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Yeah, I love the title of this one, the photo is great!

What does insanity feel like? In one seminar I attended, the instructor simulated the auditory hallucinations a person with schizophrenia might experience. She did this by asking us to listen only to her voice, and continued to speak in a normal volume while heavy metal music blared through the room. The exercise was based on descriptions patients had given her, and after a few minutes of struggling to focus on what she was saying, most of us felt like screaming.

These don't look like Christmas colors from hell to me. I have really good memories of Christmases and other holidays celebrated with my clients (if I were at work now, I would have to say "consumers," but I never liked that word). Holidays gave us all a chance to just be *people* instead of "staff" and "client/resident/patient/consumer." We could have fun instead of only implementing training programs. A lot of our people didn't have families to spend the holidays with--staff was it. That helped us remember the spirit of the holiday, and we did everything we could to make it extra special. We decorated, bought or made gifts, had parties, prepared special meals and treats, took people to holiday-related community events, planned happy surprises for one another. Sometimes we were able to get permission to take one or two clients to our own homes to spend the day with our families, or to bring our families to the group home for dinner or a party. For employees like me, who lived far away from their own relatives and could only get home a couple of times a year, we had people with whom to spend the day. Almost all clients, even the ones who usually resisted training programs and social activities, enjoyed making decorations or gifts and planning special meals. Some of my most special Christmas ornaments are handmade gifts given to me by clients. Even though the job is stressful, too often thankless, most of the feedback one gets from society is negative, and progress usually comes in increments that are barely measurable, it's far from a one-way street from staff to client. I know that I received far more than I gave.

I have never expierenced the pleasure of visiting Byberry, but I do believe it would be very interesting. The subject of underground tunnels in this state hospital is quite intriguing. However, does anyone have proof of this?

Used copies of the "Social Skills" book are available on amazon.com. Especially given the date of the book, I don't find anything offensive about the title. Mental retardation is classified as mild, moderate, severe, or profound. The diagnosis is made on the basis of IQ testing and assessment of the person's skills (or lack of skills) in various aspects of daily living. If evaluations of the person cannot yield a valid score (the person is "untestable"), the diagnosis "unspecified mental retardation" is used. A person with severe mental retardation would not be able to read, while a person with mild mental retardation would be able to read at about a sixth or seventh grade level. I think the word "for" in the book's title is used in the sense of "giving to." For example, "blankets for the homeless" doesn't mean that homeless people will be weaving blankets, it means that there is a drive to collect blankets to be given to the homeless. I recall reading a comment by a former employee of the hospital which said that at the time of its closure (parts of the hospital were used until 1991), the residents were people with Down Syndrome. Given that, this book would have been most appropriate. The word "retard" is always offensive, as are words like "nuthouse," "cuckoo house," and "mental" when used as a noun. What makes them offensive is not (just) that they are politically incorrect, but that they HURT. They devalue and disregard the people to whom they refer. I don't mean to come across as harsh in this comment or any of my others. I'm trying to share what I've learned from individuals and families, in hope of increasing understanding and acceptance.

like a country song: "Yes, it goes on for forever And it seems to never end. It's the Longest Hallway in the World."

Absolutely stunning. This is probably my favorite picture on here...so far.

Were the arched panels on the walls used for holding fire extinguishers?

depending upon which state liquid N is in, it can be very dangerous... thanks

Autopsies were probably only done if the patient's death was unexpected (there was no disease process or accident that clearly caused the person's death), unattended (the person was found dead but had appeared to be in no danger prior to that), or the patient's family/guardian/doctor requested an autopsy. The first autopsy report I read was for a person who was found dead on the floor of her bedroom one morning, after staff observations all night had indicated no problems. It was quite disconcerting to read about the procedures, with the weights of various organs, all in very dry and specific scientific terms, and to think that this was a person with whom I had worked for years. In the end, this is what we are--just a body, no longer a *person.* I hope that makes sense...even then, after all the observations and toxicology reports, the cause of death remained "undetermined natural causes." Yes, even though she was "mental" and lived in what another viewer called a "cuckoo's house" (those are really offensive and hurtful labels, as though someone with a mental disability is somehow less important, less valuable, less worthy), the staff, her family, and the medical examiner were all very concerned about what had caused her death. Please forgive me if these comments or any of my others seem harsh, because that isn't my intent. I just wish there weren't so many misunderstandings about mental illness and hope that maybe I can share some of the things I've learned. People with mental illness are more than their illness. They are sons and daughters, parents, husbands and wives, students, workers, artists, musicians, friends--just like everybody else.

After you have needlessly VANDALIZED the bldg, what do you plan to do with the things you have STOLEN, vinny? Do u plan to use the so-called "heart pumps," or give the records to the family? Or are they going to just add to a collection of shit u have that holds absolutely no value except for maybe the fact that it is probably a pile of shit you have STOLEN? You should be real fuckin proud of yourself, vinny.... Your parents MUST be.

Beautiful Architecture.

.... your not cool because you know someone who took part in destroying this beautiful piece of architecture.
You should be ashamed.

Again with the graffiti.
I hate people for doing that.

This makes me incredibly upset.
How could someone deliberately destroy a place with such a colorful history.
People don't understand what they are doing.
I wonder if they know how many people died in these places and how they are disrespecting them by writing vulgar things on the walls and destroying there home.