Trust me,never choose this jail-like hospital, you will totally regret! My friend was been sent to this jail last week, one week past the doctor still has no diagnoses for her and don t know how long she still need to stay. I observed that doctors only talked to patients in the morning for 5 mins to check if they are behaving normally,then the rest of whole day patients would spend in the small room and unit without phone,laptop, or any care.Can you imagine that environment??Even for a normal person he could be freaking out staying in this jail-like hospital with no freedom!!!!! The only treatment is forcing patients to take medicine.No mental treatment at all. Please! Patients are human-beings! They need more care!!!
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I wanted to give 0 stars. I spent 8 hours in a emergency room. Got a pint of blood taken after being stabbed three times in the arm without any blood flowing and a urine test, being in a room with windows and nearly naked just to have them tell me they had a bed. I was transfer by ambulance in below freezing temperatures to get there and wait for five hours only for them to tell me they didn t have any open beds and they had more important people to admit. They take in a bunch of homeless before someone who s suicidal. So I was discharged and in order to go anywhere else I would ve had to go back to an emergency room, get all the tests, and then be transferred again if that place had an open bed. I would suggest literally anywhere else.
For a child there was no encouraging things done just adding more medicine or putting a child in a locked room. Never checked blood work after adding meds and the behaviors cussing, holding private parts, were not deterred by staff Terrible experience @!!@!
I came to this place for help with ptsd and depression and all they did was keep me locked up with people who had substance abuse issues and extreme mental health problems. I did not get any help for my ptsd besides books to read. I got prescribed medicine for things that had nothing to do with my issues. They gave me extremely strong anti-anxiety meds along with extremely strong sleeping meds. I was basically drugged the whole time. Nobody there gets REAL help. This is not a place to go if you are needing therapy. This place will literally make you want to kill yourself.
I do not ever recommend going to this place. I went there for help and I was turned away. Cost me almost 70$ round trip in a taxi bc I needed help and was pushed out the door. Took everything I had just to go get help and now I'm so worse off now then I was before. Thanks for nothing.
I was admitted to WIPIC about 6 months ago for a suicide attempt. Seeing I am 16 I was put on the adolescent unit. Overall, I loved the staff and nurses but I didn't like the doctor at all. I had Sparks and he made me feel like I had no clue what was going on in my head. He was so full of himself because "he knows why people attempt suicide." Even though I had my own reason, he didn't let me explain at all. The thing that appalled me the most was the first day I was there he told me "we aren't here to help you but make sure your safe enough to go home." Like if your not going to help me, then why am I even there? Other than that though I actually am happy I went here because it really did help me. Yeah, it's not the nicest place around but it's meant to keep you safe, no be luxurious for you.
The Intensive Outpatient Program recommended post discharge gave no assistance to our family as a whole and was a complete waste of the patients time. They put our family member on bipolar meds during a hospitalization with no official diagnosis of being bipolar & no true monitorization of the extreme side effects that occurred & are still occurring. They are quick to "graduate" their patients early while still on these hardcore psychiatric drugs as soon as dual diagnosis comes into play. Also, I have directly experienced that there is no real communication between Resolve Crisis & the hospital itself. The system put in place to help those most in need with mental illness is broken, it's tragic.
Went in here for anxiety depression and suicidal ideation, and besides the 18 hour wait to get admitted, the treatment was great with kind and caring staff
i went here twice, actually. first time was absolutely amazing, the people and staff were great. :) they offer snacks, different forms of therapy (music, art) and have games. second time sort of helped. i found myself a tiny bit traumatized by the patients there but that s not my problem, I m just sensitive. I m a little scared to go back now. i think i was just really lucky to have such positive patients around me the first time. although both times i was there, when i hit the 4-day mark, i could feel myself declining. not being outside for days drives me insane. the absolute worst part though was the wait. oh god, the wait. i was in the waiting room for 24 hours, and people before me were in there for 2 days. it s uncontrollable, but it really does bring you down.
Western pay hospital institute help me to not die!!!! Learning my journey to go on and create a life for myself. It was a scary step but the Doctors and Nurses and don t forget the staff. They gave my life to me. It s a teaching hospital (back in early 70 s). I am now 68 years ago. That was almost 40 years ago. Thank You . I tell everyone I try to help that WPIC is the Best. Be good to yourself.
Great Place! Amazing Care! If you have medical issues though, don't go to UPMC, Go to Alleghany General or you can/may, die, UPMC didn't catch, what almost killed my husband, he sought a second opinion, or his friend called an ambulance, saved his life, but told them to take him to General. He has 6 kids, he was at General for 3 months, Thanks for saving his life, he made an almost full recovery, UPMC sent him home with a prescription for Ibuprofen.
They won t connect with your loved one if don t have right phone number for the level they on . and tell you the person you look ain t on the floor don t help at all . All tried to check on my loved one they support of family and friends,
Didn't want to give it one star. A long time ago I went there as a young teen. I was put in a room with two men who accused me of self harming myself to be mean to my parents. As a scared 13 year old... I was embeasder, shamed. I would take a bridge if I had to choose between this place and death.
I was told UPMC was a great hospital....well my experience at upmc was terrifying. From the era threatening and lieing to me about being evaluated and convincing my daughter at the time was 19 to 302 me. I saw and heard things I still cant get over. I was sedated and stripped of my belongings and forced to take meds that made me sick and lethargic. I will NEVER GO TO UPMC for anything. They USED TO BE A GOOD PLACE. NOW IF YOU LOOK OR SAY WRONG THING IN ER YOUR OFF TO BE 302 ITS WRONG!!!
Stayed here twice in the past 5 years, was so out of it the 2nd time that I do not even remember being taken there. Both were all but pleasant, but my most recent stay last February was much better than my first back in 2012. The food is terrible, some of the councilors were nice, but some could honestly careless about you. The doctors for the most part were good, but spent very little time with you.
I've had wonderful stability since being apart of the 5 day a week Intensive Outpatient Program. I'm grateful for the tools they equipped me with for problem solving and altering mood fluctuations.
I was there in 2013, I finally had a nice Doctor but he was leaving so I had a change. I had to do waiting room expierence, bring a pillow. Then I was transfer to a room I had to share(this whole hospital was extremely busy. After a week on that floor I was transferred to the ATRIUM. All the staff and nurses were nice minus the new doctor..
So far only spent time in the ER with a family member. The staff was very thoughtful and caring. Offered free sandwiches, graham crackers and various beverages to all patients and family. The ER doctor was caring and very thorough. This is the busiest ER I have ever seen in my career as a RN (35 yrs) and as a patient/mom. The wait was extremely long and exhausting. I hope the process could somehow be shortened.
I thought I was in hell before I got stuck there. I was wrong. I was 302ed and taken to this god forsaken pit against my will.
Once I arrived they held me in this large county jail like community room on the lower floor for 2 days. No beds and nothing but dry turkey sandwiches and water to drink. They stripped me of my pride my dignity and my prescription medication.
I was then placed on the wrong floor. A floor for junkies and drunks. I am neither. For 3 days I was forced to go through withdraw from my meds and attend AA groups. There were 2 TVs on the floor and nothing but news on them. There were five community bathrooms, men would masturbate in the shower and if you wanted to get clean you had to stand in sperm.
The staff and DR's were awful people. They treated us like animals.
The food was worse then Jail food and far worse then any other hospital food I ever had.
If you are thinking of killing yourself and you live in Pittsburgh. Do not call for help. You are better off dead then taking the chance of ending up in Western Psychiatric.
being to western psych multiple times, within a two year span. Wasting my 14-15 year old life time in the horrible place they call a psych hospital.
At the age of sixteen, with about 7 recorded hospitalizations. It turned my life upside down because of the hopelessness.
Not to mention the way they treated me with each stay. With each break down, wether it was anger or sadness. They wouldn't agknowledge it at all. Well, not 'at all' but rarely. In a more recent stay. I was restrained 4x in a week. 1 out of four over a stuffed animal that I playfully threw at the staff and they body slammed me as I grabbed for my stuffed animal. You're supposed to help me not piss me off
They do not help. I would not let your child go here. Extremely long wait in the waiting area which cleared out twice while we were there with no concern in regards to people who have jobs. (But they will bill your insurance the entire time). Rude, and useless children's doctor. Useless social worker. Extremely young floor staff. Idk what this place is even still in business for. They should not be left in care of anyone's loved ones.
IF YOU ARE THINKING OF BRINGING YOUR CHILD HERE READ THIS NOW
western psych is something i will never forget. it was a thursday om february 2nd, my therapist told me i wasn't safe to be in outpatient and that i needed to go to wpic asap. we got there at noon, instantly took all of my things, and i sat in this waiting room (the "dec") . let me tell you, we got there at noon, i didn't see a doctor until 5:00 pm, and he simply told us that my room would be ready in an hour. yet i didn't get in my room until 10:00. it was a long painful night of me crying and screaming. i only got yelled at by the staff to calm down. i'm 12, so i was put in the kids unit. but i find it horrible that they organize you by age, not condition, because i was stuck with so many young children from horrible lives with anger issues. the tantrums that went on in that unit are scarring to me. wpic did no help to me, if anything, it just scarred me. if i had knew what i was getting myself into, i would've never let them take me there.. at one point the police tried to take me there but i refused to go. i would not be treated like that again. the staff seemed miserable. it was so gloomy with no windows. it felt more like an insane asylum then a mental care unit. there was little to no care. one morning, one of my acquaintances on the unit dropped his meds on the floor which was absolutely disgusting with trash, and he wouldn't take it, and i wouldn't either. kids would run around bare foot without bathing on that floor. but of course they forced him to take it until he was a crying mess.. if you want to take your child to western psych. please don't. it will only scar your child. if you want to keep your child safe, have all of your family members home, and watching them. lock up all sharp or harmful objects and just comfort them and watch them 24/7. trust me. it's so much better than putting them into the hell of wpic. i get nightmares of being sent back there that shake me in my sleep. i've never seen something more horrific.
The worst hospital, psychiatric or otherwise that I've ever experienced. Don't just take my word for it, read all the other Google reviews. The staff treat both patients and visitors like juvenile criminal offenders. You have to wait for hours to be briefly assessed for admission, then you can wait for a day or longer downstairs in a jail like holding environment until you are taken upstairs for "treatment" if you are even admitted and if you would even call what they do treatment (Mistreatment is a more accurate term). Once upstairs you are given a small, depressing and dingy old room that has an uncomfortable bed and probably a roommate who is much more mentally ill than you've ever been. Then you are seen by staff who are stressed out and typically hate their jobs and doctor's who barely spend any time with you which isn't necessarily a bad thing because they are condescending, rude, and think they know you like your best friend after briefly reviewing your chart (If they even do that) and speaking with you for 3 minutes. Have a concern or complaint? Forget it, you won't be heard! After all you're not a human being, you're just a mentally ill person whose opinion doesn't matter. Be prepared for a "treatment team" where you're definitely not part of the team. Bottom line! Don't go there, don't send your friends or loved ones there! They might be suffering but they aren't suffering as bad as they will be if they're admitted to Western Psychiatric Institute. There are other much, much better hospitals in the area with smaller, more caring, more professional behavioral health unit where you'll get far better care.
I was originally sent to the 13th floor of Western Psych (DBT IP program) with the understanding, by my current treatment providers and the ER, that after about 72 hours (if I was stable), I would be transferred to COPE (The Eating Disorder IP program). Nonetheless, not even 3 hours into my stay, I was talking to my psychiatrist and he told me that I didn t meet the weight requirements for the COPE program. It was just an awful feeling. Then I self-harmed to the point of needing medical attention, and since the plastics team wasn t on, they took me to UPMC s emergency room (through the tunnel) the NURSE in the ER told the staff from psych, that they refused to treat me because I was a psych patient. Doing this without consulting a doctor first. It was over 12 hours later when plastics showed up and they could no longer suture, but as I was still bleeding they decided to cartarize a few of my wounds. They didn t clean the wounds first, there was nothing used to numb the areas. While they were cartarizing (burning) my wounds the plastics guy asked me how does that feel, I ve never done it on anybody that s awake? And all the staff in the room, including him started laughing like maniacs. I will never return to Western Psych if I need mental health treatment, my experience was awful from everything I ve mentioned to so much more. I don t feel like they cared about how serious my eating disorder was at the time, because I wasn t underweight. And the whole situation with the self harming was totally unprofessional, and definitely not handled with my best interest in mind. If I could give them a 0 I would.
My daughter was admitted here for hallucinations and suicidal thoughts (o ly when she had the hallucinations) and she loved the staff. She said the food was good and the couple times we were there to visit and she was eating lunch, the food looked good and they gave large amounts. I will definitely recommend this hospital.
My son is not suicidal. He was being grounded and said he would rather die than be grounded. He told his therapist this. She recommend i bring him to here so i did. After talking to the intake worker he said my son would not be staying due to the fact that he said he felt safe and not suicidal and had no beds. We waited about an hour for the doctor to come in and then talk to the his therapist alone. I told his therapist that he would be punished for crying wolf. She then spoke to the dr without me or my son around. The Dr then came back n the room and said that he had to stay. I said no my son is 14 he said no they said we had no choice. He is signing himself out in 72 hours. I asked his therapist if he said anything else about harming himself or other and she said no. If he would have the she would have to tell me. But she told the dr that she felt he would not be safe coming home to a bigger punishment.
Everyone I ve known that has been admitted complains about the treatment. But I can t speak otherwise for that. However, they re horrible at helping in regard to visiting and finding such info. When I called I was redirected a few times and eventually hung up on.
Had a family member 302 once for drugs and a month later tried committing suicide. Was sent to Western Psych and they kept her a week and sent her home. Never would even talk to any of the family members or anything. Totally disgusting!
Two years ago... my son was hearing voices... long story short... he wound up having a brain tumor the size of a fist in his head! Whats really scary is they told us everything he was hearing was normal..... if they would have done an MRI they would have found it!!! Please dont ever take things lightly when they tell you they are hearing voices, seeing things, or they want to harm themselves or someone else! To me... these are all red flags!!!
Please be careful when talking to the doctors if they dont like you they will threaten to 302 me when i already 201 myself. Communicate skills needs inprovement alot from there staff. I heard some staff making fun of the patients made me feel very uncomfortable there. Updated they called me today and just said what can we do for you? REALLY? How bout holding your employees accountable for their actions.
Our son has been a patient several times. We live in a state that has a crisis bed shortage so we travel to Pittsburgh for help. We are so thankful this hospital Is there to help !!
Do not go to this hospital. I was on the 10th floor, and my wallet almost got stolen. My roommate's wallet actually did get stolen. The supervisor said she was going to form a committee to look into the belongings situation. If you can't trust the staff, what makes anyone think they can get help there.
Nobody told me why I was in the mental hospital. Nobody told me that I had to go to group meetings so I stayed in there 30 days until a new resident diagnosed me. You eat the same food every week. The medical technicians are usually high because they sit in one spot for 16 hr shifts.
Terrible. The whole entire experience was awful. Called in advance to make sure they could try to help my suicidal family member, they assured us they could. Once we got there the security was very friendly and helpful but the wait time was absolutely horrendous. 7 hours of my life and my family lives we will never get back only to be turned away. After the 5th hour of waiting my family member was exhausted, defeated and ready just to go somewhere (anywhere) else, they refused to let us leave. She didn't sign any consent to treat forms mind you. Nothing binding her to that specific facility and still, we had to wait until she seen an actual doctor. The doctor (who spent all of 10 mins with her) then sent her home anyway. Knowing she was suicidal and they were our last resort. I have never felt more defeated and devastated. I understand completely that hospital ER's are busy, but it seemed the only person who had any empathy or understanding was the gentleman standing between the front desk lady and the security guard. He offered pillows, snacks, water, etc. He answered any questions we had and he was the only person that went and told the doctor that we were exhausted and ready to leave. It did nothing but at least he tried. My family member was broken out in hives and in tears and we sat there for 7 hours waiting for someone to take 10 minutes to reject her. Get it together UPMC. Our system is very very broken.
The nurses and therapists were generally caring and polite, though I felt like medications were being pushed on me without explanation. The nurses gave whatever meds the doctor ordered and you could technically refuse, but when asked 'Why do I need this?', 'How does it work'? or 'I never said I had trouble sleeping, why are you giving me meds 'for sleep' on top of other meds that make me sleepy?' no one was helpful. Since there was nothing to do but group meetings, I could have used some way to exercise as that often helps with mood, but that was pretty much impossible. The atmosphere was depressing and the common areas windowless; while it may sound superficial, natural light or daylight lamps as opposed to florescent could make a huge difference. The food was so gross I sometimes chose to go hungry, and the bathrooms dirty. All the bathrooms are unisex, and while I think it's important to have a unisex option, separate women's and men's would also be nice purely because men can be gross. To top it off, when I got my possessions back, cash and medication had been stolen from my purse. Overall I couldn't wait to get out and vowed never to go back.
I was hospitalized here twice in the past; referred by my outpatient physician. I live nearly 90 minutes away from WPIC. The unit staff and RNs were OK. The facility environment and atmosphere were very nice. I did have a good inpatient doctor both times. I received ECT during the second inpatient admission and the treatment was helpful but I did not like the ECT suite and the "assembly line" feel it had to it. At the time I didn't know the difference but I now receive my psychiatric care at University Hospitals in Cleveland and their ECT process is much more pleasant, with private rooms. I would absolutely recommend WPIC for psychiatric care to anyone but for me I am more comfortable elsewhere.
My experience at this hospital could not have been any worse. I was not detoxed properly from an anxiety med that a psychiatrist prescribed me. I kept telling the staff that something is wrong and I'm not being detoxed the right way. Nobody would listen to me and I was treated as if I was a bad person and didn't matter. My 3rd day I had a seizure and blacked out in the bathroom. Apparently in my daze I walked through the common area, passed staff back to my room. I was bleeding and bruised all over my face because when I blacked out and began seizing, I hit my face off the sink and the floor. None of the staff noticed I was bleeding. I have no recollection of walking to my room. My roommate thankfully called a staff member in and proceeded to tell them that I was not being detoxed properly and nobody would listen. I have a scar over my eye, my chin was bruised black (my entire chin to my jaw) and I had severly bitten the inside of my cheek. After this the staff continued to ignore my concerns. I was so scared that I was going to die that I called me family and begged them to get me out because even though I had admitted myself they wouldn't let me leave. My family was extremely concerned for my well being so they called an attorney and forced the hospital to release me after 3 days. I was sent home with no outside assistance. Nothing to help me detox and suffered severely for several weeks of violent withdrawals. I truly believed I was going to die and they did nothing to help me. I never spoke to a therapist as I was told I would when I admitted myself. The staff treated us like garbage. Those people have no souls and they will not tell you what meds they are giving you or the side effects. They refused to give me any information. A patient down the hall from me had a serious allergic reaction to a medication that she had previously told the staff she was allergic to but they gave it to her anyways. It was one of the worst experiences of my life and I'm shocked I made it out of there alive. Please do not go to this place.
I WAS A PATIONT THERE AND I WAS THERE BECAUSE I SAID I WANT TO KILL MYSELF SO MY MOM TOOK ME THERE I HAD A LUMP IN MY THROAT BUT I WAS IN 6A AND THE STAFF THERE ARE THE BEST AND I EVEN MADE A GIRLFRIEND AND THE PATIONS THERE ARE THE BEST
My daughter has been a patient many times. The staff has always been wonderful. The wait time in the er is long but they provide snacks and drinks. They do the best they can with the funds and beds they have. I would recommend this hospital. We have been to other psychological centers and they were horrible.
I ve been there twice to the dual diagnosis floor (drug and mental health issues) in November of 2018 and February of 2020. Every single staff member there was 110% genuine and ALWAYS took extra time to stop and talk to me about how I was doing and offering whatever support they could. Sometimes for up to 15 minutes. I was truly amazed to the point that they had turned my pessimistic views of other people around completely. There was only one night staff member... I can t remember her name... that was there my first time thru that was one of the rudest, most uncaring, miserable souls I ve ever met. I was so happy to find out she wasn t there anymore upon my second arrival.
Doctors, nurses, therapists, techs... all great, wonderful people that honestly want to help. If you re in the healthcare field, especially mental health, you HAVE to feel that way. It can t just be to collect a paycheck or you won t succeed.
The food was the only drawback... it s sent over from another hospital so when you re cooking enough food to feed TWO HOSPITALS worth of patients and staff, three times a day, it s beyond understandable that you re not going to be getting 5 star entrees. If you re hungry enough, you ll eat it. Lucky for me, when you re going thru withdrawals, water, fruit, and crackers is plenty for a five day stay.
Great facility, incredible staff, very good program as far as dual diagnosis goes... if you have an addiction problem along with any mental health issues (which 99% of us do), I highly recommend Western Psychiatric. They will work so hard to make sure you have all the aftercare you need for when you re discharged.
This hospital is extremely understaffed. The in-patient environment is tense, scarey and promotes a high incidence of violence. Witnessed staff sustaining significant injuries due to patients angry psychotic behaviors. Unfortunately behavioral health treatment centers are limited. Therefore we are limited where we can receive help. Explore other options if you can. Care is marginal.
Shoutout to Renee Linds Olivia Jessica and Kayla on the Thirteenth floor very helpful I only give them a four cause they forced drugs on me and not handicap accessible getting through the bathroom door was so hard it would put extreme stress on my broken ankle ... other than that I give them a four ...
It was the most miserable experience of my life and I promise I'll never go back even if I'm on the brink of suicide again. It's like a prison where they force feed you pills but refuse to explain why. The doctor was HORRIBLE and a nurse there lied to me about my release date and they ended up forcing me to stay a month. It was supposed to be a voluntary 72 hour hold. Before I even got a room upstairs I spent 3 days sleeping in the waiting area downstairs. DO NOT CHECK YOURSELF IN HERE EVER. You will only regret it.
The only problem I have is that I had nowhere to go after the college kicked me out of their dorms. I was slipping back into active addiction and all they did was discharge me, hand me paperwork and put me out on the street. Addiction medicine is a beast all in it's own. I can respect that even the best of psychiatric facilities can admit to having their limitations, but at least hook me up with numbers to call for a rehab bed. Resolve allowed me to stay with them for a night so Glenbeigh could pick me up the next morning.
I would steer clear of Western Psych. There are actually smaller, less hyped up and less mainstream facilities that offer more straightforward, basic, commons sense approaches to emotional distress with a minimum amount of medications. You may not here about places like this much. But, after a while, you find out they may care more. This is particularly the case when you are discharged from WPIC into a overgeneralized outpatient program like the Intensive Outpatient Program. You may learn some skills from this approach, but your original issues are cast aside and never addressed. You may ended far more discouraged. Don't be fooled into thinking a lot people with troubling, traumatic issues coming in and get help without really becoming over medicated first. Sometimes you get the impression it's more like big business at this place by getting revenue from the pharmaceutical companies than it is about really helping. And, along these lines, you become terrified once inside when become aware of the harmful and sometimes psychologically addictive meds they urge you to take.
I had "doctor" Peter Murray as my "doctor". This man is extremely mean, rude, and confrontational. I guess there's a reason he's only there on the night shift. He accuses you of lying, that's the first thing he said. He is worthless as a doctor, he will threaten to commit you for no reason (!) STAY AWAY
What can I say about Western Psych? Don't go - you're probably better off with your own demons. My wife went in for postpartum treatment, and they suggested that I abused her and my new son, and managed to strain our marriage to near collapse. Their focus was on stabilizing short term, and not solving the underlying issues. Within a month of being released, one the friends she made in there OD'ed and died, and another was nearly successful in doing the same. I was appalled by the whole ordeal.
UPMC has dropped the ball with this facility. I spent ninety minutes going round and round trying to find a physician for an outpatient appointment. I kept getting transferred to research coordinators, or Western Psych people that couldn't help me. The answer I really was appalled at was ,"we are not accepting any new patients in our mood disorder clinics" aka depression. Yes, that's amazing. At a time when people are most vulnerable for depression they aren't accepting new patients. I decided it wasn't worth my time anymore to try to find someone to make an appointment. Major duds and losers in my opinion. Answer to owner: You should not need me to fill out a feedback form. If you cannot figure out how to fix your problems from my review you folks are too messed up to waste my time in. By the way, you should never make the patient work extra hard to help you fix the problem. Adios!
I walked in to the main entrance and they make you check your purse and cell phone right away...to me that is terrifying and makes me feel I could get stuck in there. This is the worst set up I can imagine. They also have security guards that look like cops and don't smile or make you feel safe at all. I will never go there voluntarily and I really needed to go there.
This is an overall excellent facility with a staff that will go way out of the way for you. Almost like summer camp. Unfortunately I did get the feeling that big pharma was pulling some strings and that I was misdiagnosed. Good people, good intentions, perhaps not the best of mehodolgy but I did feel safe and cared for here. BTW anyone drawing comparison to jail, I don't think they have ever been to one.
This is the best place to take someone in distress. They know how to handle any mental health situation and provide the best care. My experience is with my child. We have been to the hospital multiple times since my daughter has been 13. Everytime the process and procedures get better each time starting with the security detail. It amazes me how caring and understanding the security persons are with someone in distress. Very respectful of the situation and always willing to help. Visiting the DEC can be very scary and overwhelming. It is not a pretty place to be - very bleak looking but the staff is very caring and understanding and the security detail is constantly monitoring the rooms. With a young child, they do keep an eye making sure no one scares them during their crisis. The staff works as quickly as they can to get your child/adult a bed but just be prepared to wait hours - this is a hospital after all. The longest we waited was 36 hours but I was not about to bring my daughter back home and risk further harm. The staff tries to make you as comfortable as they can. Our wait time on the last visit was just 8 hours and we were kept up-to-date on the bed status every 30 minutes. Once your child/adult is admitted, the care ranges from aggressive med management to talk therapy sessions. We always feel that this is the safest place to be when there are extensive med changes since your family member is under 24 hour surveillance. I have to say that the care over the past 8 years has gotten better and better and the facility is more open to holistic change (better food, ability to go outside for fresh air). Thank you for being a wonderful and caring hospital for someone that is going through a very tough time. We are lucky to have this facility in our back yard in Pittsburgh.
Waited and was so excited to finally get an appointment.My child's self harming behaviors got very bad on the meds prescribed by Merck center.I called nurses line several times and basically begged for someone to help my little girl!NO ONE called back after all the messages!This to me is beyond CRUEL!!!!!!!!!! I had the courtesy to call and inform them we would NOT return to that place and they didn't even offer to resolve the problem!I called a pharmacy to get instruction to wean her off the meds prescribed by the Merck Center.
Daughter was hospitalized there in 2011,2014 and 2018. First time related to Oct 2011 the government in its infinite wisdom changed Medicare part D to all generics without thinking of the 10 to 15% who need consistently in their medications, for whatever reason. There is no consistency when each manufacturer has to provide as much as 80% bioavailability of the drug uses different fillers.So my physician orders say Zoloft and his patient is doing well with the bioability in the brand name. With little forethought her next prescription is generic and it was like she was getting none of the drug. Could that be practicing medicine without a license, wouldn't that be something to peruse. She ended up In the Merck unit at WPIC. She never really got better because the psychiatrist refused to give her brand name drugs. After this last hospitalization I found out all UPMC hospitals provide only generics. Wouldn't it be nice if the hospital wasn't so rigid. I have nothing but good things to say about rest of the staff
This place is a joke! I live an hour and a half away and was told this was the ONLY place anywhere that would help by 6 yr old with his severe behavor issues. So with the saying of both his counselor AND his pediatrician I took him down there only 2 sit for 4 hrs for 15 min of them talking to us and saying there was nothing they could do! All they could offer us was counseling down there....really?! I live an hour and a half away and how in the hell am I supposed to make that drive? He's already in counseling and even his counselor said to take him there! They even went as far as saying I was given false information! So word of advice to parents thinking this is their last option, you'll just have yet another door slammed in ur face!
Most of the staff seem to care a lot, some of them don't seem to care at all. the DEC is way under staffed for how many ppl come in so it does take hours for doctors to see you. Overall still a much better experience than I expected to have.
The worst psychiatric hospital I've ever been to. I'd give it zero stars if I could. When I was a patient there I was mistreated by staff, thrown into a barren isolation room on a hard floor with no mattress, bedding, chair, nothing just for disagreeing with a staff member. I was released with no plan for follow up treatment. When I visited a patient there I observed mentally ill adults being mistreated and treated like children. For example, patients would beg to use the bathroom, even saying "please it's coming out" only to be told they had to wait till much later. I observed patients begging for something to drink and being denied. The physical facility is old and depressing with missing and old, yellowed, tattered window shades. Please do not take your loved family member or friend there. Mercy hospital's behavioral health unit and other psychiatric units are much, much better.
Adolescents get the most care out of any floor. All the staff love working on that unit more than any other level you could be on.
As an adult in the intake deck, I personally spent 11 hours waiting for a bed. In adult units there are hardly no groups, staff care significantlly less, and openly complain about how they don't want to work on said floor because its "boring". Schedules past meal and medication times are a joke. Rules and censorship are somehow stricter on the adult units (ex. Not allowing books like The Hunger Games because they are "too graphic" though I read the entire series in there as an adolescent) yet staff pays no attention to patients watching crime shows like Law & Order SVU. Asking anyone for a simple thing like a change of personal clothes took me 2 days, 4 members of staff, a complaint to the doctors, and a panic attack. All because no one wanted to chart my belongs. Do not go here if you can help it. If you or a loved one feel like you are spiraling out of control like I was, know that all this place does is take away the few freedoms you have. They will treat you as if you are dangerous and delusional, even if you are lucid and came in voluntarly. Nothing you say gets heard, even by doctors. There is not on ounce of respect or genuine care from staff, acting more like begrudging babysitters than professional nurses. They want you in and out, even if you are not genuinely emotionally stable enough to leave.
This place helped me a small amount more as an adolescent, but as in adult it feels more like a prison than a place to get help. Definitely a place to fear, to fight going back into. No wonder why they don't get many walk ins.
0 stars. I just left there literally crying that I needed help. I have such bad anxiety/depression that i told them i couldnt stand being in my own skin. They just passed me onto someone else. I wasnt even there an hour before they decided they were just gonna send me on my way with no meds nothing. If I told them i was gonna drive off a cliff they probably would have said the same damn thing. THEY DONT CARE!
As a health care professional myself, I was appalled at the quality of treatment I received at WPIC. I was allowed to scream in untreated physical pain while i waited for a psych eval for hours with no option to leave or reach out to my friends or family for help. I waited for 6 hours to be "evaluated" in 5 minutes by Dr. Peter Murray, who by the way, does not seem to be a doctor as he told me he doesn't prescribe medicines??? I took a big step in my life by acknowledging that my treatments weren't working attempting to reach out for help through resolve crisis network, and they sent me to WPIC, and Doctor Murray literally chuckled at my major self injuries and said that I am just attention seeking and dismissed all of my worries about my meds as if I was making them up. He refused to admit me to help straighten out my meds and get real help. I am so disappointed in the UPMC health system. I feel more suicidal now than when I decided to check myself in, but I would never go back to that place. I would rather die.
I have taken my son here since he was 5 years old, after being run around by every existing doctor in the county and surrounding as well. He is happy, and progressing here with med management and caring staff. I will continue to take him here until he no longer needs my help.
I was very unhappy with my treatment in their ECT department. I had issues with the staff as well as my own. I only had 5 treatments out of the 12+ I was supposed to have. The way I felt when they started the anesthesia brings on almost a PTSD effect. Every time I think about it I start feeling sick and very dizzy. I'm genuinely terrified of the thought of ever having to have anesthesia again. It was so uncomfortable. I felt like I was on fire. One time I even said "something's not right" immediately before I fell asleep. By the fourth visit, I began having terrible headaches. I also had a terrible time waking up afterwards and I was always soaked in sweat. I hated everything about that experience. After I stopped the treatment I experienced a huge increase in my anxiety levels which became so bad that it brought on, something my psychiatrist told me was, "dissociation" and that's something I have never experienced before. I had to make an urgent appointment with her because I was so scared about how I was feeling and she gave me a medication to try. Dr. Google had me thinking it could have been signs of schizophrenia, but my psychiatrist assured me it was more likely caused by severe anxiety. So that was a tiny bit of relief I guess. I've also been mixing up words. When I speak, it's like the words I want to use later in my sentence cut ahead in line and I say things out of order. Luckily autocorrect helps with the misspelling.. most of the time. (There shouldn't be many errors here as I constantly read and re-read the things I post online to check for accuracy) It's very frustrating and discouraging to say the least. I've noticed craters in my head, but I suppose they could have been there before and I just didn't notice them as much, but they seem pretty significant. I've been feeling very light-headed recently too. Anyway, I wouldn't recommend ECT here. It felt very money hungry. Of course everyone will have a different experience, but it definitely made me feel worse. I believe that the worsening symptoms I'm experiencing are a direct result of the treatment and therefore I do not want to recommend anybody for this treatment in case they experience these same issues. *Originally reviewed in January, 2020.
My 11 yr old was here for a suicide attempt and anorexia. She was transferred by ambulance from Children's hospital. The food was terrible, only adding to her food related issues. She was constantly locked in her small room, making her lonely and panicked. I don't recommend this place.
I was just escorted out of the WPIC emergency room because I wouldn't agree to take medications. No warning, no mutual discussion. Put out on the street with nothing. If you go to Western Psych, there's a chance you'll be labeled a pain in the but unless you do things there way. This has nothing to do with your best interest or helping you.
They were terrible. I was suicidal and they discharged. I ended up getting restrained on my way out. They told me to leave and when I tried to leave they told me to stay. When the charge nurse came down they lied about telling me to stay and she threatened to call the cops on me for trespassing. They kept all my medicine and put me out without a ride onto the street at 2am while I'm pregnant. I wouldnt recommend them. This is the third time they discharged me while I was suicidal. The nurses talk to you how ever they want.
They treat patients like dirt plus they took me off all my mental health meds and switched me to another one which helped but they didn't send me home with it and I called for days to get it and still nothing they are terrible and do not care about their patients health
Told me they would call me to tell me visiting hours etc. once they were moved to a room and they never did. They won t even tell you info on where the patient is so that you can figure out the visiting hours cause it varies per floor , especially one that you re the emergency contact for. They moved them to a different hospital and didn t even tell the own patients them name of the hospital just the location. And they won t even tell me where they were moved either.
To top it off the patient called me crying saying they feel so alone and nobody had talked to them and they feel like they are getting no help.
ITS NOT OK WHEN LOVED ONES ARE WORRIED AND CURIOUS ABOUT THEM GETTING THE BEST CARE BUT CANT EVEN KNOW IF THEY ARE.
I would never recommend Western Psych unless you don't mind being so drugged up that you forget what brought you into the hospital in the first place. Especially remember this for your kids.
I was there in 2015 I think. I was on one of the nicer floors, the atrium. I did wait for a few hours in the emergency waiting area. The floor I was in was nice, they had a big glassed in atrium, lots of groups, workbooks to do, a cart full of tools for coping. The food did suck but that's hospital food in general. The staff were mostly nice. The rooms were kind small but you could keep the door open. The floor I was on had a computer with limited internet access, coloring pages, a TV, an excersise bike, the workbooks ( I got like 6 big thick ones to take home). It wasn't fun but I've definitely been in worse psych hospitals. Please don't choose not to reach out for help based on reviews in Google.
