Comments

These looke to be really old because of the frame and frount of the doors....but ya this pic...i love all your pics!

your work is great!she looks like kristen dunst with long black hair

amazing work...fascinating...should be in a gallery

f1 engines from the laaaaaate egyptian era

u could probably crome that up and set it as a decoration piece

This is a hotel compared to B.C.D.C.

Apparently nobody here knows how it is to be locked up.

ITS CALLED SECURITY OK?

No need to flame people, please.

I give up with you folks. You're bound and determined to imagine what you like about what went on at Glenn Dale. And I'll admit, gastric washing involves snaking a tube through the nose into the stomach (I recall it being a very long black rubber tube). But please do your research and contact people who lived and worked there. I know it;s harder than using your imaginations but give it a shot. You'll find that no one was zapping anyone's brain--there was no ward for the mentally ill-- and that mouth gags were used in the treatment of TB.

Gee, who said Glenn Dale was a mental health facility? Do your research.

I should throw in that I misread "tortured souls" to mean you thought they were being tortured by the docs, not tortured by their own minds... Sorry again!

Sorry if I came across sounding harsh, we're all just so used to people coming in not knowing what they're talking about...

You make very good points, and point out something that Lynne used to spend hours on her soapbox about: the people working there weren't "bad" people, they were understaffed, underfunded, and overcrowded. They did the best they could with what they had, and in many cases used their personal time and money to help as well.

I don't want to see these buildings destroyed. I'm not sure that making them a memorial to what was wrong is the right thing to do either. I think it's important to remember where we came from, but just as important to remember how much better things are now... What really keeps me up late at night is wondering: if we hadn't gone through the bad treatments that we did, where would we be now? Would we have the improved treatment of patients, and better methods? I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to... I just try to always remember that things are a lot better now, not as good as they will be, but the constant factor is that the staff always cares...

I appreciate your response, Dr. Sketch. I can assure you I'm not basing my comments on rumours. My aunt worked at DSH as a nurse for a while. My sister was placed there in the early 70's as part of a day program. She had first-hand experience & fortunately, was treated well. I applied for a job at DSH as a direct care worker. I changed my mind after my interview was concluded. All the times I had been there, the walls were in terrible disarray, it was cold as hell & the stench was impossible to get use to. Most of the patients were treated as numbers & as chattel. However, most of the staff truly cared about them. But the overcrowding & lack of funds put tremendous strain on those involved. Shortly thereafter, I worked as a direct care worker at a state hospital , Hogan Regional Center which was just next door to DSH. I met many employees there who had worked at DSH & were witness to a number of "highly questionnable" treatments of patients. I loved the patients at Hogan. But I discovered I wasn't the kind of person who could detach myself from them. My heart got too involved & as a result, I quit the job. When you work for a state-run institutionalized hospital, there's much frustration at the lack of care the state actually has for patients. That was something I couldn't get use to & therefore, had to leave. I have tremendous appreciation for those select direct care employees who are able to work with only their heads & not their hearts. But who needs more heartfelt attention, care & yes, love, than the patients at these places? So many of them have been abandoned by their own families. Where does the real caring end & the "mechanized" begin? Personally, I have great difficulty distinguishing between the two.

Lynne, lemme handle this one, you've had a rough day...

Edina, there are, in fact, multiple things you can do to help out. First and foremost, research, research, research. Don't just pass on things you've heard, gather proof. You might find it wasn't as bad as you thought.

Second, educate others. After you know the truth and not just the rumors, you'll do so much good by passing the information along to anyone you can get to stay still!

Third, and most important, volunteer! There are plenty of people with "disorders" who need help, and if you were to volunteer some time with them you would be doing the most amount of help possible!