Carrier Clinic Reviews

Carrier Clinic is one of the worse places that anyone can go to. The staff are rude & don't even care to actually sit & talk to you when you're going through the emotions. It honestly feels like a prison. The nurse makes you pull down your pants & inspect your body. You don't get much time to talk on the phone with your parents. You have to share the dining area with the adolescent males on the other unit. There is no calenders or clocks to figure out what the time is. The staff aren't welcoming they just care about getting paid. Carrier Clinic doesn't help people better, they just keep you there until you seem ok. The whole hospital is depressing. There are bars on the windows, the adolescence unit is always cold. They truly don't care if people get better. The nurses do a terrible job of remember your medication. I wish they would just close the place down. The worker who just made a review about Carrier being great is just lying.

I don't understand why there are so many bad reviews. My wife had severe depression and it doesn't improve after long time medication. So we came here for ect treatment. Dr. Shan and her team are very fridendly, and supportive. Following 2month treatment my wife get significantly better. I really appreciate what the ECT team have done for my family. They deserve a better review, and patients with severe mental problems should give a try here.

Again, Thank you Dr. Shan' team.

Being someone who has been in countless rehabs , psych wards , etc... carrier was probably the only place I felt really cared for , safe , comfortable. The staff really cares :)

After reading the reviews i totally agree after experiencing it with my own family member. I have expressed my concerns with the social worker on several occasions about what was going on with my family members situation only to fall on deaf ears. I was constantly told we dont see any of that behavior and when they spoke to my family member who was good at telling them what they wanted to hear they came to the decision she didnt need the level of care that they provided so they are going to release her. Several times i expressed how she was not ready to come home yet! Her medical history clearly documented what was going on with her. They kept insisting they didnt see any of these behaviors. Why would the drs from the other hospital from which she was transferred from make up things or would the family?? They asked me how do you think she is and i again told them she needs more help how she is still confused and acting strange. Once again they came to the same conclusion that she didnt meet there reqirements for their level of care. But the best part is that they wanted to send her to another facility for 5 days a week for help but yet they said she didn't need the level of care at their facility. If she needs 5 days a week part time hospitalization how can she be stable enough to come home? Wait it gets better they expect the family to provide transportation back and forth to this new facility since it doesn't provide transportation! I told the social worker this is unacceptable since i have a child who requires 24 hour care because of his health problems i am unable to do that. The answer i received was that's the best she can do . I told her if thats the case my family member will go back to the strange behaviors she was exhibiting and the social worker said i was probably right she agrees with me! I asked her what then and her response was bring her back and abruptly ended the conversation. I would do anything i mean anything for my family member but my hands are tied. I am only one person dealing with two people that require both my undivided attention. I cannot be physically in two places at once! I expected more from this facility. Do your research before you decide upon this place for help!

The basketball court/gym was my favorite out of all the group activities we had to do. The nurses there are funny and friendly. I created a bond with some of them. You re in great hands there. I prefer coming here then the other hospitals tbh.

Carrier clinic is one of the best facilities I ve been to yet. My son stayed for 8 days and I have no complaints.

ok so Carrier Clinic Isn't THAT bad. I read the other reviews put up and I'm laughing. I've been admitted there four times and I personally was in the adolescent unit so I don't know about the adult units. But the staff would absolutly never ever sell drugs to paitent or not help them when they are in physical pain. That's hilarious, I can name all of the staff names there and not one would ever even say something like that aloud. Ok sure, I had a issue with about two separate staff members, but that's just life. You can't like everyone. But also I mean it's not a miracle stay, you do some basic therapy (some therapist are more helpful than others) art, you talk to the people on your "wing" and you play cards and do some more therapy. One complaint I do agree with down below was the fact the meds are annoying, I wasn't given my meds one night which is really weird for a psychiatric facility, also they changed my meds too without really informing me.
But honestly overall, it's not a hell house, you are 100% safe from hurting yourself and anyone hurting you, and the staff is actually quite nice most of the time. They just get annoyed when paitents are rude to them, because it is rude. they are people too.
There are certainly better places but if you wanna stay close and just need a decent 5 day stay, Carrier is pretty good. Don't listen to the other reviews. Believe me I know, I've been there 4 times remember?
If your looking for a child/parent/loved one some other facilities are:
Summit Oaks Psychiatric Hospital
Hampton Mental Hospital
Four Winds Mental Hospital (highly HIGHLY recommend but it's a drive if you live in NJ, it's in upstate NY but absolutely amazing and beautiful and so helpful there. worth the trip for me)

My experience at carrier clinic was less than ideal. I found the nurse technicians to be mostly warm, kind and helpful but the level of amenities at carrier was unacceptable. My room had all old furniture with writing all over it, and I was not allowed to have a chair at the desk in my room. It was very uncomfortable and was not far in resemblance to a jail cell. Carrier has stricter rules than most, and isn't the most comforting place for individuals going through moderate to severe emotional distress. The food was mediocre at best. I will say the facility staff watches patients very closely, and the building is complete lock and key. The counselors are also helpful and friendly. The quality of the facility itself is unacceptable. Carrier's no-nonsense approach at recovery works for a few people, but I personally would not be able to recommend to other teens who are feeling emotional distress.
Pros: Kind nurses, friendly counselors. 90% of the staff at carrier are great.
Cons: Too much free time, dirty, disorganized,lack of amenities, dreary atmosphere

There were a few things I didn t agree with, however my experience was not that bad, I mean your in a psychiatric facility....there are a lot of patients with issues you would never think how serious. They deal with patients all day complaining and whining, yet they still kept their composure and patience , the staff has to deal with a lot at all times. There was one nurse I wasn t happy with but no one is perfect. So unless I just got lucky being around people who seemed to work with each other it s what you put into it. Your not there for vacation. As far as shock treatment it s not what it once was if you actually read up on it and educated yourself. I was able to communicate with any staff member if I needed to, I mean the morning and night groups need to be a little more structured. That was about it. However , that terrible that you had a bad experience.

I'm not sure what everyone is talking about how this is such a horrible place. They didn't dope me up or anything. They put me on 10mgs of Prozac. 10! That's the smallest dosage! The rooms do only house 2 people. I had at least 4 hours of therapy a day, for seven days a week. They certainly don't sedate you unless they have to restrain you, which let's be honest, is pretty serious. I was suicidal, and they didn't make me the happiest person in the world, which isn't their job. Their job is to help you upon the road to recovery. It is your job to make yourself better. No one else's. They then refer you to a mental health center. I could have stayed as long as I needed. I was rooming with someone who had been there for a month. This place DOES help.

Carrier Clinic was an absolute waist of time & money. 1st thing out of their mouth is: we want your $500.00 co-pay up front, & then $230.00 a day after that! Like we all walk around with that $ sitting around. Next thing out of their mouth was, we are increasing your childs meds. Adolescents receive 3 hours of group therapy a week, none on holidays or weekends, no individual therapy. The rest of the 21 hrs. a day your child does what ever they want, like zone out in front of the TV. YOU can not call the nurses station, your child, or anyone at all to find out how your child is doing, so parents are left in the dark. The psychiatrist just keeps upping the kids meds until they feel they are "compliant", & then your child is discharged. What a joke. You could up their meds at home, but that is not the answer. Therapy is often needed, but you won't get it at Carrier. If I could rate them as a negative number I would. Just horrible. All they do is push up meds to zombie out the kids & then send you home a sedated child for you to deal with. Oh, & just try to find someone who speaks without a severe accent. Good luck. You can't understand a 1/4 of what the doctor says. Save your money. Monmouth Medical has a far superior adolescent program, if you can get a bed there.

Carrier Clinic is probably the worst place to go to. I ended up in there after an overdose and as soon as i get there they're already talking about putting me on new meds. They honestly think that meds are the answer to everything. When the truth is most people just end up feeling worse from them. I had no intentions on taking any new meds, the thought of it literally made me sick. As a witness the staff treated lots of patients with disrespect and when they were feeling down they would not even try to talk to them they would just put them in the quiet room or lock them in their rooms. And when my mom tried calling the place so she could speak with me they never told me and never allowed her to speak to me.I brought this up to my social worker but she did nothing and half the time when you want to speak with your social worker he/she is never available. As soon as you seem the slightest bit ok they send you off for discharge. I do not recommend this place. They don't even deserve one star.

I checked myself in for E.C.T. . Unfortunately it was not the best option for me however my stay was a good experience.. the staff was kind..groups that we're supposed to be held daily we're always held unlike other facilities where I've stayed in which we basically watched TV and talked about our issues with other patients.. I would suggest Carrier Clinic to anyone out of any other clinics in NJ...

People here were very friendly. But there was very little therapy and one of the therapist said that your only here to keep you away from the outside world not for therapy. At least the place was clean unlike another facility I was admitted to.

The best hospital I have ever been to (and that's saying a lot). They saved my life more than once. They are kind, compassionate, caring and passionate about helping patients heal. Carrier has a very special place in my heart as they have always treated me well and competently, restoring my hope in humankind and in love. Great nurses, great staff, great doctors. The best.

this was my 2nd year spending the holidays at Carrier, .
after falling into a deep depression. The staff here, from doctors and nurses to counseling and other therapists is awesome. The only criticism would be some of the food. Since I wasn't on a culinary vacation, this did not matter to me.

This place is unique in a sense that it allows its clients ground privileges, smoke breaks and horticulture therapy. Living quarter are airy and spacious unlike dungeons you see in other places. Food quality varies, the better choices are in the main cafeteria where a patient can go with a doctors' permission. Other than that it is a behavioral hospital and should be treated as such.

P.S.
As for the staff, there are some good nurses and therapists but they r not in the majority. Doctors are fairly average, they will spend a minimal amount of time with a patient to have a check mark in the patent chart and make a plausible case for insurance. Their decisions seem to be affected by insurance coverage to a certain degree. So they will gladly keep a patient if there is coverage, others might be kicked out despite their medical needs. Social workers work like Henry Ford assembly line moving the case loads with a minimal time/ effort, don't expect much individualized attention.

Family members should keep close tabs on what goes on in the unit as to facilitate patient recovery and advocate for best treatment options. If a patient is stable, try to find a good therapist or a day program for your loved one. Carrier is a business, not a terribly bad one but still a business. You know where their priorities are. On the other hand, there are much much worse places.

12 years later and I still have nightmares of this god forsaken place and the straight up CRUELTY of Doctor Joel Carr. If anyone ever tries to put your child in the adolescent unit, REFUSE and have them sent elsewhere. Doctors and nurses alike there all REFUSE to listen to you, they will try to keep you past your release date (collecting that insurance money, clearly), and they will make up diagnosis that will later be disproved by every other doctor you see. If I could give zero stars, I'd do that about ten million times over.

TLDR: This place is literally hell, BEWARE.

My treatment at Carrier Clinic was very good but you need to keep in mind that you get out of the program what you are willing to invest - granted some patients are only there for the free medication & a place to sleep/eat while they detox, but most patients are seeking help & guidance. Don t expect to spend 3-5 days there and walk out cured - the staff at Carrier Clinic provides the resources & direction to help you on the path to wellness.

my child was here for six days in the middle of october 2019 and there were no issues or complaints although it diid slightly seem like they rushed her out coming up with the six day stay on only the third day. the staff in spoke with during the visits were all nice.

I don't know what the negative reviews are about. Some people have a different idea about what is quality care than others. I personally had a very positive experience back in 2015.

The place is disgusting. They do not care about a person s mental health. The rooms are atrocious, the food was disgusting, and nothing happens on the weekends. My social worker, Alice, is an actual trash bag. On my 3rd or 4th day day there, I was told that I m not taking anything seriously because I hadn t gone to a lot of groups...well maybe I would have gone to more if you guys actually offered more groups on weekends! On paperwork she made me sign things that aren t true such as having dealing with addiction, HIV, pregnancy, etc...no one else made me sign next to these categories so she was clearly trying profit off of nonexistent issues because I guys the issues I came in with wasn t enough for her. Also I had to stay an extra night because she made this assumption that I take medication (I do not) and anyone one medication cannot leave the clinic unless they have an appointment a psychiatrist within the next week and for some reason she was not capable of making an appointment with one after 4 days of meetings me. Also, this is gonna sound petty, but she called me superficial because I said I like to take care of my appearance and look nice when I m not trapped in APA. Last time I checked, it s actually a positive sign when a person with a mental illness wants to take care of their appearance. The only positive thing about being in apa is that most of the nurses and techs are really cool

Carrier Clinic saved my life, after numerous relapses they never turned their back on mE , AFTER LEAVING ama THEY ALWAYS TOOK ME BACK iN AND NEVER JUDGED ME. mY COUNSELERS WERE VERY REAL WITH WHAT THEY SPOKE AND ARE FORMER ADDICTS SO THEY KNOW ADDICTION FIRST HAND , I owe my Life to PATRICK AND KEITH..THANK YOU iGNORE THE nEGATIVE REVIEWS iF YOU ARE HONEST ABOUT YOURSELF THAN YOU WILL GET BETTER !!! uNTIL THAN GOOD LUCK.. jails , institutions, death...

My son has been here for a week and every time I ask to speak with him they promise they will have him call me... and he hasn't called yet. My son has been at another facility and we talked daily so I know it's not him just not wanting to talk. They are keeping my child from having contact with me but telling me they will have him call... WHY?! I want to talk to my child! I'm seriously concerned! Also, even after expressing his side effects from his current medication the doctor (who I cannot understand his English) has decided to keep him on the same medication. They don't listen and they don't call you back. The only conversation I've had with a doctor was for less than 5 minutes and it's been a week! This place scares me!! Also, they were supposed to send info over to his school a week ago and they never did.

If anyone is in crisis I highly suggest you go because it is a good place to get through a crisis. I went for a week and it was okay. You get clean sheets and a quilt and you only have to share the bathroom and shower with your roommate which was nice. The only huge negative was a nurse handing out my meds started being nosey about why I was there and when I told her for self injury she told me I was doing it for attention. It was the first and only time I had a panic attack there and reported her to my social worker. If you aren t going to be compassionate don t work in a mental health hospital. I did have many nice nurses, one man whose daughter was going through something similar and we talked about it and it made me feel a lot better. They were also really accommodating with stomach medications I had to take three times a day. They always had it ready right before meals so I can grab it and go eat which made it feel like I wasn t being a hassle. There was only 8 psych patients and about 25 dual diagnosis patients and I got along with everyone pretty well! I would rate it higher if that incident with that nasty nurse didn t happen. I didn t feel like I was in jail and it became a place of comfort but I was happy to leave feeling safe with myself and ready to move on to a different program. Just know if you do go you need to bring your own bath supplies and products and can bring your own snacks. They keep it all locked up but you can ask a therapist at any time to grab something for you. I also wanted to add that one therapist here changed my life and something he taught me I use till this day and it s what keeps me sane. I would give 5 stars if that one nurse wasn t so rude but honestly if you think you need to get help go here. They also updates a huge chunk of the building so it s pretty nice in there !

A friend was sent to the Blake/Carrier
unit, but when arrived was held in a ambulance for 6 hours only to be taken to the physciatric unit instead.
Family made at least 40. Phone calls in the 8 days to get answers but Dr Adams DIDNT return not 1 call. The family reached out to social workers directors and nurses and stil not 1 call in 8 days .
The family took a 2 hour ride and had to call the police to get answers
They found their loved one to be on 6 heavy duty meds. He arrived 8 days earlier on 2

The doctor had no answers or explanations and no one could explain why he was in the wrong unit
DO NOT SEND ANY ONE YOU LOVE THERE
They finally made the transfer to the correct unit. I am not sure how they run this facility, I hope for the patient's sake it is better than the last, it is yet to be determined if this was a better and more efficiently run unit. I will keep you posted

I was in the adolescent unit for around 8 days last year and it was the worst inpatient unit I've been in. Worse than UBHC and Hampton. At Carrier there was much less supervision, which made it incredibly easy to self harm/ do destructive behaviors. I also ate no more than 300 calories every day while i was there and no one noticed. And out of the 8 days i was there, i met with my therapist (maybe) once outside of my intake and discharge. Also, the groups were horrible. There were fewer groups than other inpatient units and the groups at Carrier were much less meaningful. We rarely talked about our problems, it was just mostly playing games and filling out meaningless worksheets. And unlike other places, no one cared if you went to groups or not. You could skip all the groups and still get discharged in a little more than a week.
And I'm not exactly complaining about this, but one girl wrote really inappropriate (and really good) smut and one of the nurses read it and didn't care at all. I think she said she liked the story.

However, there were some nice nurses there, i got to go outside a few times, and though the privacy definitely didn't benefit my recovery, it was nice. And I got to go to equine therapy once (though it consisted of me chasing a donkey around and some lady trying to relate that to recovery or something).

My experience there was actually rather good. I see all of these negative reviews, but it helps you immensely if you cooperate. They talk about them shoving pills down your throat, but they're doctors, they know what medicine is best for you so just take it. I was in there for suicidal thoughts, and the nurses and techs seemed to take some sort of personal interest in my well being. It's one of the best places for this for a reason.

This facility finds people who have been in mental hospitals.. They have lists.. they go out to their homes in "electric company" trucks and induce schizophrenia with some kind of mind control devices inside these vans and trucks. For 3 weeks before I came here there was a van from trenton (right next to belle mead, where carrier is) outside my house sitting there with a man in it.. for 3 straight weeks... i live very far from trenton.. theres no reason for him to have been there. That is the SAME TIME i went crazy.. so i know they are finding people who have a history of mental disorder and targeting them at their homes.. BIG BUSINESS. The reason i know this as fact is because there were a bunch of people there at the same time as me with the EXACT SAME DELUSIONS. WORD FOR WORD. No way thats a coincidence..

Also, while i was there i would wake up with weird bruises on my body.. and needle marks in the veins on my feet. almost as if they are doing some kind of human blood/bone marrow trafficking..

AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS

I went there for mental health reasons and didn't experience any of the negative aspects of care at all

I didn't want to leave! Staff was great. It seemed like they really gave a damn. The only snafu is the lack of counseling. They don't spend enough time with patients and It can at times feel like they have you on a conveyor belt when it comes to counsel, but they do try to make you as comfortable as they can.'

I thought group was great. It helped me a lot to just talk it out with other people with the same issues.

It's not perfect, but what Mental health facility is? Unless you're willing to pay through the nose for private care, this will do.

This place is the worst I just got discharged today and I was no where near ready to go. They put on a medication that made me sleep for almost 2 days strait and today they told me I was being discharged for missing group time. I'm now looking for another place!!

This place is barely adequate. Go there as a last resort when you can't find anything else. Food is barely adequate, some staff (nurses) appear to be competent but the doctors will all talk down to you like you are dirt in the street. Other patients there are almost all economically deprived. Some go there to have a place to sleep.

I would leave this place 0 stars if I could. I was unfortunately a patient here years ago, and it was a nightmare. Right off the bat, I was given medication to take against my will. Everybody was called down for meds and I told the nurse I don t take any and as a result was handed Prozac despite never consenting to being medicated. Don t even try protesting because they WILL treat you like a psychopath who can t think for yourself. Thanks to this hospital I wasted years to come jumping from medication to medication until I finally got off it in my LATE teen years. Thanks!
Also the psychiatrist I was seeing was a homophobe who gave my mother papers once I graduated on places to un-gay me.
This place is a nightmare, I could only imagine somebody taking their loved one here out of punishment.

Please don't send your children or yourself to this place. They don't help. Think about being consulted by two friends for out to in problems. They will not say the same thing. This is what happened when I spoke to two doctors there. The Indian females said I have a problem and the White Males say I have no problem... so just because I saw the lady first, I got to think I have a problem?

I found their interview process and non followup less than professional.

DONT GO. FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE. IM NOT JOKING. CARRIER IS THE ACTUAL WORST. THE FOOD IS AWFUL. MY FOOD HAD A TOOTH AND HAIR IN IT. IM DEADASS NOT KIDDING. ONLY SOME OF THE NURSES ARE GOOD. THE REST ARE AWFUL. AND ALL THEY DO IS SHOVE PILLS DOWN YOUR THROAT. DONT GO.

This place helped save my life. A piece of heart belongs here. I am forever grateful for everyone. A huge shoutout to Blake unit!

My child was there. They were much more proactive than St Clares. Carrier considered her full mental health history, not just her current state of mind. Her progress was closely monitored and they kept me informed. Carrier seemed more concerned about her future and what her next steps should be to improve her well being.

Trying to get to my son what train station is close . When are the visiting days ???

The faculty and facility is nice but get ready to wait in an enclosed office for 4 hours while they process u

Ignore the negative reviews. The folks at Carrier caring and professional. Many lives have been saved by this facility. People are dying from a serious epidemic. This is no time to fool around. If you or a loved one needs help I recommend you reach out to Carrier.

The staff were friendly but distant that was their strength. But their groups they run were very poorly run. As a person with an AS degree in Psych Rehab I could have done a much better job then a person with a masters degree and that is sad. It is a hospital stay it is not supposed to be pleasent.

Wonderful hospital. The only one ill go to. Met the nicest people there both patients and staff. Plus they have peacocks on the grounds

They actually discharged my daughter with a follow up that don't take my insurance

I was in Carier Clinic in 1989 and the saved my life. I don"t know how they are now in 2919 but my experiences were 100% Positive. I just hope they are as good as they were in 1989
Laury

I would not recommend this place if you have experienced a traumatic event. There's a couple of professional staff members but very few. Otherwise this place is dehumanizing.
Thankful for the nurse who advocated for me and guided me out of there.

I stayed in the adolescent unit for 8 days and every single day I was there the rat lookin doctor refused to take me seriously and all he ever said was "tell me more" as if my problems were invalid and he made me feel useless. The food here is absolutely disgusting, there was a hair in my spaghetti, a spider in my milk, the yogurt they gave me was expired, the pizza was recycled from the trash and the pudding had a layer of fur on it. They take away your valued belongings and lock them in a room even if they are harmless. They wouldn't give me my reading glasses, for crying out loud and I'm nearly blind! The techs are paranoid and think every interaction between patients is a sexual encounter waiting to happen and the phones are all bugged, so they can listen in on your personal phone calls. You're better off staying an alcoholic or depressed than staying in this dump.

Visited someone in rehab facility.... would never send someone there

MY SISTER WAS ADMITTED TO CARRIER ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT HER THEY WONT GIVE ANY INFORMATIOM, THEY TELL ME I HAVE TO TALK WITH HER SOCIAL WORKER. tHe SOCIAL WORKER FINALLY CALLED ME. AFTER I CALLED HER SEVERAL TIMES. SHE GAVE SOME INFORMATION AND TOLD ME NOT TO COME UP TO SEE MY SISTER FOR A WEEK. sHE SAID SHE WOULD CALL FRIDAY. tHE DAY IS ALMOST OVER STILL NO CALL.my brother in law my nephew and I have continued to call to no avail,still no call this place is HORRIBLE. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR LOVEDONE TO GO THERE. One star MORE THAN THEY DESERVE!!!!!!!!!!

This is a not so good place, doctors don't know what they are doing and parents sneak things in to patients.

I gained 60 pounds, buy it's okay I lost it all after 2 years

My stay there as an 11 year old girl has permanently traumatized me for the rest of my life. I was in other facilities like this afterwards and never felt so scared or unsafe in ANY of them I wish i could tell all her but fear legal retaliation because I have no proof. All i can say for sure is that it still causes me nightmares.

Feel guilty even being able to give this establishment one star. The staff is not trained at all, they get physical with some of the patients, and they don't care for you at all. DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE. Going here will not help you with anything. They let anyone smoke cigarettes, even if you're not of age. It's like a third world country in that facility

trying to reach my boyfriend in Blake, to no avail. The only helpful people are the receptionists. No voicemails are returned.

Worst part, clinical staff admitting him last night said (drive 1.5 hours) to see him to I could hug, wish him luck, and tell him goodbye, all while being eight months pregnant. They then come out and say, "sorry, we won't allow it. I couldn't even give the man I love a hug goodbye and I drove at LEAST 90MPH the whole way.

No calls back, nothing. Can't tell me who his counselor is, but have the audacity to tell me to "call in the morning and we'll try to figure out who he;s assigned to." They wont tell me who his counselor is, AND BEST PART cuz of the holiday, most of them are gone. Dont know when Ill see him again or hear his voice, but I just wanted to tell him I love him and good luck, he needs help. and our relationship needs fixing/ clearly. but for that unncessary drive, I ripped the "clinician" a new one. She sucks at her job. even the receptionist couldn't believe she said no, when they told her they were going to let her.

I just am praying I can hear his voice soon.

Was abused by the staff, there are no cameras so lawsuits and all cannot be filed. An absolute horrible place, I don't recommend at all. Should be shut down for good.

The worst misguided center to bring your teen for care. They ONLY follow "policy" and are more concerned with their "system" than caring for children in the highest capacity. Their discharge letter was completely confusing - even my childs' High School could not interpret the "Return to School" letter and sent my child home. She is now home for two days in this confusing mess Carrier Clinic caused.

I stayed at Carrier dealing with Bipolar Disorder and drug addiction.

I felt that the facility was pretty good, but I thought that the staff would take more of a micro approach to individual cases.

The facility itself was ok and room assignments were ok as well. Showers had hot water and were spacious. I thought that the cafeteria had good food and I was never hungry.

I thought that they could have done better by having activities. I played chess against myself pretty much all day if I wasn t doing laundry or doing push-ups.

I liked the people there and I never felt threatened.

One thing on a personal note.
Don t lock up the piano. I wanted to play it everyday and I was not allowed to. Booooo

I was admitted to the GAU(General Adult Unit) on September 17th, 2018 and wow what an experience. The staff were extremely tolerable, they weren't too hands on or able to help with much but they tried their best and it really showed. The food seemed to be what they specialized in as it was always something good, salads with every meal except breakfast and there was always seconds. The bathrooms on the other hand were a nightmare. Every time at wrap up group at least 1 or 2 people would complain about the bathrooms and it was on a daily basis 1 of them was out of order. Yes they do try and medicate everyone and i'm not sure as to why that is because everyone is different and so therefore so are our needs and i don't think being stuck on a medication you don't know much about is really gonna make the situation any better. With 6 groups a day there would usually be one where you sit there and talk about anger or drug addiction and then the ones where you sit and make bracelets which seems to defeat the purpose of going there to get "better". My biggest concern was the process of discharge. I had seen people with suicidal allegations be out within a week and someone who is there simply for anger stuck there for almost 2 months so there seems to be a biased formula as to when they choose when you get to go home but as long as you sweet talk your doctor and social worker then it's really just a breeze. You're either sitting there watching TV reading a book or walking around in circles but at the end of the day it really leaves you with a "Prison mentality." 3 stars only because the food was great and the staff were very nice to deal with including the Doctors and social workers.

They discharged me without a plan or a safe place to go to just because my insurance ran out. The doctor I had was also abusive. Horrible hospital experience, I wouldn t recommend to anybody.

RUN DO NOT WALK AWAY. ARCHAIC, ABUSE AND TORTURE. REAL JAIL CELLS INSURANCE MONEY AND DRUGS WHILE YOU LADIES SLEEP DRUGGED OUT A MALE WORKER HAS COMPLETE ACCESS TO YOU. YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY DO TO YOU WHILE YOU ARE DRUGGED OUT COMPLETELY. THIS IS THE NEW ISSUE. MENTAL HEALTH RIGHTS
. SIGN SAYS WHAT HAPPENS AT CARRIER STAYS AT CARRIER. YOU ARE NOT EVEN SAFE. AT ALL. PURE HELL

. DO NOT BELIEVE THAT OR YOU WILL BE LOCKED UP AGAINST YOUR WILL FOR AS LONG AS THEY LIKE. MY BIG TOE WAS SMASHED BY A VERY ILL WOMAN CLOSING A HUGE 300LB DOOR IN MY FACE I CAUGHT IT WITH MY FOOT. TOE DESTROYED PAIN UNBEARABLE AND NO MEDICAL HELP OF ANY KIND. NO EXRAY NO TYLENOL.
A MAN THREW A CHAIR AT ME.
NURSES ARE TRULY NURSE RACHET . REMEMBER RUN DON'T WALK DON'T EVEN LOOK. BELIEVE ME GOOD LUCK PRIVATE HELP YOU CAN SCREEN. NO HOSPITALS YOU WILL BE SORRY AND WORSE OFF.

FACT OF THE MATTER I NEED AN ATTORNEY TO SUE THEM FOR DAMAGES. ANYBODY MAKE SOME MONEY. WHAT I SAY YOU WON'T BELIEVE

Not effective. No activities. One tv shared among the population. Hard core drug addicts run the place. The patients line up for their drugs. Stay isn t long enough to make a difference. A bed and three meals. That s it. A waste of time!!

Don't judge a book by the cover. The exterior of this facility is beautiful. But the care and interior is terrible. The adolescent unit is freezing cold, because the heat doesn't work. The staff is friendly, but only care about your mental health. If you have a medical emergency you're better off not telling them. All they can do is give you motrin, take your vitals, and set up an appointment with the medical doctor, who is not readily available in the case of emergency. For this whole facility, there is only one medical doctor on staff at a time. It took hours, for me to be taken to an emergency room, while I was suffering chest pain. The doctor was only available for the NEXT DAY. While at this facility I was not treated as a priority.
The psychiatrist doesn't deserve a medical degree. What psychiatrist tells patients their life will end in despair? What psychiatrist laughs at patients suffering from drug withdrawal symptoms?
This facility keeps patients who aren't going to harm themselves or others, and sends patients who will to other facilities or to an outpatient care.
When you're here it's like you're being tortured. You have the right to stay in your room all day, but if you do they'll keep you longer because you're isolating yourself. EVEN IF YOU'RE IN PHYSICAL PAIN. Patients here just do group therapy 3+ times a DAY, which isn't helpful to anyone as individual therapy is a rare occurrence.
This is also one of the few none Co ed facilities in NJ, which truly doesn't benefit the patients, because you're just listening to the same sob stories of the few other patients each time you have group.
Other activities are rare here, you spend the day in the lounge or in groups. Board games are available in the lounge, and for the most part that's about it. Every once in a while you'll have karaoke, and art. They advertise for an enriched environment but that's not what's there.
This facility should really be shut down or improved A LOT.
It's not suitable for anyone. If you have a loved one who needs help, this isn't the right place.

My daughter went in to the adolescent residential program, and came out with genital Herpes. Avoid putting your child at this place at all costs! Ten kids in a unit, and they couldn't keep my daughter from being sexually assaulted. Disgraceful.

Food is good, they give you seconds, lots of groups if you like that, been here multiple times.. they have a newer side which as you can imagine is cleaner and the older side keep in mind this place is over 100 years old. For a mental institution. gives me the creeps, one day the showers were on full blast with the doors locked with nobody inside when they opened it spooky stuff..

This place is terrible, My Uncle Allen Freidrich was here, he has dementia.
All they did was sedate him and turn him in to a ZOMBIE, he was transported to Robert wood Hospital with pneumonia and his heart was in A fib. He is now unconscious when he was at carrier he was active and walking around the first week and became upset so they drugged him all day. He came to the hospital with bruises all over his arms.
He is now on his death bed from this hell hole.
If you want to kill your loved on send them here.....

He has now passed on.... 01/03/2017
Ray

I had a very good experience and am very thankful to Carrier Clinic. I thought it was wonderful place. I came to Carrier from the ER after my first psychotic episode. The doctors helped bring me back down to Earth and understand what happened. They diagnosed me, changed my medications, and gave me a treatment plan which also helped me later in court. The food and community was good. I enjoyed the set schedule but also the opportunity for free time. We participated in group therapy, a really nice art class, yoga, gym time, and outside time.

I had a terrifying experience there. Staff seeks to control and de-escalate patients. I didn't feel seen as a full human person. I was taken to a quiet room with a metal gate and transferred to a different unit just because I cried when a nurse tried to take away my stuffed animal, which I had explained is "clinically necessary." I was spoken to in a very rude manner and tricked into giving my stuffed animal to someone who promised to give it right back and then held onto it for awhile. They value policies and procedures over humanity and the power dynamics can be very retraumatizing to those who have endured abuse in their lives.

they locked us in our room for saying
Jabba the butt
For an hour, took away our only source of entertainment. And pushed group back just to be locked in our rooms for a childish joke.
Later Homos

i fell in love within the first seconds. the staff know what they are doing and are very helpful. i cried when i had to leave. the best place to get out of the hole that is very hard to get out of.

BE AWARE!

I was brought here because I was suffering from depression. I am not addicted to any substances and have no mental health issues related to substance addiction however what I witnessed at this facility is very scary so I hope anyone reading this is aware before they god forbid send their loved one here in the hope for recovery. When I was here I witnessed people abusing illicit drugs. I do not know where the drugs came from, or how they were able to sneak them into the hospital but I did ask several patients where they had got them and they claimed that the nurse(s) sold them to them. I did not witness this transaction so can not vouch for it or verify it directly but after being shocked with this revelation curiosity got the best of me and I asked one of the patients why a nurse would sell him an illegal drug, as this would not only get him fired but probably send him to jail if he was discovered. The patient told me that the nurses have a monopoly at the facility because out on the street they are able to choose one out of several dealers who they wish to buy from, often depending on who has the highest quality stuff, however at Carrier whoever sells has a monopoly because there is no other competition and they are able to maximize their profit by selling low quality drugs for higher prices and since the client base is composed of all addicts that are coming here they have guaranteed sales. The patients are given money by their loved ones during visits and this allows them to buy drugs. One patient I spoke with actually came to Carrier for the sole purpose of getting high and acquiring drugs as he told me that both of his heroine dealers had been jailed. This situation at Carrier breeches of a whole plethora of legal and moral/ethical boundaries. Justice and human rights violations are rampant here as drug dealers under the guise of nurses are able to operate their lucrative business here without impunity.

I was admitted in 2013. The day before I was supposed to get discharged, I had a panic attack because I knew that my family would not be supportive when it came to my self harm recovery. I told them I was not ready to go home in group therapy. The next day the nurse came in and told me to pack my things. I thought I was going home, however, she brought me to the more intensive, acute unit. They then told me that I was bound to my room, except for group therapy sessions. I was not even allowed to eat with the other patients. I had to fill out a packet that they gave me or I would not be able to go home. Not only did this happen, but they also up your dose of meds without telling the patients. I would not suggest this hospital for anyone. I would highly recommend Hampton instead. It's in Westhampton NJ and they actually take care of their patients.

I was a patient at the Carrier Clinic several years ago the therapy staff was good however I received ECT treatments that eventually lead to a very serious injury. I was a patient for 4 days and then discharged when I came back my psychiatrist asked me if the ECT treatment was helpful I told him no he said he was going to increase the dosage. When I woke up I had extreme pain in my arm I knew there was something wrong they said I must have came like that to the clinic Insane! I went to the hospital in an ambulance and the hospital stated that the head of my humerus and the shaft fo my humerus was broken and I found out that my rotator cuff was ripped the Labyrinth was ripped the bones were crushed together misaligned it was a mess and the surgeon said that they probably couldn't fix it I've been working as an occupational therapist since with great pain it's been very difficult I lost my lawsuit they said that they gave me literature stating that that can happen which is a lie. I became very depressed and to the point that my darling husband left me. I am i still in pain when I move my arm. At the time of my injury I did some research and I realized there probably was probably a lack of communication between the psychiatrist and the anesthesiologist . didn't give me enough muscle relaxants or anesthesia. Years ago when they didn't give anesthesia nor muscle relaxants patients had the same kind of injuries including injuries to the spinal cord thank God I didn't have that although I think I have one jn my lower vertebrae This was a very horrible experience that I still can't get out of my mind till this day I hope nobody has to go through this lots of luck in your journey with your depression and or illness goodbye. Gloria Duarte

If I could give negative stars, trust me I would. Anyway, a family member of mine went there after a certain event of their life to place them in the adolescent unit. Now, there were a lot of activities offered to them, such as being able to read in the library, workout at the gym, or play games. With this, food was given but there were always decent or horrible, causing the member to lose weight as they relied only on cereal. Each visit, my family and I would bring food for them to not starve. In addition, there was the most of the staff that treated them with no respect at all. There was always this hope to get the nice nurse, and not the bad one. To my family member, the morning staff were the good ones while the afternoon and evening staff were the rude ones. As said by many patients there in the unit, along with my family member, they were sent there to be helped, only to be made to feel worse. With this, there was a doctor who prescribed medication, who seemed to have a large ego. My family member was given medication that had serious side effects: sleep paralysis, heart palpitations, nausea, and fatigue. After reporting these side effects, the doctor would say that their medication couldn't have done that and it must've been the patient's fault. Of course, that wasn't the case. Since obviously, there would be side effects to new medication, due to your body adjusting to it. After stopping the medication, it caused withdrawal effects. Now, fortunately, the visiting hours on weekdays would be 6 to 7:30 pm and the weekends would include those hours and 1 to 2 or 2:30 pm. Finally, there was an experience that confirmed the true nature of the staff and the unit. My family member was having a breakdown, soon being comforted by their roommate. But, when a nurse came in, my family member was told to simply stop crying, being given disgust and disrespect, that led them into a panic attack. (The nurse seemed to be a large, dark-skinned woman who wore glasses with some gold in her hair). Thankfully, the kind roommate defended them , but was soon stopped as they was sent into a "quiet room," which can be like SOLITARY CONFINEMENT for defending my family member, or "talking back to the nurse," and touching the family member as if trying to fight or hit them, when that wasn't the case at all. This worsened my family member's condition as the roommate stayed in the "quiet room" for at least SEVEN HOURS. Thankfully, both of them were discharged afterwards as I'm sure neither of their families, including me, would ever return to that wretched hospital ever again. So, be warned. This can be compared to a prison with no respect to the young patients, who are IN NEED of help. I would strongly suggest you to avoid this hospital and go somewhere else.

Worst 2 weeks of my life in a rehab/detox I ever spent, and Ive been to several.. Wouldnt recommend this place to anybody.

I was admitted to Carrier three times between October 3rd and February 2nd. The reviews here are ridiculous. Carrier helped me a lot. My admissions were all because of suicidal ideations/attempts. My first admission to the hospital, I was admitted into APA (adult psychiatrics and addictions). The nurses and technicians there were friendly, but didn't really interact. APA was very laid back; the staff didn't necessarily make patients follow all of the rules. The one bad thing I do have to say is that my psychiatrist, Dr. Verret, was awful. He laughed at me when I told him why I was suicidal, and all he cared about was increasing my meds. He didn't even know what med he was giving me; I was prescribed Effexor. He told me that it's good for both depression and anxiety. I later found out that it actually negatively affects anxiety. A week into my stay, an incident occurred where I had to be transferred to a more intensive unit, ACU (acute care unit). I loved the staff there. They were all very friendly, and even though I'm transgender, they very rarely made mistakes on my name and pronouns. About a week later, I was discharged, even though I told my social worker that I wasn't going to be safe at home, and I had been self harming inside of the hospital, which was very unprofessional, I will admit. I came back two days later, and I was placed in GAU (general adult unit) and I honestly hated it. It felt like a prison. You had to share bathrooms and showers with the other patients, and they were located in the hallway. There was no entertainment except for the TV. One good experience I had in this unit, though, was that one of the nurses, Yelena, put me on one-to-one (constant surveillance) when I told her that I was struggling to keep myself safe in that environment. I told my psychiatrist, Dr. Naem, that I needed to transfer back to ACU, and she made it happen around a week after I was admitted. I was struggling a lot during my time in ACU. I couldn't get better, and I continued to have suicidal ideations and urges to self harm. There were three nurses who I could really count on to help me through those times; Olivia (Liv), Celeste McKenna, and Sarah Reardon. They were all able to talk me out of that headspace, at least temporarily. I was in ACU for around two months before my social worker decided to send me to Essex County hospital, without first informing my psychiatrist, which again, was very unprofessional. I was getting better at the time, too, but I was sent off anyways. The last time I was admitted, I was admitted onto ACU again. This time, I really actually wanted to get better and I wanted to help myself, so I did. I stayed for about two weeks, and since then, I have been way better mentally than I have been in a long time.
Overall, yes, I would recommend Carrier Clinic to someone in need of help. It may not be the best hospital to go to, but it definitely hoped me, and I was in a very hopeless situation.

It was horrible the food is horrible the staff is horrible and the enviroment is horrible i dont like the point system they have either

They took my client through the ringer. Had me send her for a psych exal to make sure she was eligible and didn't even call me back.

A place you never want to end up in. It is hell, they force unneeded medications on to you as a result you suffer the side effects long after being released. No one is there to listen to you, only to judge it is a group mentality. I came to conclusion it is not worth for them to consider anyones sanity rather condemn and write prescriptions or do whatever is profitable.
If you think that by sending someone to this place you are doing them a favor please think again, this not only goes for Carrier but for other places as well what you see on the outside is not what's on the inside.

i mean, in my time there, it was alright. they put me on the right meds (that worked for a while) and they had a few nice techs. me and my roommate stayed up one night and we made an ouija board and talked to some dead people. that was fun lol but yeah food was okay i liked the cereal there

My son was admitted there on March 8 and cause he has Medicaid they are throwing him out tomorrow where is the help like they say only if you have good insurance. This place is only about the money not for all these people that are addicted. My son pleading for help they going to kill him now where can he go.

I was on Klonopin and Pain Meds , I went into the Clinic to come off Pain meds , They Put me on more Drugs than I was on before I went in . And They Abruptly Stopped my Klonopin , I was on Prescribed dose of Klonopin for over 20 Years , I Almost took a Heart Attack , They Called 911 and Took me to a Local Hospital, They Refused to give me my Klonopin . Now I am 16 months out of there and Detoxing off the Meds they Put me on . Since Carrier I am no longer living with My Girl Friend , I Became very Mentally Ill . I Was Put on these Drugs that Damaged my Brain , Also The Rooms are made for 2 People and they Packed 3 People in the Rooms , I could go on and on , I would not Recommend this Place to my Worst enemy..

Carrier is the most unprofessional psychiatric facility I've ever been to. The staff members are incredibly condescending, miserable, and unempathetic. I don't think you could've hired worse to work on a mental health unit. I have severe insomnia and was unable to sleep for the entirety of my 6-day stay. I kept asking the nurse's station for something like melatonin to help me sleep, but instead they gave me about seven or eight Latuda's each night. This is considered by law an abuse of the drug and would be classified as malpractice. Carrier somehow has a horticultural therapist, but not a sleep therapist! The doctors only work on the weekdays and patients are left to care for their mental health struggles completely on their own for the weekends. I guess the lack of funding in the mental health care system is more important than the patients. Many of the "therapists" here are in fact not even therapists, but deluded social workers who hand out printed worksheets from Pinterest three times a day and believe they're making an impact in their patients lives. This entire experience was unbelievably traumatizing. Two years later and I still have nightmares about the stench of this place.

The admissions process at this facility is a joke. On multiple occasions, my patient and I have been stuck in the back of my ambulance waiting at least 2+ hours before I can escort them to their appropriate unit. A complete overhaul of this process is long overdue.

I ve gone to Carrier 5 times in the adolescent unit & every time I had a great experience. If you want the help & are willing to cooperate & put in the work, Carrier will help you. They do not drug anyone up. They legally cannot. Even in the adolescent unit, you are allowed to refuse your meds at any point so if you were drugged up there it s because you willingly allowed it. They were pretty lenient, didn t force you to get up & participate in things if you were tired or just not up to it. There was no bed time , just a time you had to be in your room for the night. During that time you could sleep, stay awake and talk to your roommate, whatever as long as you were quiet. They had several groups a day that focused on helping with serious issues. The food was pretty decent but if you didn t want to eat the lunch (on weekends) or dinner, your visitor could bring you a meal during visiting hours. In the adolescent unit they had a gym, a game room with a foosball table an Xbox with a Kinect & movies, a library, an art room, an iPod to play music in the unit. There was lots to do when you had down time. Carrier is one of the best, if not the best, psychiatric hospital you can find in NJ. That is speaking from personal experience with hospitals besides Carrier. I would absolutely recommend Carrier to anyone struggling with mental health & feels they need this level of care. BUT if you expect to go in there & come out a week later fixed, you are going to be disappointed. This is to stabilize, not to cure. They stabilize you enough to go home and continue with long term treatment in the outside world. If you want a long term facility, consider residential treatment & not a psychiatric hospital.

Also, I went to Carrier for the first time at the exact same time as someone who wrote a very bad review on here, which just shows you it s all about perception & how much work you put in. She had a horrible experience & I had a great one & we were there at the exact same time, experiencing the same thing but we both perceived it completely different.