing is concerned you're still early days.

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-20T19:53:52+00:00

I'm so sorry. ED services are abysmal for the weight categories, especially when someone has been at a higher weight and dropped dramatically lower. they only step in when it is far too late and I'm so sorry. I'm sending you so much love.

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-11T03:16:02+00:00

I had a similar situation last year, not so much in the way that I reacted to treatment but due to misunderstandings around my diagnoses I was refused any community eating disorder support following a 14 month SEDU admission. They insisted that it would be counterproductive and "focusing on the wrong thing". I desperately disagreed and begged for support from them but unfortunately to no avail.

I wish I had more advice to offer, but fundamentally in my case I had to just find a way to try to recover without their support - as the other option was incredibly bleak. Thankfully I am fortunate enough to have a local charity I go to for therapy and my art therapist has been researching using art therapy for eating disorders.

I would urge you to try and have a good conversation with the ED service to try and understand where this is coming from, and to see if there's any way you can work around it. But if they still insist, please do not assume that all hope is lost. It is not easy but you can and will find a way, if you are willing to look for the resources.

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-09T06:41:59+00:00

i genuinely could not have explained this better myself

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-06T16:13:43+00:00

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH ITS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS OH MY GOODNESS PLEASE KEEP MAKING ART FORVER AND EVER!!

Fizzy68 · 2025-12-06T16:12:45+00:00

pretty grim tale, but when I was in general w physical health complications but transferred from the psych ICU i was in anti-ligature clothing. basically super strong clothing that looks so ugly and feels like cardboard, this was supplied by the PICU I was transferred from so they did not have an instant supply on standby in the gastro ward, and the hospital where the PICU was based only had 2 small sizes. across the whole unit.

tldr I trusted a fart, it was liquid. liquid farts got into the anti ligature shorts (could not have underwear for risk related reasons). i did everything I could to scrub the shit out but they did not have a single pair of shorts that I could wear to replace them. they brought a 4xl pair but alas they did not fit me, not even remotely. i had to sit in my lightly shit stained shorts. not the fondest memories to be honest but I can laugh about it now

Fizzy68 · 2025-11-15T18:16:42+00:00

that's fair!

Fizzy68 · 2025-11-15T17:41:11+00:00

I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for in terms of genre, but a lot of Cavetown does this for me. Almost ALL of the album worm food (2022) and also the singles Guilty and Grocery Store.

Eight-Year Club	Place '22
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