• @afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    219 days ago

    Real answer? Social Services is probably the number to call unless there is a emergency medical issue in which case just regular 9-1-1.

    Likely you will either ride in an ambulance or with two social workers in a car to the hospital. 24-48 hours out-patient while you are stabilized. If it is a temporary situation, say you had an insanely high fever and were delirious you would just go home. If it wasn’t temporary highly likely assigned a case manager for placement.

    Despite what you see in the movies/TV you will not be thrown into an mental institution you will not be forced to take a cocktail of drugs that make you a zombie.

    • @Mrs_deWinter@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      219 days ago

      My experience does not come from movies. I am an outpatient psychotherapist (in a country with a reasonably functioning psychiatric system). I have repeatedly seen patients slip into psychomental crises where outpatient care is no longer sufficient. The local psychiatric clinics were sometimes real lifesavers. That’s why I find the idea of healthcare without emergency institutions confusing. I would find it terrible not to be able to offer my patients anything in such emergencies.

      • @afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        019 days ago

        Ok well I am not sure what to say except my entire family is crazy so I have seen the procedure, also my wife is a hospital nurse. Pretty much every hospital has a floor for emergency mental health admissions.

        • @Mrs_deWinter@feddit.de
          link
          fedilink
          English
          119 days ago

          Ah okay. So deinstitutionalization in that context was meant to include psychiatric institutions into general hospitals? Because that I can totally get behind.

          Based on the other comments I got the impression that there simply is no inpatient treatment plan for mental health in the US.

          • @afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            019 days ago

            There used to be huge asylums. Now there are almost none and the few that remain are nearly empty. The big thing is stabilize the patient and setup a plan so they don’t have to come back again. Which usually involves housing, assigned case manager, medication, food stamps etc.