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Smoking on the ward

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MKultra
Starting Member

11 Posts
Gratitude: 3

Posted - 06/05/2005 : 01:53:25

I am deeply angered by the local hospitals decision to close the smoking room on psychiatric ward here in the Belleville General Hospital. I don't feel this is fair to the patients that some are being held against thier will, or even not as well, ones that need to be in there because they need to feel safe. Being a smoker I NEED to smoke to try and help calm my symptoms, and with people being held there on a form for observation, isn't this going to cause un-needed stress and possibly agressivness within some of these patients? Creating some un-needed nonsence in thier medical file that could have been avoided? There is no quiet room at this psychiatric ward, which when someone either becomes agressive or trys to leave, there is a good chance they will be straped to the bed in restraints which leaves one scarred for life.
In my case I refuse to tell my p.doc how bad things really do get sometimes because I know I will be admitted to "ITA" intence treatment area like I usually end up at the start. Before you were trapped in this room of 5 beds where there is nothing to do but pace your bed side and try to be calm as you scream inside, you were allowed to leave once an hour to go and have a smoke and then return. Now you must stay there with absolutly no breaks from the room. I have been stuck in there for up to a week knowing that these breaks were the only thing saving my "sanity"

But seriously is this fair. Even the people that aren't in this room have to leave the ward and go to the hospitals court yard and smoke with the regular medical hospital patients. When your sick or sick enough to be placed on a psych ward, with paranoia and other psychodic symptoms want/able to leave the "safe spot" to smoke.
I don't know how some do it. When I'm sick I don't want to be around "the normal people". Is this new rule going to make it into the long care facilities? It honestly scares me and keeps me from seeking help. Some people might think "oh its just cigarettes", but for some its all they have.
Thanks for reading my rant.. Ryan.

lisabean
Starting Member

34 Posts
Gratitude: 1

Posted - 06/06/2005 : 15:25:40

i know what you mean did it here too
they say it best for our heath considering the high numbers of us who smoke i think its crule and unusaul punishment to be forced to go cold turkey at such a time in ones life
lisa

Chris
Amazing Member (1000+ posts)

1773 Posts
Gratitude: 268

Posted - 06/29/2005 : 15:18:59

I agree.

While I quit smoking myself I remember what it was like on the ward and being able to smoke made a big difference to me. It was a social thing as well as a comfort at that point. forcing an acutely psychotic individual to give up smoking while they are in the hospital seems to me to be a bad idea. Yes it is a crutch, and one I'm glad to be free of, but it was my choice to quit smoking and I did it in my own time.

Born in the 80's,
grew up in the 90's,
lost my mind at the Millenium.

Chunkybeefsoup
Incredible Member (2000+ posts)

2353 Posts
Gratitude: 412
Very caring Very wise

Posted - 08/08/2005 : 11:38:23

Hi everyone, I think that not being able to smoke in the psychiatric ward is completely unethical. The people in the psych. ward already have so many restrictions that most of them look forward to a nice cigarette break. It's a way of socializing and feeling a bit "normal", for lack of a better word. Telling people to go to a regular smoking area with everyone from the other wards can be very intimidating. I'm not saying that people should be allowed to smoke all day long, only a couple of breaks here and there. There's something very therapeutic about being able to smoke with your peers. Cindy

Uani
Full Member (100+ posts)

126 Posts
Gratitude: 28

Posted - 08/09/2005 : 01:47:56

Its not right to close the smoking room, on my last stay in the hospital i literally spent my entire stay in the smoking room it helps calm you down. Over 75% of SZ sufferers smoke so give them the choice to smoke and stop theses damn non smokers running the show

Love
Peace(cough cough) Uani

Chris
Amazing Member (1000+ posts)

1773 Posts
Gratitude: 268

Posted - 08/11/2005 : 16:18:48

I'm not sure that I feel comfortable bringing up ethics as a reason to keep smoking rooms open in psych wards... I think a lot of MDs would argue quite effectively that allowing people access to cigarettes generally is unethical. though I do agree that it's unfair for people on the ward to be forced to quit because they are in the hospital. When I was hospitalised there was an observation ward that I had to spend some time in before being let out into the ward proper and in there there was a well ventilated smoking room. We all had to surrender our cigarettes to the psych nurse to be given out to us when we wanted to smoke and I think we were only allowed one per hour or something but the point was that we were allowed that. I think that it would have been really hard for a lot of the people in there with me to focus on their recovery while also dealing with symptoms of withdrawl that they were neither willing or prepared to endure.

I quit several months ago now but it was my choice to do it. I think that if I had been forced to quit while I was in the hospital that as soon as I was released I would probably have gone back to smoking as soon as I was discharged. So the being forced to quit would have stopped nothing.

Born in the 80's,
grew up in the 90's,
lost my mind at the Millenium.

Jayster
Incredible Member (2000+ posts)

2021 Posts
Gratitude: 159

Posted - 12/29/2005 : 20:59:15

I want to smoke if I ever have to go back to the bin again!

Jayster

greek116
Full Member (100+ posts)

162 Posts
Gratitude: 11

Posted - 10/29/2006 : 13:24:13

I never smoked in my life and never will. But do not think they should allow it. Even to staff to go smoke outside. It just pollutes air and shortens life. At hospitals they are dedicated to saving lives. Good thought, They need to find ways to calm people down.

warbird
Super Incredible Member (10000+ posts)