The Psych Ward has been closed since the super Hurricane hit. It has been temporary relocated to the big Psych Hospital in the city. The move to the big Psych Hospital had some interesting effects on the Psych Ward patients.

Lydia, the anorexic patient who typically refuses to eat that the staff had to get a court order (treatment over objection) to surgically insert a feeding tube in her stomach. When Lydia refuses to eat the Nurse and two aides will take her to her room and feed her through the feeding tube. But despite that Lydia sometimes find a way to regurgitate the food through the tube under the nose of the staff.  Now in the big Psych Hospital without being prompted she has started to eat a full diet and she has stopped badging the staff about wanting to be weighed. Since there is no mirror on the floor she does not have the opportunity to look at herself to self-evaluate her weight.

Now it looks like Mike and Kevin are getting along.  In the Psych ward they had to be separated because they were constantly having arguments that could turn violent. Now at the big Psych Hospital they are like brothers.  However, it was unfortunate for Mike that he got into a fight with another patient. The staff responded by having Mike removed from the unit the big Psych hospital assigned the psych ward too; and put in a special ward which houses the aggressive patients. He will have to stay there until the Psych Ward moves back to their regular facility. One of the interns faulted the staff because the particular patient that Mike had the altercation with was having a psychotic episode. That patient started to antagonize his fellow patients. Mike does not tolerate being antagonize. He just punched the other patient in his face. It all could have been avoided if staff took the appropriate action with the patient having the psychotic delusions.

Anya was more lucid then I have ever seen her. She was participating in group activity and she even exerted her influence on some patients.

It looks like a change in environment had a good effect on most of the patients. There were no tensions between patients or staff. It seems that the patients have bonded together because of a feelings of uncertainty after the Hurricane hit. Once the Psych Ward returns to its regular facility; it would be interesting to see how the patient’s behavior will change.

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