1,933 Comments for North Wales Hospital (Denbigh Asylum)

Felyne, Wish I could see what you see, but I surely don't. It just looks like old age to me. TIME, it's a killer. Were all gona look like that some day.

Reminds me of that SANITARY look. Mr. Motts, Was there no furniture left behind?? Were there no signs of life here, or is it all gone. Was there nothing left to show that life was here, besides those papers that I saw in a previous photo??? Where did all the people go when this was closed down??

GREAT SHOT!!!!!! The red is to bright for it be blood. My first impression was "DEAD MAN WALKING". See what you bring out in people, Mr. Motts?????

Great Shot!!! Notice the glass windows on the right. THEY ARE WATCHING YOU, ALWAYS WATCHING YOU!!!!!

Pathetic!!!!! I hope I never end up like that.

This ect. is pathetic. I just can't deal with this. This kind of mental illness and being homeless are my tow greatest fears in life.

Well, actually back in the beginning, beer and whiskey WERE available to staff and some patients on a regular basis. I have a number of old Annual Reports for the various "asylums" that list out everything they purchased that year, and wine, whiskey, beer, and cigarettes were in many of the older reports (up until maybe the 1920s or so). Obviously there were hospitals devoted entirely to "inebriates", but there weren't very many of them in the United States because people who were alcoholics and/or drug addicts were not considered to be "insane" until later years. In many cases they were housed elsewhere than were people who were considered to be "insane" or "feeble-minded." The inebriate hospital was something they had more of in Great Britain, if I remember correctly. However, there were a number of smaller private "sanitariums" in the US that catered to alcoholism and "narcotic fiends."

*holds tongue from suggesting the rabid dog be muzzled*

OH THE UNKNOWN!!!!!! We'll never know what's behind the door. Leave them wanting more. Good job Mr. Motts

I think the room is just reflecting how tacky our tastes were at the time, myself. And truthfully, few patients' rooms were ever this ornate (unless they were pretty rich or came from rich families). I am guessing this was a staff bedroom (but that's just a guess).

Oh geez, it's been a while. Lemme see - it was Olivia deHavilland, wasn't it? And Leo Genn (I loved him in Quo Vadis) was the psychiatrist. I believe it was late 40s or early 50s, before antipsychotic medications were discovered. All they had back then were restraints, hydrotherapy, neurosurgery, and the various shock therapies (electric, insulin, Metrazol, etc.). Since there were few successful treatments, all hospitals were filled past capacity, and the states were never given enough money to adequately house or care for the many, many, many people that were sent there. This was a movie sort of proclaiming the wonders of psychotherapy, which doesn't work quite that well most of the time for people with severe and profound psychiatric disabilities. I liked the way the movie and the book painted an accurate picture of life in a psychiatric hospital at that time. What I never understood was how a movie and book could become as popular as occurred without the American people getting all riled up at the time and demanding that something be done to better the living conditions. I suppose that's why I get unhinged when people get all excited about the conditions that used to exist without trying to figure out how they got that way and why there still needs to be a lot more public knowledge and education about it.

Sorry - long answer to a short question. :-)

Thank you, Lynne. It's been so long since I've seen the movie, just couldn't remember. But the movie made an impression on me. Can you give me any more info on it???????

If that was suppose to be funny - what about all the other comments?

nevermore, you're just SCREAMING out for Lynne here, aren't you. -_-; surely, I hope that was supposed to be funny...

if you want my opinion, the room seems rather ornate, yet tacky... but welcoming all the same. I wouldn't mind being in a room like this one if I had to spend my days in a mental hospital. its better than no decorations at all!

Barking - I'm glad that you're so intelligent, but let's try not to make our comments so insulting. Please read the below note reference leaving flaming comments.