In the past 18 months, I have been sectioned under England's Mental Health Act on three separate occasions. And yeah, it's scary, but those who are sectioned aren't people to be afraid of. We need to talk about sectioning more to breakdown the taboo around being admitted into hospital for psychiatric treatment, because when you get admitted to a general hospital, it's not something we really cover up, is it?
So let's talk about the sectioning process.
If you are sectioned, this means that you are kept in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983. There are various different types of sectioning, each with it's own set of rules and regulations surrounding detainment in a psychiatric facility. You can read detailed information about why and where you may be detained on the Royal College of Psychiatrists website by clicking here (for the purpose of this blog I will not be continuing to talk about the legal processes involved, rather my own personal account and why I think we need to talk more about being sectioned).
In a nutshell, you're only placed under a section if you:
- Need urgent treatment or an assessment for a mental health problem you may have, or are suspected to have
- Are a significant risk to your own health and safety, and/or that of other people's
- Have a mental illness that may get significantly worse if not treated urgently
- And if you do not agree (or do not have the ability to agree) to go into hospital voluntarily.
The whole process of being sectioned is scary. From the moment you're told you're considered a risk, right to when you're placed in a treatment facility. But those who are admitted to psychiatric facilities should be treated in the same way as those admitted to a general hospital, whether they are informal or sectioned patients.
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Being sectioned doesn't equal 'psycho'. Terms like that only make the process more frightening for individuals going through it. And while being sectioned is uncommon, it's not rare, with the Mental Health Act reportedly being used around 50,000 times each year in England and Wales (from Royal College of Psychiatrists). And keep in mind that this doesn't take into account the number of individuals who agree to hospital admission (otherwise known as informal or voluntary patients).
The scariest thing for me about being sectioned was the realisation I was that severely unwell. It's something I'm still sort of coming to terms with and is something I have struggled with on all three occasions I have been detained. Each time, I thought I was fine and 'well' and that I didn't need to be in hospital. I had it in my mind that I would lose everyone by being sectioned, that they would all consider me a lost cause or a 'weirdo'. Adding stigma to the sticky mess that is being detained only makes the matter a whole lot worse.
When you're in a psychiatric unit, it's easy to jump to the silly conclusion you've 'gone mad' and that everyone you've ever loved will leave you. Whilst I lost some friends along the way though, I have found the good ones stayed, and we need more people like that. Depression and other mental illnesses can make you think everything and everyone in the world would be better off without you, and that you don't deserve their love and support. But in reality, being in a mental health hospital should be treated no differently to when you're in a general hospital. You're simply trying to help your brain to recover rather than your broken leg, for example.
I won't lie about being in hospital. It wasn't pleasant, and I wouldn't want it to happen ever again. But I believe that's the same rule of thumb for ALL hospitals. No one wants to be in them unless they really have to. And it was scary not being allowed to leave when I pleased, or do what I wanted. But I'll talk more about that conflict in other posts. In terms of actually being sectioned though, people who are detained under the Mental Health Act are going through a difficult time enough without stigma being added to the mix. I have even heard that some health professionals don't like to enter psychiatric facilities as they feel 'uncomfortable' - trust me, it's the beds that make those places uncomfortable, not the people in it.
Yes, people who are detained may be a risk to themselves or to others, but they haven't necessarily done anything wrong. They are simply unwell. They are to be treated with the same respect we'd expect all individuals to be treated, not as though they are second class citizens who aren't to be trusted.
With one in four of us facing a mental health problem at any one time, any one of us or someone you know could face becoming so unwell they need hospital admission. Mental illness doesn't discriminate, and so we all need to start realising this is a reality any of us could potentially face. Things like Stacey's storyline in Eastenders and celebrities such as Frank Bruno opening up about their hospitalisation are helping somewhat with the taboo, but there's still a way to go.
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Thankfully, you can get involved by contacting your MP and making sure your constituency has signed up to the Mental Health Taskforce, a recommendation that aims to improve mental health services over the next five years. Visit http://www.mind.org.uk/taskforce to find out more and to find out further details about contacting your MP.
Let's stop the stigma surrounding sectioning and ensure anyone with a mental health problem gets effective treatment in a timely manner. Being sectioned is scary enough, but the stigma surrounding it right now is even scarier.
AG -x-
Find out more about being detained under the Mental Health Act by visiting:
The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Rethink Mental Illness
Mind
TheSite
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