Yesterday, under the instigation of me and my fanitic interest in psychtiatry my group went on an excursion next door to the SERCURE psychiatry ward.
Its SERCURE-ly man-ned. with double or triple locked pathways (ie 3 doors to get thru to get out). Its Different from the Acute Psychiatric Ward that we've been hanging out in.
Students are not allowed in the SERCURE psychiatric ward cos the patients are too mentally disturbed, patients have a history of aggression, patients are too unwell to be looked after in the community, or have been thru the forensic system before (i.e jail).
Basically one step up from SERCURE psychiatric ward is the forensic system (i.e. jail house for psychiatric patients). And there's an average of 5 discharges a year in that ward with 20 off people.
I.e. patients have to quiet unwell cos they dont get well enough to be managed for elsewhere.
Today, as i exited the lift in the main hosp area about 400metres away from the SERCURE psychiatric ward I bumped into my friend. She asked why i had an odd expression on my face. I swear from my excellent photographic memory that the person behind her was a patient from the SERCURE psychiatric ward that i saw yesterday. Yes in the hospital. Entering the male toilet.
I told her, she freaked, i freaked. We freaked
She stayed put. I ran to the nearest phone and rang the SERCURE psychiatric ward.
"Hi, I'm one of the medical students (heng never say name) that went to the SERCURE psychiatric ward yesterday. Do you have a patient missing at the moment? I think i saw one of them in the main hospital building just now"
*pant pant* cos run too fast
"Erm... some patients are allowed leave"
Ok so we hanged up. And I apologised.
SERCURE psychiatric ward with LEAVE?
Very oxymoron to me.
