Overdosed my sibling on potassium. Mean nurses. Disgusting food. Didn't tell us sibling wasn't eating until 3 days later.

I would not recommend sending your worst enemy here. The staff are horrendous they couldn't even know. Tell my loved one, what was in the food? They were just giving them mystery meat. My loved one is very allergic to certain types of food and they didn't even bother with putting their allergy down and unfortunately they were sent to the hospital. This place needs to really be shut down. Not only due to them, not caring about the patients but quality of the facility they have mold in their food. There's mold in the rooms. Their showers don't even work properly but yet the state of Florida could care less. read more

Life stream in Leesburg/ fruit land park needs to be shut down!!!! The staff here are very uncaring and rude to patients! They don't accommodate you if you have special diet needs. They yell at you and tell you to clean up your vomit! Isn't that their job? The staff here is totally rude.untraned people who are just there to collect their 15 dollars an hour for gossiping amongst themselves!!! Don't go here!! The state of Florida needs to have ALL the life streams SHUT down!!!! read more

I was assaulted in Lifestream by an angry nurse. He kicked and punched me once each. They gave me the Ability shot, which had no effect on my psychosis. They were too unperceptive to notice it didn't work, and I spent about 30 days in the hospital three times in a row. Why couldn't the doctors know the meds weren't working? Now I know, the depot injections don't work on me. When my insurance ran out, they sent me a bill. Like I should pay for them keeping me sick. My mother had to rescue me and bring me back to Texas. I was hospitalized twice then, but they tried an antipsychotic in pill form and eventually it worked. read more

Most of the staff was rude. They didn't communicate well at all to the patients. It was like a prison camp. Stuck inside with hardly anything to do and so many dumb rules. The staff also would ignore you a lot. read more

This place is a prison camp. Staff is extremely rude (most of them) When I would ask staff a question they would either totally ignore me or they would give a rude, snyde answer. I was not given a bed. I had a mattress on the floor. I have back problems and had to be helped out of bed. The place is just plain dangerous. Everyone crammed in like cattle with loud, intrusive and potentially dangerous clients. Very disorganized and very overcrowded. It is like somethinng out of a prison movie. The staff clearly did not care about our needs or our safety. Stay away. Fight for your life if you have to go there. I am disabled and they did not take that into consideration This place is a Hell Hole! read more

I was hit by employees. I was kept for too long. I was not given medically needy help. Fuck y'all. I could have seriously died from an infection that I wasn't being treated for. I was given a shot against my will which caused tremendous nerve problems. These people are evil. Stay far away read more

TW: Suicide When I first got there, rolling up on a stretcher, the door was duct taped. The poor paramedics who came all the way from Orlando to Clermont to the ER to pick me up thought it was not the entrance, however, it was, and people and ambulances roll up there 24/7/365. I ended up sitting in the admission area-known as the Access Center, for 6+ hours with a bunch of Detox patients. I am autistic, on the higher-functioning end of the spectrum, and as soon as I entered the access center, I went into deep sensory overload. I started stimming and crying, longing for family. I overheard them calling the doctor for a consult and the first question he asked was "Does he have insurance?",- which indicates he is not there to help patients rediscover their will to live, but, for a fat paycheck, and notably a giant power trip. It was by around 5:30 pm I was finally transferred to the unit, known as "males". Note I had arrived there from around 9:30-10:00 am, which is a drop in the bucket from some of the other horror stories I have read and heard. When they opened the doors, it was a giant, loud, open, echoey day room, which only made my sensory overload worse. It was equipped with an open air nurses' station, flanked by 2 sitting areas, with about 12 plastic jail chairs neatly lined up into rows in each, then with 3 tables bolted to the ground, alongside the chairs, with TVs hanging from the ceiling, one of which was broken, and neither had a plastic case around it, like in most psych wards. The TVs need the plastic case to prevent patients from throwing items, such as remotes, in attempt to break them. (Psych Ward 101) There were approximately 12 rooms, surrounding the day area, each with two beds in each. Bed assignments are done on the fly, and of course they gave me a room mate, which made my anxiety worse, as I am an introvert. I had been assigned room 208, bed B. With prior hospitalizations in mind, I noticed that not all of the door handles were not ligature resistant. This is Psych ward 101, folks, all doors need to be ligature resistant, or "hang-proof". When I talked to the psychiatrist, the one to decide my fate, (Edit: upon further research, he is licensed in FL under # HSE22940) the following morning he said "You don't have autism." "I have been a child and adult psychiatrist for 30 years. You are not autistic." I told him I got diagnosed when I was six. He stated that the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician didn't know what she was doing. Mind you that the place I was evaluated for ASD is among the best in the United States. He adamantly stated that I was bipolar, which I had never been diagnosed with in my life. He then stated which medical school he went to, as if that had ANYTHING to do with the problem at hand, and as if I was doubting his medical expertise. Just because I wasn't stimming, and somehow making eye contact, doesn't mean I am not autistic. Then he said I shouldn't be on Klonopin, and he said that my psych from Ohio (who I absolutely loved) didn't know what she was doing. The dude just loves to hear himself talk. I told him I had an appointment with my outpatient psychiatrist and he said he would discharge me on the day of the evaluation. He only saw me that day, so the other patients had to rely on the behavioral health technicians to look in the paper chart for a discharge order, or any information from the treatment team meetings. Did I mention the food was absolutely terrible? They gave me some sort of chicken and dumplings which looked nasty and congealed-probably made with pink slime. Before lunch, which to say the aforementioned cuisine was absolutely inedible, a new admission came in, and they were psychotic to say the least. About 12 staff members dragged him into his room, and they take patients into their room before any restraints or emergency injections to prevent being seen on CCTV. Right before I left, the same 12 staff dragged him out of his room, and left him on the floor, in his underwear, passed out. The facility is also very unclean, as I have heard they have an insect problem. The intake area staff were very uncourteous, and was very uncomfortable due to the hard plastic jail chairs which are bolted to the floor, this is consistent on the psychiatric floor as well. They also did not take into account my food allergies, they fed us lots of dairy, and I cannot eat/drink dairy. They only took into account my medication allergies, so all patients were given one uniform meal, regardless of allergies. The only redeeming features were the 2 or 3 nurses and techs who gave a crap, and the bed honestly provided me with some of the best sleep I have had in a psych ward-maybe because I had no sleep from the night before, or they gave me a cocktail of relatively strong medications to help me fall asleep. Also to note, patients have committed suicide here, among other issues. read more

I was recently involuntarily committed (via the Florida Baker Act) to Lifestream Behavioral Center in Leesburg, Florida. I spent three days in the facility. I had had a bad reaction to one of my psych drugs and tried to commit suicide. The Lake County (FL) police came to get me and they were actually pretty nice to me (I was not being arrested) so I was not too freaked out about going to a mental healthcare facility. Boy was I wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Please see below. Here are my observations about LBS: *The Florida Baker Act means you spend a *minimum* of 72 hours locked up. I was let out after 3 days. I did not complain, but they are violating Florida law by doing this. They also told me (and others) that the weekend does not count for part of the 72 hours. Totally nonsensical. *The temperature was kept in the 60's ("to kill germs," as I was told). Most people there were shaking from the cold but were told they were not allowed to use a blanket to warm up. SMH. The linens and gowns were dirty and poorly made. They are SO SO SO cheap. *We were not allowed in our rooms (except at night). We were not allowed to watch TV. We were made to sit in a (filthy) "day room" and do nothing but stare at the walls for hours on end. This was excruciating for some people, who would just sit there shaking from the cold. Unreal. *Almost every patient on the female ward (where I was) suffered from anxiety. However, we were denied anti-anxiety meds. This caused several people to go through withdrawal (including me). Withdrawal of benzodiazepines is very dangerous and can kill you. *The lack of cleanliness and the putrid smell were unbearable. I saw people defecate and vomit on the floors. They were told by the incompetent staff to "clean that shit up right now!" These were people who were sick. They cleaned up with nothing but cold water and paper towels. No bleach. No soap. No hot water. I found this sickening. *A lot of the food was inedible. If you were too grossed out to eat 1/2 of your food, you got about 200 calories in a meal--not enough for an adult woman. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * However, the WORST thing (BY FAR) that I witnessed was the total indifference and abuse of the nursing/tech staff. When I had a panic attack (in a mental facility!), I was told I was "acting out to get attention." WTF?? It turns out my blood pressure was dangerously high. It was high for 3 days. I begged for help and was ignored. Did not sleep for 2 nights. I saw several of staff members act abusively toward the patients, particularly the younger ones. I was disgusted and outraged. If someone complained about the derisive staff to a family member on the phone, the staff cut the phone call off immediately, in mid-sentence. They were bossy, lazy, insolent, and knew **nothing** about mental health. They used profane language constantly and punished residents for very minor infractions. They seemed to abuse the "power" they possessed and often ignored the people who were the most sick. WTF? One sentence I heard (over and over) from the staff (in response to a complaint) was "So? what do you want me to do about it??" Completely unacceptable. There are many mental health facilities in Florida. I suggest that no one go to LifeStream Behavioral Center in Leesburg, Florida unless they want to leave the place in worse shape than they went in. I was totally traumatized. It is a disgrace. It is totally ineffective and is an embarrassment to the mental healthcare system, which I mistakenly believed had made progress over the past few decades. It is an offensive indignity to people suffering from mental health issues and genuinely need help. ***STAY AWAY*** Respectfully, S.B. Lady Lake, FL read more

Someone needs to shut this place down and charge the entire staff with neglect, physical abuse and fraud. We have been dealing with them for almost eight years unfortunately as it is the only option. Pills are not sent 90% of the time, we have to call at least 5 times and they keep making false promises. They beat and abuse the patients this is disgraceful. I called them and they are just fooling around in the office I don't think they realized they answered so I hungup and called back. They said "Hi this is lifestream what you want?" I said my wife needs her pills you guys sent the wrong ones from the pharmacy it is an emergency she is going to go through withdrawls now. They could care less, I asked for how to contact their HR as this is negligence and they said I can't help you bye and they hungup on me. I called back again they said STOP CALLING so I hungup. I cannot comprehend how they are still around. Feel free to contact me for any more details of what these criminals are up to. I genuinely feel sorry for anyone impacted by their abuse as I know it is not just us who experiences it from them monthly. Over the 8+ years we dealt with them I have gotten frustrated several times because they always make mistakes that cause medical harm to my wife due to sending wrong pills or perscriptions incorrect milligram and sometimes pills she isn't even perscribed anymore... It makes no sense how they get away with it. We need to file a petition with our state government to look into them and investigate. It is literally EVERY single month there is a different issue. Not just the pharmacy, but the front office. Genoa/Life Stream in Leesburg are a criminal enterprise that leech off of the mentally ill. I am sick to my stomach thinking about all I have seen and heard and dealt with from these monsters. read more

I was Baker Acted about 2 years ago, due to an attempted suicide. I was in the regular hospital for a month. Once I came to & was moved to a regular room, I was not allowed to eat until the nutritionist saw me. There is only one nutritionist at Waterman. I waited 5 days, without food, for my swallow test. When she finally came & tested me, I was able to swallow alright, but I could not drink without aspirating. Nevertheless, she agreed that I could have a regular diet. They gave me yogurt. I had one taste of the yogurt, not even a spoonful, when they released me into the custody of the police. I could barely walk & still hadn't eaten. I didn't have my glasses. I was transported to Lifestream in the afternoon, but it wasn't until almost 10:00 pm that I got to go to the ward. All I had on was a hospital gown when I got there, & I spent hours freezing. Before I went up to the ward, they gave me some clothes that had been left by someone else. I was told I would get a wheelchair when I got upstairs. I got upstairs & all of the wheelchairs were in use. (Remember, I spent a month at Waterman, unconscious for most of the time, on a feeding tube. After they took the feeding tube out, I was not fed. I hadn't walked at all during that time, obviously, since I was unconscious.) When I got upstairs I was required to go to one of the two day rooms we were allowed to congregate in. We all had to stay in the one room. We did have TV in this ward, unlike S.B. However, we slept two to a room. The person I was put with was extremely scary & known to be violent. A person that came in at the same time as me was assigned to a room with another really scary roommate. That roommate came over to her bed, climbed on top, & peed on her. She decided to sleep in the hall, & yes, that is the only other place you can go. There are no extra mattresses. She was able to get another blanket & clothes. We were locked into our rooms at 10:00 pm. Before we went to sleep, a nurse came in to give us our meds. I choked on mine because I was not able to swallow. She got worried that I was going to be a problem because I was aspirating, & she was going to talk to her supervisor. She never came back. In the morning, we were required to leave our rooms, around 7:30 am, at which point they locked us out. I had to go to the desk to get my meds. They didn't have the most important one, my anti-depressant. Again, I aspirated trying to take them. They had breakfast for us, but I couldn't eat. Again, we were sent to the one day room to watch TV. At some point, we were moved to the other day room so that the first one could be cleaned. As I said, I could barely walk, so it was very difficult for me to switch rooms. Then, at lunch time, they had us line up to be taken to the lunch room by our guards. I couldn't keep up with everyone. I ate a tiny bit of salad & that was it. Then we started the long trek back to our ward. They made us go outside in a little courtyard and play with markers or makeup. It took so long, & I was so sick I could barely stand it. One of the guards offered to bring me back dinner, rather than me having to walk down to the dining room again. Unfortunately, the smell of the food almost made me vomit. Shortly thereafter, I had a 5 minute visit with a nurse. I'm not sure for what, then a 10 minute visit with a psychiatrist. He told me I showed no signs of being bipolar, therefore the diagnosis I had been give 20 years before was incorrect. I must ask, how could he know that I wasn't bipolar when I was so sick I couldn't eat, I could barely walk, & I was disoriented, not only because I didn't have my glasses, but also because I was very sick. He said he wouldn't change my meds, but that my regular psychiatrist didn't know what he was doing. Once that visit was completely, I was allowed to make a phone call to have someone pick me up. It was the same for everyone else. If anyone didn't have someone to pick them up, they were taken to the bus stop. I think they were given a ticket, but I'm not sure. They wore whatever they came in with, & I wore the outfit they had given me. I was fortunate, in that my brother had come down so that he could pick me up. Instead of keeping us for at least 24 hours, they wanted us out within 24 hours. Once home, I could only make it across the hall from my bed to the bathroom. I couldn't sleep, except for a few minutes. The only food I could eat was saltine crackers that I let melt on my tongue, baby cereal, & ice chips. It stayed that way for another month, & I might never have gotten better had Waterman not called me back in for something else. I don't know why you aren't recommending S.B.'s post, but I can certainly corroborate much of it. No one should ever be sent there. It is a jail, not a psych hospital. Only guards, not nurses. I've been in other psych hospitals voluntarily & was treated as a person. I was 60 when I was sent to LS. read more