I can’t say for sure if anyone saw it as a positive experience overall, but while we were in there, the common feeling expressed was how much we all wanted to get out of there.

I fully agree that it’s not a good place to recover from many mental health problems, but that’s unfortunately the system that we have. The staff were trying their best, but both facilities were clearly underfunded and working with what they had.

It was even worse when the court was involved, because I had to speak with a lawyer regularly and attend court hearings over the phone. That only added to the stress of the situation.