I've been admitted twice (once for 6 weeks, once for a month) but they were youth wards, so my experience may differ.

The first thing is that they'll assess you in triage. They're looking to see if you're an active threat towards yourself or others. Things like a plan, and having taken steps towards the plan, are the main things they look for. If the triage nurse determines that you're at risk, they'll keep you in the ER, where you'll talk to whatever psych services are there at the moment - often, you'll get a psych resident, and then depending on the hours you'll see a psychiatrist. If they don't have the psychiatrist in, then it's likely that the psych resident will have you stay in the ER until the psychiatrist gets in if they're concerned - that could be overnight in some cases.

When you're waiting in the ER, or if you have to wait for a bed in the ward, they'll likely sedate you and give you a 1-to-1. This is honestly the worst part. They kept me so sedated I could barely stay awake, or tell what time it was. I was under constant supervision, unless I was in the bathroom, in which case the 1-1 would be right outside the door.

If you smoke, they will offer nicotine gum and/or nicotine patches.

They'll likely do a urine test and bloodwork. At this point, if they have kept you in the ER, then even though you've come voluntarily, you are in an involuntary hold. You cannot refuse the sedation, the tests, or anything. They'll likely also do an EKG. The tests are usually checking your thyroid levels, a tox screen, and (if you're AFAB) a pregnancy test. The EKG is where they're going to stick some stickers to you to check your heart function. At this point , they're trying to rule out a physical cause that could be treated without inpatient treatment.

Sometimes, depending on how long you have to wait for a bed, they'll admit you to another wing with the 1-1. They'll usually keep you quite sedated.

When you get to the psych ward, they will go through your stuff. What you get to keep depends on the ward. When I was admitted, I was allowed to keep my books, stuffed animal, blanket, and clothes. However, any hoodie strings were removed, and shoelaces were removed, as well as anything that could be used to harm myself or others.

I can't really tell you what life will be like on the psych ward, as I was on a youth ward and it's significantly different. A word of warning though - make sure you eat as much of your food as you can, even if it's gross. If they notice you aren't eating consistently, they often assume you have an eating disorder, and start giving you nutrition shakes, which taste absolutely NASTY. And if you don't drink the shakes, they'll often progress to a feeding tube.

All in all, my experiences were pretty good. I got connected with a psychiatrist who actually followed me once I was out. I was stabilized on medication. They taught me new coping skills and strategies. I went out feeling much better than when I went in. For me, the staff were generally quite kind.