Just wanted to let you all know that the eating disorder unit at Shands is now closed (thank God!) Apparently, they still take adolescents on their normal psychiatric unit (but we all know that there is limited evidence for the efficacy of treating EDs in psych wards!), but no longer take adults with EDs at all. I’m so glad that they have closed- the EDRC was a very bad place!!
lalalove
11 years ago
I am going to preface this with a STRONG recommendation that you do not seek treatment at UF/ Shands EDRC for ANY level of care. I, along with all of the other patients, was emotionally abused by the doctor there. He, Dr. N, told us things like “I hope you die so I can tell your parents, ‘I told you so,'” and called me a pathetic, useless brat. He told me I was selfish for choosing to have an eating disorder, and that I deserve to die for it. He made us write essays everyday, and they were on horrible topics: Why My Brother Is Better Than I Am, I Don’t Deserve to Recover, and Reasons I Am Pathetic. He made me incredibly suicidal, and often yelled and screamed at us. We were not allowed to cry under any circumstances, and would get in even more trouble if we did. I’m not exaggerating, if you google “his name Reviews,” there will be countless results of people telling the exact same things. Please, do not send yourself or anyone you care about to EDRC (or the adolescent psych ward- also under this doctor’s care).
When were you there: Late 2013
How many patients on average? Well, I am an adolescent, meaning that I did some of my programming on the adolescent psych ward (Vista South). There were anywhere from 10-20 kids inpatient there at any time (usually 2-4 with EDs). Though we did lots of programming on South, most of it was on EDRC (where the adults with EDs live). There were anywhere from 4-8 patients there at anytime. It’s inpatient, IOP, and PHP. Because pretty much everyone gets admitted because they are medically unstable, the number of people there varies greatly. It just depends on whose heart is failing when, unfortunately.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined.
Yes they do. The males had separate bedrooms, but were in all the same groups with the females. They share a day room, of course. The only separate thing is rooms, really.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
You see the psychiatrist every morning in rounds, unfortunately. That put us all in a bad mood for the rest of the day! You see therapists all the time for groups, but there’s not much organization to when you get individual sessions. You sometimes have nutrition group with the nutritionist, but she is in morning rounds with the psychiatrist.
What is the staff ratio to patients?
There were usually 2 nurses/ techs at EDRC and 4-5 at South
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc?
DBT with an extreme focus on distress tolerance (they attempt to create distress- it’s weird). They also do some Exposure Response Prevention therapy, like they will expose you to things that make you uncomfortable so much that you stop reacting to it.
Describe the average day:
This is for an adolescent-
Wake up around 645- vitals, weights, pulse deficets, gatorade if your deficiet is more than 20, get dressed, make your bed or you will get yelled at
Rounds/ Breakfast/ Write Essays/ Pick Snacks/ Choose Meals for Tomorrow from like 7:15-9- this is when you sit in the day room and eat breakfast while the treatment team does rounds, after they do you, you go back and work on your “assignments” that Dr. N gave you. These are usually essays that you handwrite until rounds are finished. Sometimes, you have to write apology letters to staff if you are being “disrespectful” (one time I had to do this because I asked for a hair tie?) If you don’t finish you assignments before 9, you have to fit them in at some point in the day. We usually finished early so would play monopoly and color and stuff
DBT Skills Class 9-10- You sit in a classroom and take notes on responsibility and why school is important and how to manage your feelings. They occupational therapist is really sweet, but it’s hard to respect her because she works in such an awful place.
Snack- you usually have 15 minutes to get this down
Go to EDRC- then you get to see all the adults woohoo! They are finishing up their rounds/ snack at this point. We usually had process group or body image group or something, then a little chill time
Lunch- sometimes we had this at EDRC, and sometimes we went back to South. On Wednesdays and Fridays, we would have lunch in the cafeteria.
It Depends Until like 2- If we were on South, we would have to sit there and color or play games while the other patients got to go to their room and rest (we weren’t allowed to because we could exercise in there). If we were on EDRC, we would have art therapy or yoga or something like that.
Snack- We ate this wherever we were at the time
Back to South- group there- like Process or community, etc.
Dinner at 445- So early!!! We would almost always eat this at South.
Hygiene- like take showers and all
Usually something like art with all of the normal psych kids- We made a lot of origami. The nurses used this time to try and make you say stuff that they could report to the doctor- a lot of them are very two- faced
Snack- around 8
Some chill time
Bed at 9 (8 if you are under 12)
(I think adults on EDRC got to stay up later!)
How do rounds work?
So you go into a conference room, and sit at the head of the table. The doctor yells at you for whatever you did wrong yesterday, then you have to read him any essays he made you write the day before. He then gets mad because of whatever you wrote. He usually asks the rest of the team if they have anything to say, usually they don’t unless the dietician wants you to increase, then he gives you your assignments for the day. Most people came out of rounds crying everyday
What were meals like?
It comes to the unit on a cart. You eat them with the other ED patients and a nurse/ tech (usually a tech). They will talk and joke with you. You have to show them your tray after you are finished. Sometimes they put out dumb/ funny lists of questions to ask each other. 30 minutes for meals, 15 for snacks
What sorts of food were available or served?
Typical hospital food on the exchange system for meals. Eggs, toast, fruit cups, granola, cereal, milk, burritos, soup (if it was a brothy soup you had to have 2 cups which is a lot more than it seems like!), grilled cheese, pizza, you could often sub fats for desserts, pasta, chicken, hummus pitas, green beans, carrots, etc. Snacks were normal snack foods- crackers, peanut butter, granola bars, milk, juice, chips, applesauce- all on EQ system.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
Yeah for less than 100% with Ensure Plus. Also if you really have to gain but don’t want to eat that much, and for excessive movement (like getting up to walk to your room without permission)
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
Supplement, if you refuse that they will eventually give you a tube. I only knew one person with a tube the whole time I was there, though. Honestly the doctor just yells at you until you are scared into eating.
Are you able to be a vegetarian?
yeah, but they make it hard. no veganism. There’s always one veg option at each meal. They really question if you are actually a veg or not.
What privelages are allowed?
Phone calls I guess? they will take those away though if you are non- compliant. One time, I wasn’t allowed to go to groups because I didn’t finish breakfast, so I guess that’s a privilege?
Does it work on a level system?
No.
How do you earn privelages?
Eating, saying yes sir/ maam and no sir/ maam, following rules. You can lose them for crying, being disrespectful, not finishing meals, etc.
What sort of groups do they have?
process, body image, art, dbt skills, yoga
What was your favorite group?
process with dr. m or anything on south (there were lots more people there so we didn’t have to talk much!)
What did you like the most?
The people I met there. We still keep in touch, even though that’s against the rules
What did you like the least?
The psychiatrist. I’m now being treated for PTSD because of him. It makes me sad because he is so mean and abusive, and it doesn’t even work. I have been able to recover because of other treatment professionals, but two people I was there with are now dead only a year later. All he did was make the ends of their lives miserable
Would you recommend this program?
No. I learned more tricks and actually left there sicker than I was when I came in
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
Not much. Yoga
What did people do on weekends?
watched movies, groups, still had rounds, it was a lot like the weekdays just more chill
Do you get to know your weight?
It depends. Some do, most don’t. I never did. They made one girl track her weight/ calories in her journal though. That was strange.
How fast is the weight gain process?
I think it’s like 1-2 pounds a week.
What was the average length of stay?
Anywhere from 3 weeks- 5 months. Some of the people that were there that long really needed to be moved to residential, in my opinion. I was there about a month. My friends were there 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 5 weeks, 7 weeks, 9 weeks, and some of the adults were there for 1 week, 2 months, 5 months, 1 months, 3 weeks, 5 weeks
What was the average age range?
Well south was all adolescents, so I met an 8 year old, and several 17 year olds. Most were between 13-17, though. EDRC had 18-60 while I was there.
How do visits/phone calls work?
You can have visitors, but only immediate family. Same for phone calls. If the doctor thinks you are too dependent on your family, he will tell them they can’t visit and won’t let you call them.
Are you able to go out on passes?
No.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team?
They have an outpatient clinic where you can keep seeing the psychiatrist and a therapist if you live in the area. It doesn’t seem like many people pursue that option, though. They give you some names of people to call in your area for care once you are discharged.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
People there were from all over. Lots from Florida, but also from a bunch of other states. They can reccomend the Ronald Mcdonald House while your family visits
Other?
Please don’t go here. I’m not exxageratting at all, it is really as bad as I am saying. I am finally beginning to undo some of the damage that was done at Vista. Run away, don’t walk!
Just wanted to let you all know that the eating disorder unit at Shands is now closed (thank God!) Apparently, they still take adolescents on their normal psychiatric unit (but we all know that there is limited evidence for the efficacy of treating EDs in psych wards!), but no longer take adults with EDs at all. I’m so glad that they have closed- the EDRC was a very bad place!!
I am going to preface this with a STRONG recommendation that you do not seek treatment at UF/ Shands EDRC for ANY level of care. I, along with all of the other patients, was emotionally abused by the doctor there. He, Dr. N, told us things like “I hope you die so I can tell your parents, ‘I told you so,'” and called me a pathetic, useless brat. He told me I was selfish for choosing to have an eating disorder, and that I deserve to die for it. He made us write essays everyday, and they were on horrible topics: Why My Brother Is Better Than I Am, I Don’t Deserve to Recover, and Reasons I Am Pathetic. He made me incredibly suicidal, and often yelled and screamed at us. We were not allowed to cry under any circumstances, and would get in even more trouble if we did. I’m not exaggerating, if you google “his name Reviews,” there will be countless results of people telling the exact same things. Please, do not send yourself or anyone you care about to EDRC (or the adolescent psych ward- also under this doctor’s care).
When were you there: Late 2013
How many patients on average? Well, I am an adolescent, meaning that I did some of my programming on the adolescent psych ward (Vista South). There were anywhere from 10-20 kids inpatient there at any time (usually 2-4 with EDs). Though we did lots of programming on South, most of it was on EDRC (where the adults with EDs live). There were anywhere from 4-8 patients there at anytime. It’s inpatient, IOP, and PHP. Because pretty much everyone gets admitted because they are medically unstable, the number of people there varies greatly. It just depends on whose heart is failing when, unfortunately.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined.
Yes they do. The males had separate bedrooms, but were in all the same groups with the females. They share a day room, of course. The only separate thing is rooms, really.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
You see the psychiatrist every morning in rounds, unfortunately. That put us all in a bad mood for the rest of the day! You see therapists all the time for groups, but there’s not much organization to when you get individual sessions. You sometimes have nutrition group with the nutritionist, but she is in morning rounds with the psychiatrist.
What is the staff ratio to patients?
There were usually 2 nurses/ techs at EDRC and 4-5 at South
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc?
DBT with an extreme focus on distress tolerance (they attempt to create distress- it’s weird). They also do some Exposure Response Prevention therapy, like they will expose you to things that make you uncomfortable so much that you stop reacting to it.
Describe the average day:
This is for an adolescent-
Wake up around 645- vitals, weights, pulse deficets, gatorade if your deficiet is more than 20, get dressed, make your bed or you will get yelled at
Rounds/ Breakfast/ Write Essays/ Pick Snacks/ Choose Meals for Tomorrow from like 7:15-9- this is when you sit in the day room and eat breakfast while the treatment team does rounds, after they do you, you go back and work on your “assignments” that Dr. N gave you. These are usually essays that you handwrite until rounds are finished. Sometimes, you have to write apology letters to staff if you are being “disrespectful” (one time I had to do this because I asked for a hair tie?) If you don’t finish you assignments before 9, you have to fit them in at some point in the day. We usually finished early so would play monopoly and color and stuff
DBT Skills Class 9-10- You sit in a classroom and take notes on responsibility and why school is important and how to manage your feelings. They occupational therapist is really sweet, but it’s hard to respect her because she works in such an awful place.
Snack- you usually have 15 minutes to get this down
Go to EDRC- then you get to see all the adults woohoo! They are finishing up their rounds/ snack at this point. We usually had process group or body image group or something, then a little chill time
Lunch- sometimes we had this at EDRC, and sometimes we went back to South. On Wednesdays and Fridays, we would have lunch in the cafeteria.
It Depends Until like 2- If we were on South, we would have to sit there and color or play games while the other patients got to go to their room and rest (we weren’t allowed to because we could exercise in there). If we were on EDRC, we would have art therapy or yoga or something like that.
Snack- We ate this wherever we were at the time
Back to South- group there- like Process or community, etc.
Dinner at 445- So early!!! We would almost always eat this at South.
Hygiene- like take showers and all
Usually something like art with all of the normal psych kids- We made a lot of origami. The nurses used this time to try and make you say stuff that they could report to the doctor- a lot of them are very two- faced
Snack- around 8
Some chill time
Bed at 9 (8 if you are under 12)
(I think adults on EDRC got to stay up later!)
How do rounds work?
So you go into a conference room, and sit at the head of the table. The doctor yells at you for whatever you did wrong yesterday, then you have to read him any essays he made you write the day before. He then gets mad because of whatever you wrote. He usually asks the rest of the team if they have anything to say, usually they don’t unless the dietician wants you to increase, then he gives you your assignments for the day. Most people came out of rounds crying everyday
What were meals like?
It comes to the unit on a cart. You eat them with the other ED patients and a nurse/ tech (usually a tech). They will talk and joke with you. You have to show them your tray after you are finished. Sometimes they put out dumb/ funny lists of questions to ask each other. 30 minutes for meals, 15 for snacks
What sorts of food were available or served?
Typical hospital food on the exchange system for meals. Eggs, toast, fruit cups, granola, cereal, milk, burritos, soup (if it was a brothy soup you had to have 2 cups which is a lot more than it seems like!), grilled cheese, pizza, you could often sub fats for desserts, pasta, chicken, hummus pitas, green beans, carrots, etc. Snacks were normal snack foods- crackers, peanut butter, granola bars, milk, juice, chips, applesauce- all on EQ system.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
Yeah for less than 100% with Ensure Plus. Also if you really have to gain but don’t want to eat that much, and for excessive movement (like getting up to walk to your room without permission)
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
Supplement, if you refuse that they will eventually give you a tube. I only knew one person with a tube the whole time I was there, though. Honestly the doctor just yells at you until you are scared into eating.
Are you able to be a vegetarian?
yeah, but they make it hard. no veganism. There’s always one veg option at each meal. They really question if you are actually a veg or not.
What privelages are allowed?
Phone calls I guess? they will take those away though if you are non- compliant. One time, I wasn’t allowed to go to groups because I didn’t finish breakfast, so I guess that’s a privilege?
Does it work on a level system?
No.
How do you earn privelages?
Eating, saying yes sir/ maam and no sir/ maam, following rules. You can lose them for crying, being disrespectful, not finishing meals, etc.
What sort of groups do they have?
process, body image, art, dbt skills, yoga
What was your favorite group?
process with dr. m or anything on south (there were lots more people there so we didn’t have to talk much!)
What did you like the most?
The people I met there. We still keep in touch, even though that’s against the rules
What did you like the least?
The psychiatrist. I’m now being treated for PTSD because of him. It makes me sad because he is so mean and abusive, and it doesn’t even work. I have been able to recover because of other treatment professionals, but two people I was there with are now dead only a year later. All he did was make the ends of their lives miserable
Would you recommend this program?
No. I learned more tricks and actually left there sicker than I was when I came in
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
Not much. Yoga
What did people do on weekends?
watched movies, groups, still had rounds, it was a lot like the weekdays just more chill
Do you get to know your weight?
It depends. Some do, most don’t. I never did. They made one girl track her weight/ calories in her journal though. That was strange.
How fast is the weight gain process?
I think it’s like 1-2 pounds a week.
What was the average length of stay?
Anywhere from 3 weeks- 5 months. Some of the people that were there that long really needed to be moved to residential, in my opinion. I was there about a month. My friends were there 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 5 weeks, 7 weeks, 9 weeks, and some of the adults were there for 1 week, 2 months, 5 months, 1 months, 3 weeks, 5 weeks
What was the average age range?
Well south was all adolescents, so I met an 8 year old, and several 17 year olds. Most were between 13-17, though. EDRC had 18-60 while I was there.
How do visits/phone calls work?
You can have visitors, but only immediate family. Same for phone calls. If the doctor thinks you are too dependent on your family, he will tell them they can’t visit and won’t let you call them.
Are you able to go out on passes?
No.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team?
They have an outpatient clinic where you can keep seeing the psychiatrist and a therapist if you live in the area. It doesn’t seem like many people pursue that option, though. They give you some names of people to call in your area for care once you are discharged.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
People there were from all over. Lots from Florida, but also from a bunch of other states. They can reccomend the Ronald Mcdonald House while your family visits
Other?
Please don’t go here. I’m not exxageratting at all, it is really as bad as I am saying. I am finally beginning to undo some of the damage that was done at Vista. Run away, don’t walk!