Del Amo Behavioral Health System

Reviews 3

DA

Darby Jeffords

This is NOT the place for your child or loved one to go! If you or your child needs to be admitted somewhere, try UCLA, or BHC. Both are a million times better. IF youre looking for residential treatment (which I highly recommend) Evolve is an incredible place to look into. Lastly, if you are looking for PHP, or IOP, Engage is another beautiful program where the staff genuinely cares about you. I just graduated a week or two ago, and I cant thank them enough. I wish you the best of luck! Dont be fooled by the pretty pictures theyve falsely advertised with. If youre still not convinced this is a little of what happened while I was there: I was admitted here September 19th 2016. I was having serious suicidal ideation and I needed to go someplace where I would be safe. When I was admitted I had had no history of past hospital stays and I was already scared of my thoughts and terrified to stay away from my family. When I got there, they sat me and my father down in a nice and clean room to take down our info and admit me. Then they took me through a big metal door and had me say goodbye to my father. Once we were through that door there was a HUGE contrast. It was dirty, and dimly lit. it was something out of a horror movie. They took my vitals, my things, and then gave me a plastic pillow thing, a thin yellow blanket and a sheet, and sent me to a room with three other girls (already asleep). The conditions were just as bad all through the rest of the days I was there. (The food was hospital food so you know it isnt really the best, but that wasnt an issue really.) The staff was cruel. They treated everyone like criminals. They would make everyone come into a sort of "cafeteria" area, and sit and shut up while some unqualified old man handed out worksheets we had to complete. Then they would lock us in our rooms for two or three hours. (This was a cycle that just repeated itself over and over again until it was time for bed.) "Booty-Juice" is a term I learned here. It means that if you get too rambunctious, they will hold you down, take your pants off, and stick a shot in your ass to knock you out. It was done quite often. The girls I stayed with were my saving grace. They were the only kind people there. Although there were many psychotic breakdowns with screaming threats of murder and not being able to control the violent voices in ones head (which is something that they cant help themselves). At the end of the week, I was a different person. A little piece of me died there, and I can never get it back. AGAIN: If you or your child needs to be admitted somewhere, try UCLA, or BHC. Both are a million times better. IF youre looking for residential treatment (which I highly recommend) Evolve is an incredible place to look into. Lastly, if you are looking for PHP, or IOP, Engage is another beautiful program where the staff genuinely cares about you. I just graduated a week or two ago, and I cant thank them enough. I wish you the best of luck! Dont be fooled by the pretty pictures theyve falsely advertised with.

BE

beccaboo617101

God help you if you wind up here. I work at a behavioral health facility, but had the unfortunate experience of ending up here following a suicide attempt. About two hours into my stay, a girl began having a heart attack (young girl). I started pounding and pounding on the windows to get the attention of medical staff, and they told me to shut up. Sure enough, the girl fell straight backward and code blued. They had to use the defibrillator. They wound up saying she "did it for attention", and proceeded to drug her into oblivion and move her to the intensive unit. We could see her through the windows and she looked like shed been lobotomized. During my stay, I was detoxing from alcohol, hypnotics and benzodiazepines-the most lethal combination to detox from. I was denied medication for at least 24 hours. I began getting nervous and asked for the Ombudsman (abuse coordinator) number. I was again ignored for hours. When the doctor finally bothered to look up at me, he threatened to sedate me so that I wouldnt cause any trouble. Keep in mind that I was not being hostile or even disruptive at all. After that, I decided I needed to call 911. I went to dial the phone-and THE PHONE HAD BEEN RIGGED SO THAT WE COULD NOT CALL THE POLICE! This is EXTREMELY illegal!! I began to panic and fear that I would never get out. I wasnt crazy, just depressed-but if I acted in any fashion the staff didnt approve of, they would MAKE me crazy just like the girl that had a heart attack. The final kicker is that they denied me my service dog because I didnt have "ID and Certification". If you know anything about the ADA, there is no such think as "proof" of a service dog. The director put me down, saying I didnt even know the requirements so have a SD. What? Basically, I will be filing a lawsuit. Ive reached out to the police department as well as the medical complaint board of California. I just pray that not a single more person becomes a victim of this place. Im glad I work in mental health so I can at least do my part in keeping the mentally ill safe. Curse you, Del Amo. May you burn to the ground along with your staff.

H

H Park

This place is straight out of a HORROR film. I went in with anxiety and depression with mild suicidal ideation. I ended up with PTSD after this place. They lied in my paperwork and said I attempted suicide. From the moment I stepped in there, they said I would be there 5-6 days before they even did an evaluation (can I even call it an evaluation? It was 3 Qs). With the help of my parents, and absolute PERSISTENCE, calling them out on broken laws, I managed to get out in 3 days. Others were not so lucky. If you know someone in there, the most important thing they can do is put on an act. Act like you are happy, attend all the groups, go to all meals, tell the psychiatrist you are doing great and are looking forward to getting back into the routine of things at home, and have a smile on at all times. You cannot trust anyone. If you tell any staff member that you are anxious, depressed etc you will likely get on a 14 day hold. They will do everything they can to get your insurance money. Call them nonstop even when they stall or dont help. Be pushy but dont yell. Same for the patient, do everything you can to act nice to the staff even when some are verbally abusive. If you make them mad they will increase your hold. They threw everyone together in the acute psychiatric ward: men and women of all ages, people detoxing from heroin/meth/alcohol, schizophrenia, depression, hallucinations, violence toward others. People threatened to kill me, had bloodied faces and received no medical attention, and one man broke out screaming and threatening everyone and the staff didnt have anywhere safe for us to go. Its 4 months after and I was recently diagnosed with PTSD. I still have nightmares, flashbacks, and am really shaky most of the time. If you know someone in there right now, know that I say a prayer every night for the people who are currently in there