>>1840>>1865Advice from someone who's been through it: Get an outpatient appointment ASAP with a psychiatrist. They won't hospitalize you unless you are seriously symptomatic or a danger. Don't hide symptoms, but it may be wise not to mention thoughts of self-harm, harming others, or suicidal thoughts. Ex. If you're hearing voices say so, but don't say they're telling you to hurt yourself, and when they ask if you're going to act on what they say, always say you know better.
It can take months to get an outpatient appointment (do emphasize you need one as soon as possible), so if you're having serious psychotic symptoms or are experiencing a loss of control of your mind, bite the bullet and go to the hospital. You'll have more rights as a patient who came there voluntarily as opposed to someone who was committed. It will suck, but stay there until you get a medicine that brings you 90% of the way back to normal. Again, do not hide symptoms. The right medicine WILL let you stop fighting for control of your mind, WILL make you stop hearing voices, WILL get rid of 90% of your hallucinations, etc etc. A lot of people get discharged early on wrong/ineffective medicine, and that's a huge mistake. Cooperate with your doctor, but do let them know if a medicine disagrees with you or isn't helping. Don't be afraid to push back. One doctor diagnosed me with an anxiety disorder, when I had no history of anxiety - my anxiety turned out to be 100% a side effect of the medicine.
And remember, no matter what's going on in your head, you are 100% responsible for your actions and WILL have to deal with the aftermath. Don't do anything stupid.
