Staff behavior is easiest to judge (patients can’t see hospital notes, and if you’re not faking you can’t judge the diagnosis much). Here’s my experience in the acute psychiatric wing of a Swedish public hospital:
I am not psychotic (as far as I know, ha) but had a symptom a few years back that I mentioned when asked. (I think they screen everyone for psychosis.) They focused on that a lot, but did not medicate me for it.
the pseudopatients were not able to obtain their release until
I was voluntarily hospitalized. I don’t know if demanding to leave would have worked. I was able to get day permissions and then released basically by being visibly happy then telling doctors so.
they agreed with the psychiatrists that they were mentally ill
Nobody asked me to self-diagnose!
and began taking antipsychotic medications
That one’s true—medication (not antipsychotics in my case) was not optional.
No staff member noticed that the pseudopatients were flushing their medication down the toilets
Taking meds is the only time we were actively watched (except for patients on suicide watch).
Their possessions were searched randomly, and they were sometimes observed while using the toilet.
often discussing patients at length in their presence as though they were not there, and avoiding direct interaction with patients
Some attendants were prone to verbal and physical abuse of patients when other staff were not present.
Nuh-uh.
Contact with doctors averaged 6.8 minutes per day.
30 minutes every weekday morning with two doctors and a nurse, in a private room. I think this is standard procedure in Sweden.
Staff behavior is easiest to judge (patients can’t see hospital notes, and if you’re not faking you can’t judge the diagnosis much). Here’s my experience in the acute psychiatric wing of a Swedish public hospital:
I am not psychotic (as far as I know, ha) but had a symptom a few years back that I mentioned when asked. (I think they screen everyone for psychosis.) They focused on that a lot, but did not medicate me for it.
I was voluntarily hospitalized. I don’t know if demanding to leave would have worked. I was able to get day permissions and then released basically by being visibly happy then telling doctors so.
Nobody asked me to self-diagnose!
That one’s true—medication (not antipsychotics in my case) was not optional.
Taking meds is the only time we were actively watched (except for patients on suicide watch).
Nuh-uh.
30 minutes every weekday morning with two doctors and a nurse, in a private room. I think this is standard procedure in Sweden.