Life had been going downhill for months, and finally, one day she had hit rock bottom. Her parents had been concerned for weeks, but after she had a complete mental break down her mom decided enough was enough, and that she needed serious help. The following morning, she packed a bag and her parents took her to The Psychiatric Center. It was not a place she wanted to go, but it was a place she needed to go to.

            When they first arrived at The Psychiatric Center, there was paper after paper to sign. The papers took about an hour to fill out. After the papers were filled out, she had to have a physical examination and her bag was searched through to make sure everything she had was safe. Not many people would think sweatshirt strings or too many straps would be dangerous but, in her case, they were.

            When she got to her room in the building, she was scared. She felt degraded and judged. The other patients seemed to be looking at her as if she were no good, but when in reality they just didn’t know how to talk to a stranger who they all knew had some mental issues. All the patients were there for a variety of reasons. Some were there for depression and/or anxiety, and others were there for schizophrenia.

            She had always known that she needed help but going to The Psychiatric Center opened her eyes to how much help she really needed. She was there for ten days, which in hindsight, was not enough time. She was put on medications and continued to be on them after she had left. As the months went on her medications were changed and dosages were increased. About a year later, she was admitted to Hospital One.

            Hospital One made a huge impact on her. She was only there for ten days as well, but the ten days there made her feel more mentally stable than she had felt in the past three years. She felt this way because of the staff there who made her feel as if she was important and supposed to do great things in life. The staff taught her many life lessons. One of the staff members told her, “Mistakes are supposed to be life lessons not life sentences,” and every day she lives by this saying. Her medications were changed once again while she was there and have not needed to be changed since she left. The doctor who prescribed her medications really listen to her and helped her get to the root of her problems and chose the medications that would help her for as long as she needed them, not just for a couple months. While at these hospitals she met some great people, who have not only made her a stronger person, but they have also helped her realize her self-worth.

            Before being admitted to either of these psychiatric hospitals, she viewed herself as someone who had no self-worth, that she was weak if she asked for help, that she was a weak person in general, and that she had no place in this world. She had lost interest in trying to make her life better. She let her grades slip, she removed herself from social interactions with people who cared about her, and she allowed herself to get into drug use. After being discharged, her views on herself and life had completely changed. She wanted to be better. She began trying again in school, she made plans with her friends and family, and she stopped all drug usage. By getting back on the right track, she was better. She can now also handle a negative situation in a positive way, she does not resort to drug use or self-harm.

            She never wanted to go to a psychiatric hospital, let alone two but she needed to go to them. Since being admitted to both hospitals she learned that it is okay to ask for help. She has self-worth, she is stronger than she was, and that she does have a place in this world. She now lives a good life and is thriving in all aspects of her life.