Inpatient care

Hi, I was inpatient in Germany for 8 weeks a few years ago (before knowing that I was autistic) and it wasn’t that helpful- thinking back I think it was just too overwhelming with so many people, group sessions etc and I still don’t understand how they could not have realised that I might be autistic- I remember everyone else starting to improve after 3-4 weeks while I started to feel worse- I kept saying how different I felt etc. It definitely took me out of life for a while though and it felt like living in a bubble.

I think it really depends on where you go and how accommodating they are. It was suggested a few years later that maybe I should go inpatient again  and this time I visited a different place (was living in a different city) and I knew at time that I might be autistic (was awaiting diagnosis). I decided not to go in the end and this was the right decision for me. However at this inpatient place they were very accommodating and talked about what adjustments they could make to maximise chances of it working- eg. Not having to attend group sessions (at least not at first) etc.

I personally don’t think the inpatient time I had was useful. It destroyed the relationship with my mum (they kindof blamed things on us being too close and her being overprotective) which took years to recover. It was overwhelming, I felt misunderstood and stressed out, and they failed to realise I was autistic and that this explained a lot of the challenges I was facing (including around food). Still I was lucky as at least I was allowed out when I wanted and had some ways to get down time alone (you also often have to share a room).

I think it really depends on where you go inpatient - if you are considering, I would make sure to talk through what adjustments  they can put in place to minimise overwhelm, sensory overload etc. Like you say it does give you a way to put your live on pause for a while. 

I personally would never go back inpatient- The second time I was so extremely burnt out (and underweight as consequence), I had some time away from work ans just recovered in my home which was much better for me. Could you talk to your gp for some time off from work? I’m not familiar with your situation and whether your home is a place where you would feel able to take time off. For me it is possible to take a break from everything within my home and this is much better than inpatient. 

i guess the main advantage of going inpatient is to ‘take you out of your life’ if it is not positive for you to take a break with your home. The therapy is more intensive, but  you would have to make sure that it is actually taylored to your needs (it wasn’t for me which made it not useful and possibly even damaging). For some people it can really help- there was a women there with me who was being abused by her family in her home and for her going inpatient was a life changer as it took her away from that environment and gave her the space and strength she needed to start cutting ties and get away.

Hi, I was inpatient in Germany for 8 weeks a few years ago (before knowing that I was autistic) and it wasn’t that helpful- thinking back I think it was just too overwhelming with so many people, group sessions etc and I still don’t understand how they could not have realised that I might be autistic- I remember everyone else starting to improve after 3-4 weeks while I started to feel worse- I kept saying how different I felt etc. It definitely took me out of life for a while though and it felt like living in a bubble.

I think it really depends on where you go and how accommodating they are. It was suggested a few years later that maybe I should go inpatient again  and this time I visited a different place (was living in a different city) and I knew at time that I might be autistic (was awaiting diagnosis). I decided not to go in the end and this was the right decision for me. However at this inpatient place they were very accommodating and talked about what adjustments they could make to maximise chances of it working- eg. Not having to attend group sessions (at least not at first) etc.

I personally don’t think the inpatient time I had was useful. It destroyed the relationship with my mum (they kindof blamed things on us being too close and her being overprotective) which took years to recover. It was overwhelming, I felt misunderstood and stressed out, and they failed to realise I was autistic and that this explained a lot of the challenges I was facing (including around food). Still I was lucky as at least I was allowed out when I wanted and had some ways to get down time alone (you also often have to share a room).

I think it really depends on where you go inpatient - if you are considering, I would make sure to talk through what adjustments  they can put in place to minimise overwhelm, sensory overload etc. Like you say it does give you a way to put your live on pause for a while. 

I personally would never go back inpatient- The second time I was so extremely burnt out (and underweight as consequence), I had some time away from work ans just recovered in my home which was much better for me. Could you talk to your gp for some time off from work? I’m not familiar with your situation and whether your home is a place where you would feel able to take time off. For me it is possible to take a break from everything within my home and this is much better than inpatient. 

i guess the main advantage of going inpatient is to ‘take you out of your life’ if it is not positive for you to take a break with your home. The therapy is more intensive, but  you would have to make sure that it is actually taylored to your needs (it wasn’t for me which made it not useful and possibly even damaging). For some people it can really help- there was a women there with me who was being abused by her family in her home and for her going inpatient was a life changer as it took her away from that environment and gave her the space and strength she needed to start cutting ties and get away.