Anonymous Story (XV)

While I was in the mental hospital, a roommate of mine confided in me about the details of her admission to inpatient. She was crying near a bridge when someone called the police, suspecting she was attempting to jump off. 

Endlessly she tried to explain to the police that while she was crying, she was okay and not attempting to hurt herself, but she was taken to an emergency room where she again tried to explain that she was safe. 

Upon being asked by a nurse, she responded honestly that she had a history of suicidal thoughts when she experienced postpartum depression, but that she was now medicated and no longer experienced those thoughts. 

As a result of her being truthful to her healthcare team about her history, she was admitted to inpatient unnecessarily and against her will. She attempted to convince staff and therapists at the inpatient facility that she was both safe and stable, but because she wouldn’t tell the staff what they wanted to hear –– that she had actually been trying to attempt suicide –– she spent nearly two weeks there away from her daughter and partner.