I worked at a VA hospital in the mental health ward. They asked every single Veteran who came into urgent care if they had suicidal thoughts. If they said, "yeah sometimes but it's just a passing thought I would never kill myself," they would admit them. And you can't just sign an AMA and leave. In psych they still hold you for 3 days to observe you and make sure it's safe before they release you. Met lots of Veterans that had no reason to be admitted.
Also, a neighbor I had told a kid over the phone that she took a bunch of pills. He called me because he knew I lived next to her and asked me to check on her because he wasnt sure what to do. (We were in 10th grade) I just called 911 and told them. They showed up and she denied taking pills but they pumped her stomach anyway because she couldn't prove it. (At least that is what I heard, but I wasnt there so can't confirm.)
I think that's the procedure for all hospitals, not just VA hospitals. If you admit to having even the slightest emotional discomfort, they take it in the worst way possible and keep you locked up to make sure you don't kill yourself. I don't know if that's a good policy or not but it's definitely a thing.
I worked at a VA hospital in the mental health ward. They asked every single Veteran who came into urgent care if they had suicidal thoughts. If they said, "yeah sometimes but it's just a passing thought I would never kill myself," they would admit them. And you can't just sign an AMA and leave. In psych they still hold you for 3 days to observe you and make sure it's safe before they release you. Met lots of Veterans that had no reason to be admitted.
Also, a neighbor I had told a kid over the phone that she took a bunch of pills. He called me because he knew I lived next to her and asked me to check on her because he wasnt sure what to do. (We were in 10th grade) I just called 911 and told them. They showed up and she denied taking pills but they pumped her stomach anyway because she couldn't prove it. (At least that is what I heard, but I wasnt there so can't confirm.)
I think that's the procedure for all hospitals, not just VA hospitals. If you admit to having even the slightest emotional discomfort, they take it in the worst way possible and keep you locked up to make sure you don't kill yourself. I don't know if that's a good policy or not but it's definitely a thing.
And I’m fairly sure it’s done only for liability purposes, not from an excess of compassion.