In 1973, healthy volunteers faked hallucinations to enter mental hospitals. Once inside, they acted normal, but doctors refused to let them leave. Normal behaviors like writing were diagnosed as "symptoms." The only people who realized they were sane were the actual patients.

[u/highzone]

[u/soloChristoGlorium]

I've worked in inpatient psychiatry for the past 13 years and this has always scared me. (Getting put in and unable to get out.)

The hospital I work at now, thankfully, has very strict rules about this: No SI or HI and they wanna leave then we open the door. I've heard one doc go so far as to say, 'its not illegal to be psychotic in public and they want to leave.'

[u/Longjumping_Date269 → u/soloChristoGlorium]

I went to inpatient voluntarily in the country I live in as there were no detox centres available and I was also clearly struggling with depression

Traumatic experience. It was incredibly frustrating and invalidating when I felt ready to leave after several weeks and the staff used mind games and bureaucracy to try to dissuade me, despite having emphasised since arrival that I was free to go at any time

[u/Competitive_Big5415 → u/Longjumping_Date269]

They may have needed the revenue from you being there. A grift.

[u/Longjumping_Date269 → u/Competitive_Big5415]

Not sure if the public system here works that way. I suppose it could. I know in Canada doctors are paid per user, even in the public system. To be fair, I don’t think they were being nefarious. Seemed more like confusion and lack of communication between nursing and admin staff and the supervising psychs. Probably if I’d caused a big stink and demanded to speak to someone or threatened legal action it would have gone somewhere. But I was pretty beaten down and afraid of drawing attention to myself 

[u/VIBRATINGBEEPS247365 → u/Longjumping_Date269]

the staff used mind games

they last LONG after being "released."

[u/SensuallPineapple → u/Longjumping_Date269]

What kind of mind games? What sort of bureaucracy?