Continuing Chaos at DC's Only Psychiatric Hospital

"Decrepit patient housing units smelled of urine and feces. Patients frequently attacked one another or staff. A chronic worker shortage occasionally left Lawson alone with as many as 19 patients, many in the throes of acute psychiatric crisis. Her superiors didn't respond to requests for assistance, her coworkers sometimes slept on the job, and her employer often failed to provide patients with basic necessities, such as enough food."

"Honestly, a lot of the violence revolves around food. Because, like, if people feel hungry, they're going to get more agitated, and [if] they're not getting snacks and things like that, they're going to lash out."

"After a few weeks on the job, Lawson no longer saw PIW as a big-hearted treatment center helping locals. Rather, she says, it felt more like a prison where danger was routine."

Vyonce Lawson, a 24-year-old psychology graduate, secured a position as a mental-health technician at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington in February 2025, fulfilling her career aspirations. However, she quickly discovered disturbing conditions within the facility. Patient housing units were filthy, violent incidents between patients and staff were common, and chronic understaffing left technicians overwhelmed, sometimes managing 19 patients alone during psychiatric crises. Management failed to respond to assistance requests, staff neglected duties, and patients lacked basic necessities including adequate food. Lawson observed that food scarcity directly contributed to patient agitation and violence. Within weeks, her perception shifted from viewing PIW as a compassionate treatment center to seeing it as a prison-like environment. A Washingtonian investigation subsequently documented these alarming conditions through regulatory documents, legal filings, and interviews with former patients and employees.

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