Lakeview Behavioral Health Hospital

I was admitted to Lake view on a 10-13. I spent my first night in the left wing, where the severely mental cases were held. The next morning I was transfer to the right wing, where the alcoholic, drug addicts, and other 10-13s were living at. I was not impressed with the food, in fact I lost five pounds in five days of being held over there and I was told for days that I would be out the next day. I felt like a prisoner because of the confined space and not knowing when I would get out. We had group therapy sessions, but they were like a broken record and the two -three one hour classes a day didn't help either. Though some of the staff were nice and outgoing, the doctors were arrogant and one of them sent a woman to the left wing, as punishment for calling him greedy. One of them misdiagnose me as bi-polar and gave me pills which didn't have any effect on me. The diagnosis was overturned by my family doctor who thought it was ridiculous. The whole experience did have a profound effect on me though it was a waste of time. It taught me never to openly confess to thinking about suicide to others save your personal therapist. So unless you want to lost weight without even trying or pick up a smoking habit, don't go to lake view to overcome thoughts of suicide.
1 7 years ago (29-04-2018)

Don't let the pictures on the website fool you, you will not be spending any time by the lake or really outside at all unless you smoke cigarettes. And even then, you'll be confined to a roughly 20' x 7' space flanked by a 9 foot fence that doesn't allow you to see the outside. You or your loved ones will not be treated with respect in this facility, you will be treated with the exact opposite, you will be treated like a child. You will be talked down to, you will be fed gruel, you will not be allowed to sleep soundly, and you will probably come out of here with more anxiety than when you went in. This is a vile facility, they do not care about your mental health nearly as much as they care about making money. I spent four days in this facility and did not even see a social worker until more than 48 hours in. I did get to meet with a "patient advocate" named Michael, who is more a condescending prison warden than an advocate. I reported to him my experience of being called out for being non-religious in a group therapy session. I was literally told to raise my hand. The group leader, Floyd, instructed all atheists to raise their hands. After this, he told us we "should be offended" by his mention of Jesus. Michael supposedly sent an email to the "director of the facility", but I doubt it will do any good if it even got to that person. Michael also told a young (perfectly mentally stable) mother that she should "be prepared to miss her son's fourth birthday" as he would be keeping her in the facility and there "wasn't much hope" for her getting out as he would be keeping her in the facility and there "wasn't much hope" for her getting out any time soon. Speaking of Michael, it's amazing how quickly making sure someone overhears you on the phone saying that you're going to file a complaint with your insurance company makes someone who is "too busy to see you today" suddenly have an open schedule to have a meeting with you. The nurses are more concerned with watching YouTube music videos than helping you, they do not care about you or your needs. There was a man in my unit who had just finished chemotherapy and therefore had a very vulnerable immune system. His doctors orders clearly stated that he was not to have a roommate for fear of catching any sort of illness that roommate might have. Did the nurses care? No, not at all. They stuck an old man recovering from drug addiction in his room with him. Upon leaving, that man was still in his room. Nothing had been done to address the situation. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you care about your own mental health, or your loved ones mental health. Or even their health in general. You will not send them to Lakeview, you will not go anywhere near this place.
1 7 years ago (11-02-2018)

I was here 5 nights and have nothing but praise for the staff. Very friendly and professional. I even wrote their CEO a letter telling him how nice everyone was. The food wasn't too bad either. Matter of fact, I eat turkey bacon now. :-)
5 7 years ago (27-04-2018)

Staff are sickening, disrespectful and gossip about the patients so loud behind their desk its practically to their face. Even going to the cafeteria the staff serving lunch would accuse patients of being admitted simply to have a free meal. The stigma people recieve outside of a hospital is enough but inside one as well? It makes me sick. The diagnoses given to patients are 90% of the time completely wrong. Even when asking what the medication is being prescribed to you is they will give you a name but will not tell you what class its in. Did I mention you will held until you accept whatever medication is given even if you disagree? Patient? More like a lab rat.
1 7 years ago (02-05-2018)

So many of the people who are posting negative reviews are just mad because they were held at Lakeview on a 10-13 and unable to leave. I was upset about being stuck there at first too, but then I realized that it’s all about your attitude. Most of the food is better than what I can cook. Having a roommate sucks, but it’s a hospital and that’s just how it is. You can’t have your cell phone in order to protect the privacy of the other patients. You can’t have certain other belongings because they have been found to be dangerous...it might be okay for YOU to keep something sharp, but what if it is a risk for another patient? They can’t take any chances. Every precaution taken is to protect ALL of the patients. Most of the staff is super cool once you start talking to them as long as you are nice and not constantly whining about B.S. I hated my doctor, but she isn’t there anymore. Some of the doctors are more responsive than others. Some group therapy sessions are more worthwhile than others, but it’s all about what you put into it.
5 7 years ago (10-03-2018)