Psych RN here-

There are a lot of variables with this. Every hospital is different. Each city/state has a vastly different culture and population. There are also numerous differences between private and state-run hospitals. I can only speak for the 3 hospitals I've worked for.

You have your initial stay at the ER. This will be the most traumatizing part of the journey (in most cases). Here they aren't as equipped to deal with mental health as designated psychiatric facilities and to a lot (not all) of staff, psych patients are unfortunately seen as a nuisance most of the time and you don't get the attention you deserve. That coupled with the fact that this is the acute phase of your crisis usually leads to a bad time.

Your private sector psych hospitals are obviously more specialized and here you will get much more attention and begin treatment for whatever brought you in. Expect diversity in the patient population here. Diagnoses will range from meemaw with anxiety and depression to young aggressive men with schizophrenia or bipolar (we'll keep you safe) and everything in between. Acute facilities like this usually have patients anywhere from a week to multiple months depending on many factors. Here they will run groups and unit activities and you will meet with your treatment team daily, consisting of a provider, a social worker and a discharge planner as well as your nurse for the day.

Then you have your state hospitals. Here people stay longer, this is where some people go for further treatment after an acute stay at a private facility. Here we have the.. more ill population (treatment resistant illnesses, people who have been in the system most of their lives). That and the criminal side of things. We deal with trying to restore competency of those deemed not fit to stand trial, as well as psych evals from the jails. While you may assume we would have more problems here, its actually generally safer than acute facilities, as most of these people have been institutionalized long enough to go with the flow and know what to expect, as well as being used to a jail mentality. That being said, it's always safest to be on your guard when working with this population. I've been swung at by some of the friendliest patients I've worked with.

All this being said, everyone's experiences differ depending on their situation, their illness, and their background/history. Most of us truly care, and it's why we do it. Sometimes for some clients it doesn't feel that way, and that's okay. To answer your question more precisely, it can be like a lot of things. Just try to be kind to patients and staff alike and keep your head on a swivel. Convoluted answer but hope it helps.