1586 Hauteville

It's really ghu.

I spent two weeks in the hospital after a suicide attempt and was only given sleeping pills. I had no consultation with anyone until the end of my stay, when a pregnant woman in her office spoke to me after I'd been heavily drugged and nurses had carried me there. Her only question was, “Do you want to harm my child?” I said no, and they took me back to my room. A few days later they discharged me with a prescription for a medication that was quickly banned in France. It was supposedly meant to “give me a little electric shock to the brain to make me feel happy,” but it never did, and I had a bad reaction. What came after was catastrophic. I'm still paying a very high price for it today.

My experience in that “hospital” was the worst of my life. I was kept in solitary for three weeks, including four days tied by my hands and feet. They untied one hand for meals, but I couldn't use the toilet or shower. You can imagine the result. Even prisoners aren't treated that way. I was depressed, not a serial killer. The psychiatrist, who I hope is no longer part of the “care” team, was a tyrant. Patients' well-being didn't seem to matter to her. You had to follow her orders if you wanted to get out quickly. Seven years later I'm still suffering the effects, and I imagine they may last a lifetime. Avoid this place at all costs. You'll leave in an even worse state than when you arrived.

I thought I'd found a hospital for my daughter after her suicide attempt and depression. I know psychiatry has problems like underfunding and staff shortages, but I hadn't imagined it could be this bad. Their answer is always medication. The side effects were terrible, and I didn't recognize my daughter. She couldn't speak, her jaw was completely locked, and she was drooling. I had to take her out. We're still waiting for a call from the psychiatrist.