Ridgeview Institute

Okay, so about 8 years ago I landed myself in this little plot of insanity. I get depressed, drink too much, and at the time I was admitted, I was suicidal. I ended up staying over 100 days. I think this was partly due to the fact that I had really good insurance that kept paying and partly due to the fact that I had an awful doctor who didn’t recognize the signs of akathesia (the urge to constantly move), which only exacerbated my insanity. Here are some of my tips and survival techniques for this place:
— If you think the doctor they assign you is a buffoon, he probably is. Look up the reviews for the MD’s who practice here. Namely, Dr. Klopper.
— If you hear them page Dr. Strongarm, it means someone is going ballistic. Watch for flying chairs and spit.
— Know your rights regarding allowable time frames and the process for contesting involuntary treatment.
— If you’re blessed enough to have the «privilege» of going to the dining room instead of eating on the unit, do it. You will have much better options if you do go to the cafeteria.
— Go to google and type in «V. Ridgeview Institute «. You can search more by adding «PDF «or «court «after that to see all the cases they’ve been involved in. Most of their lawsuits have revolved around kidnapping (keeping a patient when they’re not under an order to be involuntary) or just crappy treatment. They are not known to be an institution that vigorously protects patients rights and this will give you an idea of what you might be up against.
— Check the Composite Board of Medicine to see if your doctor has had board orders for negligent or otherwise crappy treatment. Several of the doctors there see so many patients, so quickly, that you’re just a number and something they can bill on.
— If this is the case, request (demand) a change of physicians. There are a few good ones there and you’ll know who they are pretty quick. Listen to whether or not other patients think their MD is helpful.
— Under NO circumstances let them send you to cottage E (young adults addiction) if you’re there as a psych patient. It was August when I checked in and the room had no AC. They shouldn’t call this place a cottage: it’s a storage unit for their overflow of young addicts. Comfort be damned! We slept with the lights on because of the roaches.
— If none of this works and they’re still trying to pump you with drugs with awful effects, fake chest pain, get them to send you to the hospital, and then try to explain yourself to the ER MD. They usually have a different perspective and can spot someone who is over-​medicated or improperly medicated quicker than most of Ridgeview’s MD’s can. The local ER knows which Ridgeview MD’s frequently over-​prescribe.
I will say that once I got to the day hospital, I had a really good experience. They keep you really busy and help you with coping mechanisms. They really helped me with mindfulness and reframing my problems. I had a great small group counselor (Jamie) who kept my crazy self in check. I heard similarly good things about the other therapists in the day hospital.
Overall, I’d give my MD a D– for failing to see that I was suffering serious side effects from medication, just being a general jerk, and rarely ever coming to see me. I also think he kept me there simply because I had good insurance. I’d give my therapist and most of the other staff an A or B. A good place, but sometimes you really have to be a jerk to these people to get the point across.
Know your rights and don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself. When all this fails, call the Ombudsman. They should have the number posted somewhere on the unit. If they don’t, gently remind them that it’s a state regulation and ask them to provide it to you.

This place is horrible. I had severe depression with thoughts of suicide. They asked me how much I drank and then called me an alcoholic, even though I’ve never blacked out, been drunk in two years, or even crave alcohol. The Psychiatrist kept telling me that I was an alcoholic and told my insurance company they were treating me for alcoholism when I had a nervous breakdown due to depression. The place is dirty. There are bugs everywhere. There is not a waterfall like in the pictures, at least none that you will ever see. The pool is only for residents. You hardly get any exercise. The only time you get outside is during the 9 smoke breaks they have. They confiscate everything including saline solution… the nurse told me someone can drink it and die… ummmm hello saline solution is supposed to mimic your own tears and last time I looked you can’t die from drinking saline solution. If you bring your own prescribed medications (I bought an inhaler for my asthma) they tell you you can’t use it and that they have to order it for you. Basically they rip my insurance company off by ordering medicines I already have and then when I was «discharged» they didn’t even give me all of them. I paid for that!!! The food is okay but you have to ask your doctor for «dining privileges» The art classes my therapist claimed they had were printed out pieces of paper and markers on the table. There is no stimulation at all. I felt like I was in prison. Oh and be prepared to be around a ton of psychotic people. When I was checked in a woman ran past me in her underwear. Another person spit in the fountain. A few fights broke out. A woman threatened my life and another girl thought she was God. The staff (except for a few) are extremely rude and treat you like a prisoner. They are incompetent. I make more money than 70% of those people and they treated me like a roach. That’s how I felt. You feel like a prisoner!!! I got worse in here. As long as you tell them what they want to hear you will get out fast. So just make sure you lie and tell them you’re all good and you’re cured. Oh and don’t forget about the medications they put you on. If you weren’t crazy before you went to ridge view, you’ll feel crazy by the time you leave. This place was a joke. There is one good thing about it. If I had enemies I would send them Ridgeview!

This place saved my life. Ten years sober.

I was thoroughly, and, completely disappointed in my daughter’s stay there. We went for an evaluation and that is the very last thing we got. I called the doctor everyday my daughter was there asking him to return my call which he did not ever do. I ended up paying a fortune for traumatizing my daughter further. I thought the way they treated us was reckless and negligent. They gave me opinions and led me to believe they were facts. The doctor never diagnosed my daughter at all which is the only reason we went. The case manager diagnosed my daughter. The MMPI test was never administered which is the gold standard for diagnosis. inaccurate, and, harmful information was given to us as well. I did not get a sense that anyone cared about us at all. every day i went i was told they were short staffed because people had not shown up for their shifts. Overall it was a humiliating, and, traumatizing experience which my insurance and i paid a lot of money for. Do not believe what they say, they are a mill just running people through it without caring for them. They couldn’t even get my daughter’s name right which made me question whether they were even talking about my daughter when they ‘diagnosed’ her.

They will tell you what you want to hear. Be careful and research before sending a loved one here. Sent my son for depression & social anxiety. He’s a previous drug user. He was honest about that past history. After being told he wasn’t an addict & wasn’t bipolar, they said they’d help him with coping skills & he’d get water & soda there, classes & groups, and workout time on breaks.
No. He was checked in as an Addict. They confiscated his protein powder & creatine. He called 4 times the first day to tell me how dirty it was: the floors, the shower, the fountain they drink from (a Meth head threw up in it while he was on the dirty phone with me). Food was good. Two nurses are nice, but they will BS you with the plan to get a client. I left him there thinking he was in good hands, but I don’t like people who lie, mislead, or don’t know anything about the operations of something so important and pretend that they do, or blatantly paint a different picture.
He tested negative for drug use. In my opinion this is to get insurance to pay. From what I’ve read on other sites, insurance doesn’t always pay.