John had been in the psychiatric hospital for the past six weeks and felt he was feeling a little better than when he first came in.
All his therapists kept telling him that he was progressing quite well especially when it came to his personal goal setting.
John wanted to be released so that he could go home to his family and carry on with his life but at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he could cope with the world the way it had been before his nervous breakdown.
This damned hospital had become too comfortable and he felt so much safer here than out there and that was the main problem.
During his last session with the psychiatrist, they discussed John’s release plans, the importance of follow-up appointments, and an outpatient therapy group.
On the day that John was to be released, he had a relapse, feeling anxious and overwhelmed about going home and it was too much for him to deal with, driving him over the edge and it was decided that John was not stable enough to return to the outside world.
© Susan Zutautas 2019
This six sentence story was written for this week’s challenge over at Girlie On The Edge.
Prompt word: Stable.
Susan's Place 
Much though I’ve never really done very well in the “outside world,” I would literally rather die than be in a psychiatric facility. I was in one for a weekend when I was 16, and I swore that I would die before going back.
This world doesn’t know what to do with people who don’t conform well to a five day a week eight hour a day job, a system which, frankly, makes no sense in modern life.
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My husband works 24/7 and I think if I were him I’d end up in the loony bin.
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Such a sadly truthful six. Thank You!
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stable, unstable the veil can be thin, you have captured this dilemma beautifully
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Thanks so much!
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It is easy to understand why this happens. Controlled environments, while confining, also feel safe in their familiarity. Sadly, the same thing sometimes happens with incarcerated people who commit a crime shortly after release which will return them to the place they know how to survive in. Good story!
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Thanks, yes I had a cousin who was always ending back in prison after being released.
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Sadly many become institutionalised … that security of routine 😦
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Telling it as it is … Liked.
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