UW Medicine Inpatient Psychiatry at Harborview - Seattle (WA)

1 /5 Nicolaus Finney: If I could give 0 stars I would. My fiance is staying here. They have a lot of food allergies and this place cannot get it right. They keep getting plates full of foods theyre allergic to or just not getting food at all. This is AFTER this place said they can accommodate food allergies. Now I get to hear that the nurses at Unit 5WB think its acceptable to manhandle and drag around patients for having a seizure and then reprimanding them for "laying on the floor". The nurses here are hacks and this is a joke of a hospital.

1 /5 Pessimism Jester: They have NO CONSIDERATION FOR ALLERGIES. IF you have allergies you wont be safe in this hospital. Additionally a friend of mine had a seizure here and the nurse named Shane- would give a last name if I had it- decided that was some kind of slight against him and dragged them to their room MID SEIZURE. This is incredibly dangerous and could have resulted in major injuries. AVOID THIS HOSPITAL AT ALL COSTS

1 /5 Libbie Fisher: I really didnt have a good experience here. I brought myself due to a mental breakdown, nothing too serious just depression, but I still felt like I needed immediate support and care. The location was a bit confusing so I called the office but they told me to just call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room, I felt like I wasnt heard when I said I was on the sidewalk but couldnt find the entrance. As a young woman struggling with mental health crisis wandering around at night doesnt feel safe :/ I found the entrance and was checked in and was hopeful to get support. I was walked back into this 8x8 gray room with just a bed and blacked out windows and was instructed to strip and change. I was compliant but the woman was really rude and strict. I understand that theres a proper composure when working in a mental hospital but I feel like there was zero respect being reciporcated. I had to leave urine and I asked for socks so I didnt have to walk with bare feet through the hall and in the bathroom and it was a fight to get socks from her. Definitely not a relaxing environment for those struggling with mental health crisis. They treated me like I was crazy even when I did everything they told me to. Being isolated in a small room was not helpful to me as well as feeling like all the staff there thought I was crazy. It took a while to talk with the social worker but he got me in touch with some recourses. On my way out the woman walked me out and I stared that I lost my earring and had to put it in also had to use the restroom and she walked me out and said that I had to leave because I was discharged and that I was no longer welcome there. I went outside and sat down and she told me that I had to walk away. I explained that I was calling my ride and she talked over me. I left feeling more hopeless. I do, however, think that there is room for better practice. Communication is important and I felt like my providers didnt care about me as their patient which is disappointing since I needed support and care so I chose to being myself in. I think that using different approaches for different patients is key for de-escalation and providing care, maybe being able to ask questions about why I feel how I do or offering advice for grounding would be more beneficial than being shut alone in a small room for a couple hours. I really think that this facility needs to be adjusted in the way they treat their patients and there needs to be a higher level of training to avoid creating more trauma for patients. I feel deeply traumatized.

1 /5 A Sharpe: This was over 10 years ago so do with it what you will. Negative 12 billion stars. Overall, I experienced additional trauma. I was involuntarily admitted with one of the most severe cases of catatonia they had ever seen; completely retreated from waking reality. All of my basic needs had to be carried out by others. There were a couple Angels that helped me survive and eventually come out of my catatonia, but the majority of staff outright abused me, especially while I was still Catatonic. Emotionally, psychologically, and physically. Its taken this many years of therapy to post this. If you have a family member here, do not be afraid to challenge the staff if something seems off. It probably is. If I didnt have family advocating for me, I never would have made it out. I had the added benefit of someone who worked in social services for the mentally ill. Harbor view had a loooooong way to go in understanding how to heal trauma. I hope things have changed, but I havent seen any evidence.