I was asleep one night, and I woke up with someone sitting on my back with their hand on my face, pushing it into the pillow. It didn't work to smother me because she had stolen my pillows, I was sleeping on a folded up blanket. I screamed, got up, reported it, and was ignored. After I wouldn't give up and go back to my room, I was set up in the day room, where I fell asleep on a nest of chairs. I woke up to her looming over me. She had thrown up on me while I slept and then sat down next to my nest and stared at me until I woke up.
My medication was working so I didn't flip out about it. I yelled a little but stayed in control. I was finally put in the other day room, a locked door between her and I.
It took me a few months but I eventually wrote a letter to the Head of Patient Affairs, detailing the whole thing in a brief four pages, including mentioning which parts would be on the video they take. There was no video in the room, so my story of being smothered was not believed by anyone and no one talked to the woman because she was so "out there".
For all I know she was in there for smothering someone in the same way she tried to smother me.
I insisted the next day that I be signed out and released because I wasn't safe. I was threatened with court to keep me locked up, which I would lose. And then I was transferred to a lighter security unit to finish my stay.
On this past Wednesday, I got a response to my letter, informing me of an internal investigation and results in 30 days. So what, they prove it happened, and I get a letter of apology? Doc wants me to contact a lawyer, but I don't know if I can find one that will deal with a psych patient's story. I'm going to have to make a lot of calls and deal with a lot of stigma, but with Doc backing me up, I think I can do it. We'll see what their investigation turns up, then I will know if I have a chance in court.
So, there was that.