Clarion Psychiatric Hospital Understatement

Saying psychiatric hospital facility policies need to improve significantly is an understatement. During my eight-day stay at Clarion Psychiatric Center, located in western Pennsylvania, was one of the worst experiences in my life. I know staying in a psychiatric center wasn’t a life or death situation but, the horrid experience was certainly a catalyst to my reoccurring nightmares. Hitherto, I still have nightmares of being sent back to the psychiatric center. While I was there, I could have almost nothing. No electronics whatsoever with the exception of hospital telephones designated for patient use which were turned off during “group time.” I was not allowed to have the supplies I needed to complete my school work thus, I had to withdraw
Some items deemed allowed were not allowed and certain items were contraband because they had to be earned through a point reward system. There was a daily schedule filled with various events. When patients attended an event listed on the daily schedule they earned points. The points were used to earn items on the “prize kart.” The items on the prize kart included, but were not limited to, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, snacks, markers, and puzzle books. The fallacy was that some patients were not allowed to attend all of the events on the schedule also, patients could not attend events while talking to doctors or other staff members thus, making it easier for some patients to earn points than others.
The only time patients were allowed to go outside was during smoke breaks, as indicated on the daily schedule, which took place in a small closed in courtyard. Smoke break lasted around fifteen minutes. I personally rarely went outside due to second hand smoking. The point reward system felt as if it was a test of a mental patient’s behavioral health and being sick is not bad behavior. Towards the end of the daily schedule, patients’ had their amount of point earned stated aloud for other patients to