Comments

It's a tilt-in-space wheelchair. They are marvy.

Looks like the initials SE to me but would a patient be allowed red paint unsupervised?

I can imagine the sense of isolation and the savageness that still lingers inside those rooms. Makes me want to reach out and shut every single door. Moving shot.

Mott's, was this image drawn on the bare plaster ?
Did there appear to be other images or writing, i just wonder what else is hidden under the paint.

ahhhh, still watching and keeping guard....

AWSOME!!!!!

is that a ghostly face in the window?

Lynne, would you know what this small wheel chair was used for?

Awesome technique and shot. So surreal it looks like a painting to me.

Hey Jude, the pipe just above the floor is electrical conduit, there is another piece hanging down by the risht side of the doorway, with two wires expossed, probably from a light fixture.

these pics are very very creepy

it's comparable to the "Emotional Deprivation Disorder" and has similar symptoms. hospitalism has additional apparently visible symptoms like bedsores, underweight, rocking etc.

what is that light over there? the exit or reflection of the light?

The bit of blue sky makes this shot! My favorite of many on your terrific site. Thanks for sharing your work.

Emily, all seclusion rooms are supposed to have a window of some sort so you can visually monitor the safety of the person while they are in there. It was optional as to whether there was a window to the outside. Some places thought it offered too much additional stimulation to people who were already horribly agitated. As well, as soon as you have windows you need to deal with safety issues (glass breaking in the pre-Plexiglas days) and the potential for escape. Other places believed it helped people calm down to have a chance to look outside, and since so many of these facilities were built in the countryside, there often was the potential for a nice view (until budgets were cut and overcrowding ensued). I believe it was a combination of economics and philosophy that dictated whether there was a second seclusion room window in addition to the one used for visual monitoring.