1,256 Comments for Foxboro State Hospital

Hospitals for psychiatric treatment may, at first glance, seem like prisons, but there are vast differences (except those which exclusively house people who have committed serious crimes but were found not guilty by reason of insanity). Almost any congregate living situation is going to look rather sterile and impersonal and have a degree of regimentation in its daily routines. Today there is much greater emphasis on individualized treatment and patient's rights than there was in the "bad old days" of "maltreatment" and "abuse." There are also many more options for treatment today, treatment that is much more effective than the old methods. But even those old methods, like today's, were not intended to be punitive or to "blame" the patient for the symptoms of the illness (and if they were used in a punitive manner, that was because someone either didn't understand how to use them or chose to not use them correctly). The goal of the staff and of the hospital's design is to help the patient feel safe and achieve a level of stability sufficient for returning to a productive life in the community. Observation windows in the doors give some privacy to the patient, but also permit staff to watch the patient to prevent suicide or self-injurious behavior. Glass bottles are prohibited because they could become weapons. A daily activity schedule is enforced because the routine and the activities help the patient change the patterns that led to hospitalization. Medication can do many things, but medication alone can't do it all. Patients often also need to develop coping skills, ways of dealing with anger, healthy ways of expressing feelings, etc. The hospital is structured so that the patients can do this in a safe, supportive setting. Locks on the doors prevent patients from leaving when it would be dangerous for them to do so, and also protect patients from unwanted visitors.

Regarding volunteering--most community mental health centers and hospitals have organized volunteer programs and welcome people with a sincere interest in helping. Typically a criminal background check is required, as well as training in confidentiality, client rights, prevention of abuse and neglect, etc.

Special Olympics (for people with developmental disabilities) uses volunteers. Many communities have baseball, soccer, or swimming programs for children with developmental disabilities. Advocacy on behalf of those with mental illness or developmental disabilities is always welcomed--letters, phone calls to legislators, speaking at public hearings, etc. Contact the human resources department of the organization to let them know of your interest .

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.

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."

it looks like it would be rather cold in there

it looks like theres a person floating behind the fixture

I could see Mulder and Scully from X Files
running down this hallway after an alien.

can people still get in this hospital

When I said "hot tub", I didn't mean it that way

I hear you there star. Never got the pleasure of a sitz bath, just got that horrible aerosol spray stuff that burned like no other when it hit stitches

I see the skull and I also see an impression on the far left wall of a human body, head, legs, arms, the whole thing

The paint chip pattern on the right looks like a woman with a dark spaghetti strap dress waving

I just got hooked on this site a few weeks ago, and have noticed a comment theme when i comes to bathrooms, so I am going to jump on the bandwagon: where are the soap dispensers?

If I'm seeing things correctly, is that an old water fountain on the right and a radiator on the left? Great pic, I remember being a little kid and driving past this place. Even then, I got chills, woke me from a dead sleep.