In my case, I only stayed for one night and left the next day. It was an acute ward, meaning that it was intended for people having immediate mental health crisis. The hospital and staff were all fine. I had gone in for an evaluation at my doctor’s recommendation in the morning. I spoke with a doctor there, who brought a police officer into the room at the end of our conversation, who told me I could either check myself into the hospital or spend the night in jail. I opted for the more comfortable of the two options. To be released the next day, I had to convince the doctors that I wasn’t an active threat to myself or others.
The experience overall did further damage to my mental health and trust in the medical system. At the time, I was having thoughts of suicide without the intention of acting on them; they were just becoming more intrusive. I was honest about this with the hospital staff and I believe now that was a mistake. This was many years ago and I am in a healthier place these days, but it took awhile to get here and I doubt I’ll ever speak as honestly with a mental health professional again.