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The Mentally Unsound



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Sun Jun 20, 2010 3:26 am
ultraviolet says...



OK, so I have a character that is--you guessed it!--mentally unsound. My question is in insane asylums, or mental illness hospital, how much does it take to get put in a straight jacket? Do they really still have those padded rooms? What would it take to get put in one? Or what room would they put him in in a straight jacket--trust me, he gets a straight jacket. Definitely.

Any answers would help. I know this is kind of out there, but google is literally killing all of my hope in finding an answer.

Or, if you know nothing on the subject, do you know someone/thing that does? Thanks.

loveness, ultraviolet
"Blah blah blah. You feel trapped in your life. Here is what I am hearing: happiness isn't worth any inconvenience."

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Sun Jun 20, 2010 5:40 pm
Pritt says...



I'm not sure modern psychiatric facilities even use straightjackets anymore. :P If he were to require confinement, he'd be put (without the jacket ;) ) in a small, empty room - I'm sure it'd be padded, but I'm not positive. If he became hysterical, he would be sedated and escorted to his room. If he threatened self-harm but wasn't hostile, he'd be put on watch and monitored by a nurse.
I'm not a total expert in asylums, but if you ever needed help regarding the mental states of patients, feel free to shoot me a PM. I'm really interested in psychology and such. :)
"The next person that offers me pity will be mentioned by name in my suicide note."
- Jeff Winger

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Sun Jun 20, 2010 7:37 pm
ultraviolet says...



Well I think they use straight jackets for when a person causes self harm. I could be wrong; I am in no way an expert. Anyways, thanks for the help. :)

One more question, if it isn't too much bother. Well, actually it's kind of vague. I'm wondering about people with split personalities. Anything you know, or any links to web site dealing with it would be helpful. Google is only so helpful before it becomes a mind-numbing obstacle.

Thanks. :)

loveness, ultraviolet
"Blah blah blah. You feel trapped in your life. Here is what I am hearing: happiness isn't worth any inconvenience."

~asofterworld.com
  





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Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:03 pm
Pritt says...



Well, there's DID (AKA multiple personalities disorder), but it usually involves a lot of personalities as opposed to only two. And although it's pretty uncommon and hard to manage, people aren't usually institutionalized for it.
Hope I helped. :3
"The next person that offers me pity will be mentioned by name in my suicide note."
- Jeff Winger

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Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:14 pm
ultraviolet says...



Well he's very unstable, very spontaneous and often times dangerous. Anyways, I just wanted the basics on that. My book is fantasy, so I suppose I could spin this to something unique, but I wanted to know how things work so as not to look like an idiot who watched too many bad sitcoms.
"Blah blah blah. You feel trapped in your life. Here is what I am hearing: happiness isn't worth any inconvenience."

~asofterworld.com
  





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Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:58 am
bluewaterlily says...



ultraviolet wrote:Well I think they use straight jackets for when a person causes self harm. I could be wrong; I am in no way an expert. Anyways, thanks for the help. :)

One more question, if it isn't too much bother. Well, actually it's kind of vague. I'm wondering about people with split personalities. Anything you know, or any links to web site dealing with it would be helpful. Google is only so helpful before it becomes a mind-numbing obstacle.

Thanks. :)

loveness, ultraviolet


I think what you're talking about is borderline personality disorder. People with this disorder are insecure, have strong impulses, short, but unexpected bursts of rage, anxiety, and/or depression, clinginess, difficulty controlling emotions, and fear of abandonment. For more information here is a link about this condition.

http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-126141/Borderline-personality-disorder?q=borderline+personality+disorder

Hope I helped,and good luck with your writing~bluewaterlily. :)
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Thu Jul 08, 2010 4:35 am
octocoffee says...



I attempted a story a while back about a girl who becomes insane (due to supernatural influences, but that's neither here nor there). First of all, it very much depends on the time period of your story! Up until the mid-20th Century, places were called insane asylums, lunatic asylums, psychiatric hospitals, or mental hospitals. The first two are considered offensive nowadays, so people typically go with the titles 'psychiatric hospital' and 'mental hospital'.

From what I know, straitjackets aren't used anymore. But should someone who is considered mentally unsound be a threat to others or themselves, the staff are really careful to clear the area of things that are potentially harmful. Of course, this varies by the person. A girl who cuts herself for the thrill of blade on her skin will be steered clear of knives, razors, etc.

Should they prove to be so aggressive that they endanger the staff and other patients, then you're right, restraints are used. I think googling 'mental hospital restraints' might help, I saw some pretty useful links. Here's one I think is reliable. I know that there are 'soft restraints' like
'hard' restraints, although I'm not really sure of the difference between them.

Of course, there's the matter of the messy program that comprises the mental hospitals. There are a lot of stories of abuse and mistreatment, and it's sadly not completely unfounded (although it's nice to hear when it is unfounded). If there was corruption within a hospital and some twisted doctors, I'm sure they'd find any reason to put someone in a straitjacket.

Good luck with your story!
octo
...if you are going to step on a live mine, make it your own. Be blown up, as it were, by your own delights and despairs. ~ Ray Bradbury
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In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
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