I think something people don’t understand or often misrepresent about psych wards in the US is that even if you sign yourself in voluntarily, you’re often doing so because the alternative is being committed. They tell you you’ll be able to leave whenever you want if you go in “voluntarily,” but this is very often not true if, once you’re admitted, they decide it’s “too dangerous” or you’re too unstable to let you leave. And then, you’re essentially committed anyway. I see posts by people that make it seem like involuntary and voluntary stays are a sort of…binary thing at US hospitals/facilities and it’s just not true. Or that voluntary stays are somehow safer or offer people more autonomy. If you go in, they have the final say about when you leave whether you’re “voluntary” or not. They can ship you to a state hospital long-term against your will from a “voluntary” stay in a psych ward. I know firsthand. Just…look out for yourselves and your loved ones, folks.
In 1973, Stanford University professor David Rosenhan conducted an experiment where he and 8 other people with no history of mental illness faked symptoms of auditory hallucinations in order to be admitted to different psychiatric hospitals across multiple states. The moment they were inside, they immediately stopped any pretence of experiencing hallucinations and informed staff that the hallucinations had stopped. Despite acting and being perfectly sane, they all were forced to admit to having a mental illness and to be put on antipsychotic medications before any of the hospitals allowed them to be released. All but one was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The second part of the experiment was a specific hospital challenging him to send them fake patients because they would clearly spot the real ones from the fakes. Then over the next few weeks the hospital listed 41 of their 193 new patients as probable fakers. And Rosenhan revealed he never sent anyone. It was all them getting themselves worked up and denying care to those that needed it because of baseless discrimination.