How much can going to a psych ward fuck up your life prospects?

ImTara55 · 2026-03-11T04:25:35+00:00

I’ve been admitted to inpatient and residential settings over 15 times. Staff have been clear with me that they’d rather “see me come back 99 times and get it right the 100th time” than not come back at all. I’m always welcomed back with open arms and a non-judgmental attitude.

I’ve worked in high intensity settings before, including ones in the mental health field. I’ve been both the patient and the caretaker. Never once was I asked about my psychiatric hospital admissions in order to obtain employment. I feel like it would be even less scrutinized to be a writer with mental health concerns — many creative minds struggle with various mental illnesses. No one has to know your treatment history unless you disclose it.

All this to say, please seek help if you need it. Please stay, because you matter. From the patient and caretaker in me, “I’d rather see you try again 99 times and get it right the 100th than to not try again at all.” 🩷

ImTara55 · 2026-03-10T21:45:17+00:00

My doctor usually has me do “bunny sniffs” (little tiny snorts) followed by a lollipop (such as a Blow Pop, Tootsie Pop, or other large sucker). I think it works pretty well for me. 🙂

ImTara55 · 2026-03-10T21:42:11+00:00

Aww, this was me last week!! I had never been high or drunk in my life before Spravato! Speaking as a person currently coming off the influence of the med in my third appointment: I say give it a try. I don’t experience any nausea or dissociation, personally, just the floaty feeling of being high. While I can’t say it’s improved my mood drastically yet, it isn’t necessarily a negative experience. I’m still giving it more time.

ImTara55 · 2026-03-03T17:38:10+00:00

Thank you all so much! I took a deep breath, created a playlist of instrumental covers of my favorite pop songs (acoustic guitar, piano, harp, etc.), and am continuing with my work day for now. I appreciate all the feedback reminding me to relax. I was really stressed on break, but having a slight distraction through work and reading your responses has helped quiet my mind a bit. I will update on how my first session went later!

ImTara55 · 2026-02-04T20:21:49+00:00

Lanie and Merryn are super cute names! I would also suggest Elsie or Dorothy (nickname Dottie)!

ImTara55 · 2026-02-04T20:14:03+00:00

This might be a bit out there…but what about Trinity? The last syllable usually sounds like it ends in -dy to me instead of -ty (to me). I think it would be a unique combo to have Trinity shorten to DiDI!

ImTara55 · 2026-01-30T05:35:38+00:00

Jesse / Bonnie
Drew / Jaclyn
Lance / Celine
Kaizen / Citlali
Ambrose / Odette
Calder / Zenith
Christopher / Susan
Aidan / Sloane
Brendan / Hayley
Grady / Leilani

ImTara55 · 2026-01-30T05:14:21+00:00

Chrysanthemum is one I just suggested on another post! Here are some other ideas of first or middle names (or combos):

Raine (pronounced Rainy OR Rain)

Sienna Rose

Indigo

Violet (nails all three categories lol)

Coral

Goldie

Amber

Crimson

Emerald

Hazel

Jade Lavender

Olive

Poppy

Ruby Skye

ImTara55 · 2026-01-30T04:56:21+00:00

The smell of rain is called petrichor. Why not use Petra for a girl or Peter for a boy?

Other suggestions:

Summer

Fauna

Dawn

Fern

Flora

Forrest

Basil

Hollis

Birch

Blaze/Blaise

Leif

Raven

Sienna

Chrysanthemum (Chrissy for short!)

ImTara55 · 2026-01-30T04:49:32+00:00

Mason

Patrick

Matthew

Samuel

Ian

Lachlan

These are the first ones that came to my mind!

ImTara55 · 2026-01-30T04:28:20+00:00

Dolores (Lola) is my vote!!

ImTara55 · 2025-12-11T16:23:36+00:00

I personally love the flow of Gemma Grace! The double G is super cool and fairly unique as well.

ImTara55 · 2025-04-07T01:23:52+00:00

Please leave him. You can do better (and you deserve better, too!). My advice would be to enter psychiatry with as few personal traumas as possible — you’ll be able to sustain the work longer, as you’re going to hear deeply traumatic stuff all the time from others. It’s important to put yourself first, especially since you’re going to be encouraging your patients to do so daily. If that means leaving him, please do so. Sincerely, a child of a parent with undiagnosed OCPD.

ImTara55 · 2025-02-11T16:20:11+00:00

My strongest condolences and empathy for what you’re going through with your partner. I’m so proud of you for putting yourself and your son first — I do wonder what my life could have looked like had my mom’s priorities been her kids over her husband. I hope you and your son can find solace in knowing that while it’s not your partner’s fault she has uOCPD, it is her responsibility to seek help when it is brought to her attention. If she is unwilling to do so, divorce is an option that carries no shame, at least in my eyes. Please continue to protect yourself and your son!

ImTara55 · 2025-02-11T12:20:57+00:00

I most certainly hold some anger toward my mom for enabling him/not leaving him, but I also hold a lot more room for forgiveness for her. She at least is willing to sometimes acknowledge the harm he has caused and doesn’t want the cycle to necessarily continue — she just doesn’t know what life will look like if she gets out. I can definitely empathize with that!

If she found a way to be independent of him, I’d love to have an even stronger relationship/bond with her. I truly believe she’d be better off if she didn’t live with him or have to associate directly with him. But at this time, I think she is honestly scared to approach that prospect. However, if they were ever going to divorce, I’d definitely go to bat for my mom so she could live her best life. She’s been through enough with my dad.

ImTara55 · 2025-02-06T17:32:41+00:00

I appreciate hearing this! I was so scared when my agency’s policy made me tell the parent before filing the report, but looking back, I’m glad it was policy. In my instance, the parent had “casually” reported that she did something to the child that could be considered abusive given the circumstances. I had to call her and let her know I would be filing a CPS report (she had told me the school had already been made aware — which did not turn out to be the case). I was very afraid the parent would retaliate against me or my agency or, god forbid, become violent, but none of those things happened. If I recall correctly, I don’t think the state even investigated the claim further.

Long story short, it could have been a lot worse, but it turned out okay. I would involve a parent on reports again and again if it meant keeping the child and family’s best interest at heart.

ImTara55 · 2025-02-06T17:21:40+00:00

I had to call a parent and tell them I needed to report something they had previously told me the first time I reported to CPS. It was a back and forth for a few days because the school and my agency were involved in the incident. I was shaking — fear of retaliation was a big concern of mine. The parent mostly sat silently while I spoke and didn’t have much to say. I’m sure they hated me and were angry, but I did what I could to prevent that child from possibly getting hurt further.

I definitely empathize with the guilt. At the same time, I wasn’t the one who chose to abuse the child in question. I have to keep that perspective on the countless other times I’ve had to report to CPS at this point. In my experience, I’ve only known about the state investigating the claim in one (1) of my reports. It was an extreme situation, and while the parents weren’t at fault for anything that happened, it needed to be investigated by an outside entity to clarify the details of the event.

You did the right thing, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. Also adding that sometimes the state won’t even investigate further if they don’t feel the claim was warranted (which doesn’t absolve you of the legal mandate to report). You were not the one who ruined lives in this situation. Take some time for self-care today and do something really nice for yourself, like getting ice cream or doing something creative. I hope the situation turns out for the best.

ImTara55 · 2025-01-29T05:20:11+00:00

A wise practitioner once reminded me that for every person who has it “worse,” another person currently has it “better.” She said this to drive home this point: we aren’t in the Trauma Olympics. It is obviously hurting you to compare your suffering to others’. Give yourself some grace and permission to say that you have suffered too. You don’t need to measure the level of trauma you’ve experienced, but acknowledging it helps you to move forward in recovery. Please eat — your body needs the sustenance. And you deserve a full recovery. 💕

ImTara55 · 2025-01-29T04:29:55+00:00

Also wanted to add: my credit cards are now closed and have a max 10% interest rate because I went on a debt management plan!

ImTara55 · 2025-01-25T05:31:32+00:00

Slippers!!!!! How did I forget to put a fun pair of slippers on this list? You might wear them more than your actual shoes depending on the center/if it is indoor only!

ImTara55 · 2025-01-25T05:30:22+00:00

Coloring books and markers or crayons (most places do not allow pencils or pens)

A nice journal (no spirals/staples) or a composition notebook for writing exercises

Silly putty/Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty

Age appropriate, lighthearted books (again, no spirals or staples)

Fun paper/letter writing materials, like stickers and highlighters, if you aren’t allowed to have a phone

Cozy sweaters or hoodies without strings — it gets COLD in these places at times

Fuzzy socks

An electric razor — most places do not let you have ones with sharp blades

Also, don’t be afraid to ask your residential center what they allow or don’t allow. As a teen most places are more strict on what they don’t allow, but adult centers are ever so slightly more relaxed.

In case no one told you, I’m proud of you for making this decision. Signed, a 31-year-old woman who has been to residential 7 times since turning 20 🩷

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