That attitude of "I'm the only sane one and I'm smarter than them all" is also prevalent in mental health.
It's very bizarre, but the patient/staff dynamic is very confrontational even for patients who have entered voluntarily. I heard the exact same thing from a friend and I couldn't really understand it but whether voluntary or not, anyone ill enough to end up on a psych ward (here, anyway) has lost any feeling of agency or control in their lives. I think its likely a defence mechanism to comfort themselves but, like so much to do with mental illness, its self-defeating. They think they're outwitting the staff somehow, but a) they're not and b) er.....why? Fucking let them help you and get out of this shithole seems like the sensible plan to me, but MH isn't that simple.
I don't believe a lot of Amber's schtick tho. It's too slick, it's a narrative, and there are none of the memory holes that would be normal. No way she'll know this but memory is a very plastic and friable thing and especially in extreme circumstances. It's a story and, whether conscious or not, she's filled in the gaps. And, being Amber, she's filled them in with a load of dramatics.
I'm not (for once!) going to declare she's lying because I think the basics of the story are true. Beyond that, it's impossible to tell what are conscious embellishments and what are subconscious memory fills. But this video irks me for another reason - she's so fucking lahdidah. Mental illness to hospitalisation level is serious, its terrifying for the afflicted and its widely misunderstood. This heffalump is blithely adding to the general misconceptions - for instance, IF she couldn't shower she would have been told, very clearly, why (no nurse available, extreme risk of self-harm, whatever.) But she just goes for the boogeyman drama, and anyone watching who is dealing with mental health issues could easily be scared off from asking for help.
Ps.
@SAVE TWINKIE! It depends on the level of obs and restriction. Hospital engineers put as many safety-features in psych wards as they possibly can - no shower heads, break-away everything, moulded fixtures, no corners etc etc etc. But the determination of the acutely suicidal will find a way, and any source of water and towel - or even loo-roll - is all you need to attempt to drown yourself if determined enough. I don't believe her (at most, maybe high obs first 24 hours) but, in extremis, psychiatric hospitals may have to forbid showering. But in five days, they'll either observe bathing - there are translucent screens, usually - or, for the catatonic or oppositional, carry out bed-baths. As others have said, it differs from place to place and the age of the facility, but the dangers of bathrooms are well understood and managed. Just not by Big Al.
