u/Continental__Drifter — reddlx

So I'm an immigrant here on a freelancer visa. Last year, I had a severe mental health crisis triggered by the death of a family member and a close friend at the same time. I lost my income, my life savings, and was unemployed without any options or hope. My “temporary insurance” wouldn’t cover anything related to mental health. Eventually, it expired, and I couldn’t afford to keep paying for it.

I had a mental health crisis where I was having a panic/anxiety attack and thought I was dying. A friend told me to go to the hospital and that they would give me something, so I did.

I went to the hospital, they asked me a bunch of questions, and then told me that based on my answers, they couldn’t let me leave. I made it clear that I did not want to remain at the hospital—I just wanted something to calm me down.

They put me in a locked psychiatric ward from which I could not leave. I was placed alone in a room that had previously been a conference room (not set up as a hospital room), where I was kept against my will. I was given sedatives (benzodiazepines) 3–5 times per day. I repeatedly asked to see a doctor, therapist, or counselor, but was told none were available. I also asked to leave and was told I couldn’t. Anytime I asked these questions, I was given more sedatives.

My mental state deteriorated rapidly. I was kept isolated from my friends and support group; it was difficult for them to visit me. I was terrified of being alone in a place where no one spoke my language, and where many patients were extremely schizophrenic and angrily screaming or shouting. I got worse and worse the longer I was held there.

After five days, I was told that I was being moved from the locked (involuntary) ward to the open ward. I asked if this meant I could leave; they said it did. I said that in that case, I wanted to leave immediately, as I wasn’t receiving any help and I didn’t have any money.

They told me that the doctor was “returning from vacation” (apparently, the psych ward had only one doctor, and he was on holiday while I was being held there). They informed me that he would return in three days, and that if I stayed, I could see him and get some help, therapy, or medication beyond sedatives—but that if I left, I wouldn’t be able to see him.

I explained that I had no insurance and no money and couldn’t stay for that reason. They assured me that the hospital had a fund for people who couldn’t pay—for the uninsured or those in emergency situations. “If you have insurance, they will cover it. If you don’t, don’t worry—you won’t have to pay. This isn’t America, where the hospital will stick you with thousands in bills.” I specifically remember that last part, as it struck me as an odd remark.

So I stayed. For the next three days while waiting for the doctor, I was again given nothing but sedatives, with no therapy, counseling, or other help, and my condition worsened. Eventually, I met with a psychiatrist who spoke with me for no more than 15 minutes and prescribed me an antidepressant. He wanted to keep me there for a while to monitor me as the medication started working.

Three days after I started the medication, I was sent downstairs to meet with someone. This turned out to be an administrator, who informed me that I owed the hospital €5,800. I explained that this was not what I had been told upstairs, and her response was essentially: “I don’t know who told you that, but I’m from the accounting department, and you owe us this amount.”

I stayed one more day and met with a social worker (at someone’s recommendation) to see if I could receive support. When that turned out not to be the case, I left the hospital.

After I left, my mental state continued to deteriorate. I remained unemployed for the next year, had a suicide attempt, and started selling off my belongings to pay for food and rent. Now my visa has come to an end, and it won’t be renewed because I haven’t paid German taxes or health insurance (as legally required by my freelancer visa), since I haven’t had the money to do so.

As a result, I will have to leave Germany. I have no family or anyone to support me, so I have nowhere to go. In the meantime, I have received a letter from a lawyer representing the hospital, stating that they are pursuing legal action if I don’t pay, and they have already added fees to the original amount.

I do not think it is morally right for them to demand payment when I was held against my will and told that I wouldn’t have to pay. This feels like exploitation of vulnerable people by a predatory institution. Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds to hire a lawyer to fight this.

I don’t want this debt to follow me across the EU or prevent me from living here in the future, as my long-term plans are to stay in Europe.

I am terrified and have no idea what to do. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.