What clinched it for me was how they treated me the time I realized I scheduled my appointment a week after I was going to run out of medication. I called to amend this and they transferred me to the billing department (wtf). I was told (after I left several messages) that their clinic's policy was to not prescribe meds to carry me to my next appointment and basically that I should go f myself. They said this to a psychiatric patient who was doing fairly well and whose meds have no street value. I had a very bad week off my meds. The withdrawal effects included auditory hallucinations, suicidal ideation, and extreme paranoia. When I got to my appointment, my doc claimed there was a misunderstanding and that HIS patients could get emergency interim meds. But why would I want to go to any clinic that denied any of their patients necessary medications - as general policy?
My doctor didn't even make eye contact with me at our first appointment. He became annoyed when I asked questions about my treatment. For example, I noticed on a form that he'd put down a different diagnosis than I'd had previously. So I inquired, in case he'd made a mistake. He rolled his eyes and said it wasn't a mistake, and when I asked further questions about the condition he'd diagnosed me with, he responded with hostility. He did not appreciate patients who wished to take an active role in their care. He also refused to believe my claims of side effects with a new med, because "that doesn't happen with this med." He said that over and over like it was going to magically stop my symptoms. I looked up my symptoms online and found that yes, they do happen with that med.
Finally, the front desk treats people like crap. I can't even tell you how many times I was put on hold for over 10 minutes, then hung up on. They play traumatic stuff on the TV in the waiting room and blare it so loud you can't ignore the tales of abuse/violence. In a waiting room in a mental health clinic. I started bringing earplugs so I could wait on my appointment for 45 minutes without being triggered.
ETA: Yeah, people go there for suboxone. If you're offended that a mental health clinic has a waiting room full of mentally ill people, I suggest you find a doctor who can extract the stick from your ass and the ice from your heart. Oh, and if you are on psychiatric medications you are "on drugs," get off your high horse (no pun intended). read more