This is my experience as mental health patient in Florida. I went through disrespect, degradation and punishment for just being their patient. My submitted written complaints to the institution were all ignored. This is my story with added instances I witnessed with my own eyes.

I’ve been an emergency mental health patient a lot. I don’t have delusions, hallucinations, or anything. I just get very depressed and have been admitted to keep me safe from myself. In the beginning I sought out help but it became apparent that they do the opposite and my later admissions to the psych unit were involuntary.

Here’s my awful experience under the care of professionals in one licensed Florida county CSU (Crisis Stabilization Unit)/official hospital:

They mock you and scold you for just being there. You get punished if you’re admitted “too much.” I have personally been told by some techs (word for CNA) that I would be put in nothing but a hospital gown while in-patient to try and deter me from coming. I have seen people be put in hospital gowns (while everyone else gets to wear clothes) just for being admitted “too much.” This can be as little as just three times. I have been blatantly told to stop coming and made fun of for being a repeat admission.

The techs (and nurses sometimes) like to give talks if even just one person is acting out. Degrading talks where no one’s allowed to speak and they tell the whole group “this is why you’re stuck here and I get to go home and be free once I clock out.” I can’t count the times a tech’s told everyone how pathetic being in a psych unit is.

I remember one time, no one was even doing anything, just eating breakfast quietly. A tech looked at us, smiling, and he said, “Isn’t it so sad that it’s a beautiful Saturday and you’re all teenagers stuck in a psych unit?” I told him that was rude so he decided to spend our entire group therapy time telling us why it was okay for him to talk down to us about being in a psych unit. How degrading mental patients was okay.

The unit had a place called the “isolation room.” I think it was meant to be a room to put patients in if they became violent. The only furniture in there is a hard, plastic bed that’s used to hold people down on and sedate them.

There’s no rules for when you can put a patient in the isolation room, though. One girl asked a tech for juice after he’d already told her no once, so he put her in there. She was given the choice of locked up in a tiny room voluntarily or forced in there. She was forced to miss a whole hour-long group therapy session while locked in there because she supposedly “mouthed off.” I’ve personally been told that I was going to be put into the isolation room by force if I didn’t discuss with a tech why it was okay for her to tell me, “At least I’m not in a psych unit.”

They make fun of the people who are the worst. There was a young boy in there for anger/depression issues once. He accidentally dropped his food during lunch. Everyone knew it was an accident. The table of just all the workers asked him, “Why’d you do that?” He was confused and said he didn’t mean to. They continued to drum it up and act like they were going to put him in isolation. He was upset and didn’t understand what he did wrong but the table of techs/nurses were laughing their sides off at him. Because he didn’t understand why they were messing with him. A bunch of caretakers openly mocked and upset their young psychiatric patient with no regret or apologetic feelings.

They think it’s okay to treat us bad. They think it’s okay to be ridiculously strict and use isolation/humiliation as a punishment for just existing. They think it’s okay because they get no repercussions. They can do it, no one cares. If a patient reacts, they can just put them in isolation. If a patient gets loud or violent, they can just sedate them.

I sent in multiple written complaints about different things. Stuff about employee behavior and one nurse not giving me my prescribed, PRN anxiety medicine while I was having a panic attack despite me asking several times over the course of an hour. Want to know who I have to hand these complaints to? The workers. There’s no box or anything. Not once have I ever heard back after sending in my written complaint.

I’m ignored completely.

Only now after discussing my experience with other people am I speaking out. I’ve contacted disability right’s people to speak out against that CSU. However, I don’t think this is an isolated incident. If a licensed hospital can have this level of apathy and disrespect and ignore submitted complaints, what other mental health units can as well? A whole county relies on this unit to care for it’s underage/of-age emotionally troubled individuals and they act like this. They make you not want to come back or seek help with condescension and punishment. They seriously tell you not to come back and point out how disgraceful it is to be a repeat admission (or being there once.)

I’m trying to speak out but I’m worried I won’t be heard.

I already have been ignored by the actual hospital. It’s made me hesitant to complain officially about any mistreatment.

I regret and am still hesitant to call in a complaint about a police officer who left me in his squad car, A/C off in Florida heat, for forty-five minutes while hand-cuffed and alone. He left me in the parking lot next to an occupied squad car while he did paper work in the air conditioned building. When my ambulance to the CSU loaded me up, the paramedic could tell I was over-heated and tried to cool me down, apologized for having no ice packs and agreed the police officer did wrong. I’m suspicious the officer did it on purpose because when he arrived on-scene, he tried to convince me to get my mom to take me at first and was visibly annoyed that he had to take me into custody. He even asked me if I enjoyed the air conditioning when he pulled me out of the back, red-faced and drenched in sweat.

Basically, I feel silenced. I feel like I have no voice to speak up about the people meant to protect and help me. I know I can’t be the only one. Not just from this psych unit, but others.

I’m only just now (after years of dealing with the psychiatric care system) contacting higher-ups (aka ADA) about my issues. And I’m still afraid it won’t be taken care of.

Basically, Florida and America have the loosest guidelines for the treatment and care of mental health patients. They advertise asylum and give what feels more like prison. They’re able to ignore complaints about their mistreatment of patients and take no responsibility. I just want it to change and I hope I can help it change with this.

Psychiatric patients deserve better. Please give them better, America.

Thank you.