Sonora Behavioral Health Hospital

The story is so long that I don’t know how or where to begin. My son was admitted because he wanted to be evaluated by a psychiatrist for his many mental issues. The experience — every single part of it — was a complete nightmare. I have never experienced such incredible incompetence. It was a complete waste of time. And when the bill comes, we will contest every penny of it. Tucson is in dire need of a GOOD psych hospital. Sonora isn’t the answer. I don’t know what the answer is, but we’ll keep looking, and in the meantime, NEVER deal with Sonora again. It makes me very sad that a community the size of Tucson doesn’t seem to have a good psych network of providers. Avoid Sonora if you can.

Hi, I’m Jasmine. I was 16 when I had my first stay here, and I swear it was my last. To say it was horrible, would be an understatement. Every adolescent at some point experiences suicidal thoughts, and expresses them in their own way. I was brought to TMC and then escorted to Hell. AKA Sonora.
To begin with, this place had NO separation whatsoever. I was roomed with a young Philopino girl, (who had some serious mental issues) who constantly asked the «RN“s for pencils to stab me. They didn’t give them to her, but they also didn’t clearly understand the risk I was at sleeping with this dangerous person for 5 nights straight. You only get to see your parents 1 hour a day, and 10 minute phone calls. If you don’t keep track of time, they do, and oh they aren’t afraid to end the call for you. Kinda like jail?
This place made me feel crazy. To be brutally honest, this place terrified me so much it gave me more suicidal thoughts once I arrived then I ever have had before. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re lucky some of the people there are just like you and me, but I had to be careful who I trusted.
The psychologist comes in like, twice a week. So if you come in the same day the doctor left, you’re stuck there for more than a few nights because you can only be evaluated by that ONE person.
This place is extremely run down and needs more doctors. If you are extremely concerned about your adolescent, and want them to be safe, I would strongly recommend going SOMEWHERE ELSE. This place does not help at all. It feels like a ploy. Once you open up to the nurses and tell them how you feel, the more medication you need and the longer you need to stay there. I don’t believe this place helped me at all when I was going through my hard times.
Please, send your teen somewhere else. Believe me.

Where do I begin? I was stationed at Fort Huachuca, AZ when I was hospitalized here for PTSD twice. The first time they put me on Lorazepam 3xday for a week and a half. When they discharged me, I didn’t get a prescription for it. I went through withdrawal, having panic attacks without triggers and didn’t sleep for 6 days straight. I flipped out mid-​panic attack and nearly got arrested on base before landing myself back at Sonora the second time. I remember the RN that told me, «We love it when people relapse; it generates revenue for the hospital.»
Secondly, the military unit isn’t all military personnel. There are a lot of civilians there. The second time I was there, I shared a room with a fellow soldier. In the middle of the night, a man going through detox busted into our room. My room mate, an 18 year old female, was asleep after taking her medications when it happened. Had I not been there, god knows what he would’ve done. The RN and behavioral health technicians did nothing. Another patient had to pull him away.
Also, all military personnel are required to do at least 30 minutes exercise to maintain their fitness. I asked a tech for my running shoes one time, and she refused to give them to me, so I ran barefoot on the treadmill and got blisters. I’m not the type to usually get blisters, not even when I’m doing a ruck march after spending days out in the field.
Another important note, on father’s day we had to make a card for our dad. Let’s face it. Not everyone has a happy family life. One of the females was raped by her father from age 6 – 12. When she was asked to share her story in art therapy, she refused but the «therapist» continued to badger her until she broke down and cried. She continued to have panic attacks for the next few hours and remained in her room for the entire day, crying. The therapist disrespected her privacy and her right to refrain from sharing. I understand that she may be a therapist, but some things do not have to be shared amongst a group of people.
Finally, it’s nearly impossible to get your records. I must have requested my records at least three times before I received them in the mail. It took months for me to get them in the mail, and by then my VA disability claim has already been processed and I have already been rated without the records.

My 16-​year-​old daughter, who was experiencing suicidal feelings, stayed at Sonora Behavioral Health for five days. She was placed in an adolescent ward that did not separate seriously ill patients who had committed violent acts, from vulnerable adolescents who were experiencing depression. The «psychiatric evaluation» promised consisted of a 10 minute, five question interview after which it was suggested that she go on a drug called Zoloft. After being convinced that this drug could be helpful, I accepted the psychiatrist’s recommendation. My 100 pound daughter was placed on double the typical starting dose of this medication. The dose was to be «amped up» quickly in order to see if her body could tolerate it’s side effects. My daughter experienced extreme agitation and sleeplessness and told me that it her made her feel «crazy.» I requested it be discontinued.
I became aware of the substandard care she was receiving. People who who were very ill, one of whom tried to strangle herself with sheets, scared her. Other patients described the «but juice» they received if they became out of control.
The rest of her stabilization treatment consisted of «art therapy» during which she drew a picture of someone who was important to her and «group therapy» with up to 19 patients and told to «think positively.»
Her «therapist» never met with her until our parent meeting, on her fourth day. During a phone call prior to the meeting, I was informed that she would need to stay several more days, because they didn’t know her well enough to ensure she would be safe upon release.
I had originally made the call to have her screened for safety.
When asked why they had not met, she explained that this was a «stabilizing» facility not a treatment program and that her psychiatrist, who at this point had met with her three or four times for 10 minutes, had suggested she stay three more days. If we chose to take her home we would be going against medical advice and CPS would be called.
I asked if I needed to retain a private psychiatrist or psychologist to ascertain her emotional state through a more thorough evaluation to see if she was ready to come home. The therapist seemed very surprised at this question. I reiterated that our daughter had a therapist and a psychologist who were available work with her immediately. Given that she was not receiving any services, except for being watched for safety, and was feeling scared of several of the other patients, the therapist said that she would speak with the attending psychiatrist in the morning to see if our daughter could be released earlier. I was concerned that this experience was actually damaging to our daughter.
During their stay patients were aloud little or no time outside, offered no opportunities for exercise, except for basketball for a few minutes three times a day and fed sloppy joes and fried onion rings, after the program website touted nutritional education.
It became clear that this was a for-​profit, moneymaking operation that serviced worried families and many CPS foster care teens, paid for by the state. Many of these sad and disturbed adolescents had nowhere to go. If a person was not depressed before going there, they were certain to be once exposed to this negative environment, that offered nothing but assembly-​line services. This was all provided for $ 1350 per day.
If there was any benefit to this experience, it was that our daughter realized that she was far luckier and had significantly less emotional issues than others she had encountered in this facility. She shared that she and another young, adolescent patient joked that what they learned at Sonora Behavioral Health was hide your feelings never say anything that might land them back there.
My husband, myself and our extended family who had visited daily were shocked and disgusted by what we saw at this facility. Unfortunately, it appears to be the only crisis intervention facility in Tucson that provides inpatient care for teens.
This was a truly unsettling and disturbing experience for our family. I am saddened and concerned for other families who are worried about their children, seeking help and place them at this center. I keep wondering what agency evaluates the services given at Sonora Behavioral Health. Maybe they should take another look.