I've spent time in Sierra Vista Hospital in Sacramento. It's a private hospital and has the highest rate of state and federal violations in California. I think it's eight or nine times the average across the state. Literally the worst patient treatment record in California. It looks seriously nice, but hell-hole is an understatement. There have been rapes, a few accidental death caused by workers, and suicide. They've been fined for endangering patients more than once, gotten busted for defrauding Medicare, have been sued for releasing patient info, and the VA won't send vets there anymore.

They misdiagnosed me with a polysubstance abuse problem, even though my friend apparently made it clear to the admitting hospital that I was in a mixed psychotic episode. They never tested me for drugs, and I've never figured out how I got that diagnosis. I know it's happened to other people there, too.

I was taken in with a gaf of 25. They sat me in a chair for four or five hours before processing me. I'd actually begun to get tired and had a raging headache, so they let me go to bed. I kept telling them that I was cold, which is a common complaint there. The nurse, who was very kind, repeatedly woke me up to tell me I needed to participate in group meetings. I refused to get out of bed to participate, which didn't make the psychiatrist happy. I hadn't really slept in days.

My friend had told them I would want to take Seroquel, but they didn't give me anything. They released me with a GAF of 55 the next morning, even though I was floridly psychotic and still thought God was talking to me. They changed my GAF so they could empty a bed. I can't remember much, but I do remember that the social worker who sent me home with my roommate kept telling us to cut the drugs out. Once again, I wasn't on drugs.

My release paperwork says I understood everything, but I can only remember them having me sign papers without reading them after I said couldn't remember how to read.

Clearly, my friend wasn't happy about my release and I was sent back with a diagnosis of severe mania with psychotic features. It was actually a mixed episode, but the psychiatrist didn't pay enough attention to know. I think he spent a total of 30 or 40 minutes with me the entire time I was there.

I honestly can't remember most of the details of my stay, because they released me after the mania became depression, but it was a harrowing experience that left me afraid of psychiatric hospitals. One of my friends says I told her I would never forgive her if she let me go back to that place.

I do know that there are some excellent hospitals out there. I just happened to be in the wrong place when I had that episode.