Mental Health Appeal Declined

I hope it's not insensitive to ask what brought you to a hospital stay to begin with? Was it a more pronounced mental health episode of some kind where they felt you were a risk to yourself? I suppose they'd have to be so careful with balancing duty of care against your right to freedom of choice. What you've described does sound heavy handed though. 

Since I was little I've had a friend and I talk with her a lot and play. No harm ever came from doing that but I was seen one time by I guess some person and got reported which led to police involved and then doctors and then hospitalisation and medication. It's made me worse though but they don't listen when I tell them that. Every time I ask to go home it's the same thing and always the same result.

Thanks for being willing to share that. As forms of (forgive the term) psychosis - how they would no doubt see it- go, it sounds like quite a nice one! A friend that only you can see. I probably shouldn't ask much more about it, and the specifics are no doubt complicated. I just hope that things work out for you and that you get home before too long. Hospitals are noisy environments for sure, unavoidably so- hang in there!

I'm so sorry you are going through this Ava. It's so hard to know what to say, and all I can do is throw out reflections.

Autism and psychosis aren't mutually exclusive, of course. Seeing people who others can't isn't a feature of autism and would normally be understood by mental health professionals as psychosis, irrespective of your autism.

That said some anti-psychotic drugs don't always interact with neurodivergent neurology in the same way as for other people, so I really hope they listen to you properly, if you feel they are making matters worse.

I'm curious about something else...you don't have to answer...but is this friend the only one you see? With psychosis, you'd expect a whole raft of other disturbances and delusions???

I am intrigued that you've "always" seen this person. Even when you were little? Small children don't generally experience psychosis, but many children have an "imaginary friend" and it does them no harm. Some kids are just very imaginative, and as a Spiritualist, other potential explanations also spring to my mind for that, but it's not for me to impose my belief or interpretation of that on anyone else or pretend I know what's actually going on for you.

What I would do though is be asking them, other than the fact you talk and have always talked to this one person, (which does sound harmless enough whatever the truth about that), what else makes them think you are delusional? And what precisely makes them think you are at risk? I think they need to be clear about that with you.

I'm so sorry you are going through this Ava. It's so hard to know what to say, and all I can do is throw out reflections.

Autism and psychosis aren't mutually exclusive, of course. Seeing people who others can't isn't a feature of autism and would normally be understood by mental health professionals as psychosis, irrespective of your autism.

That said some anti-psychotic drugs don't always interact with neurodivergent neurology in the same way as for other people, so I really hope they listen to you properly, if you feel they are making matters worse.

I'm curious about something else...you don't have to answer...but is this friend the only one you see? With psychosis, you'd expect a whole raft of other disturbances and delusions???

I am intrigued that you've "always" seen this person. Even when you were little? Small children don't generally experience psychosis, but many children have an "imaginary friend" and it does them no harm. Some kids are just very imaginative, and as a Spiritualist, other potential explanations also spring to my mind for that, but it's not for me to impose my belief or interpretation of that on anyone else or pretend I know what's actually going on for you.

What I would do though is be asking them, other than the fact you talk and have always talked to this one person, (which does sound harmless enough whatever the truth about that), what else makes them think you are delusional? And what precisely makes them think you are at risk? I think they need to be clear about that with you.