The Princess Margaret Hospital

I was a patient at princess Margret hospital for mental health reasons when I was 16. Many interesting characters and occasional breakouts to say the least.nnMost of the nurses are super chill and nice. I do remember the hospital food being absolutely horrendous I know it’s made that way on purpose not even salt or pepper could save it haha. The treatment overall was good, the group therapy did nothing for me though. What also drove me insane a bit since everything was locked Understandably and having to ask a nurse every 5 seconds for something was long.nnI was only there for a month but I did feel better when I left. It felt very strange leaving and in a weird way despite hating it there I kinda felt sad. Definitely an experience I’ll never forget that’s for sure.nnAt night it was very creepy nonetheless, especially if you had a room facing the abandoned buildings. Even walking down the corridor was creepy.

I was admitted to PMH at age 17 for psychosis after taking LSD and having an awful trip that lead to months of depression, paranoia and anxiety.nnWhen I was first admitted to the child ward about 4 years ago it was very scary, I was clinically insane… the first couple of nights I was in strange room with windows that looked into nurses offices. And security checking rooms at night hourly, for safety.nIt was a difficult time, trusting even the kind caring staff !nnWith time, therapy and medication this place actually saved my sanity, I am so grateful for that experience and the healing that came with it nnThe staff were kind & compassionate,nalso props to the kitchen for having lots of vegan goodies in the fridge / cupboards ! yay ! thank you ! nnMost of the patients were pretty chill and easy to along with but during my stay which was a bit over a month there were some really crazy teenagers in there… they were more danger to themselves but also got to be cautious and keep yourself safe bc people can be unpredictable if you know what I mean nnThe student nurses were all very cool, lovely people. I wish all hospitals in NZ had student nurses that cool nnThe psychologist weren’t the best but they meant well,nI actually felt a bit insulted when I told them about what happened leading up to the admission…nnI told them about the glitter & nail polish exploding in my room and they kinda laughed, but I guess after hearing about some of the traumatic things other patients had experienced it was kinda laughable ha ha, #grateful #HopefulHerbivore :nnThe staff during my stay were all very good people & I felt safe in their presence, they were definitely trust worthy, unlike some psych wards in NZ… :nnAlso I had no problem with meds, but I’m well aware prescription pills // medication can have really negative side effects so I find it more desirable to heal with alternative medicine, which wasn’t an option at this time. During my stay though prescription medication wasn’t a problem,nn****nHowever to anyone who cares, when I was 19 I had an allergic reaction to medication, haloperidol which was prescribed in pills.nRefusing to take those pills fearing my body would reject it and other personal reasons.. Staff in Whakatane ward 8 were very unprofessional, and injected it into my leg while I cried my eyes out and 4 men held me down. The evil nurse Ronnie abused me like a true psychopath she didn’t even give me a Information Card about the medication they said they would inform me what they were putting into my body, but they lied ! they were forcibly injecting without my consent or even complete knowledge. I had what felt like no human rights in there, it was traumatising.nMy reaction to the medication was so severe my throat swelled up, I couldn’t breathe and went into **anaphylactic shock???nIsolated in a room with no windows, alone I banged onto window to finally get attention of nurses while I dropped to my knees fearing I was going to die, gasping for breath…nIt must been an Epy pen that saved my life or something, had that not been around I definitely would of died.nNever trust the DHB blindly, they careless lie sometimes just be smart and trust your self and do your own research! and avoid psych wards if possible! nnQuestions are good and research the meds your children/family/friends are on if they need help nneven drs can be wrong sometimes, just because they have authority doesn’t mean they’re necessarily always right nHumans make mistakes…nnAlso the Forrest and gardens are beautiful so that’s another thing to be #grateful for nnThank you for looking after me so safely with compassion and love nnI hope this comment helps someone in the future,nand you find the help you need//seeking !nn‘Difficult paths often lead to beautiful destinations’…nnStay strong, and don’t give up !nnYou’ve got this :

It's been 3 or 4 months and they still haven't gotten back to me.n*UPDATE* they got back to me over 1 year later saying the person I had quit and they never checked her files... really made me feel great when my headspace was as bad as it was back then

The whole healthcare system in general needs help.nnCT/MRI scans are not ever given out for those who have head injuries, and for those who need mental health treatments they are on a waiting list for 3 months until they get a appointment, and that's not taking into consideration the follow up appointments that are required.nnThe system is messed up completely and the whole healthcare system needs a overhaul.

love the nurses but the psychiatrists/ psychologists are a joke. put me in an even worse space and being there makes me feel physically ill. its a disgustingly depressing atmosphere.

Directions to The Princess Margaret Hospital with public transportation

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