Mental Hospital

hmm christmas time the holidays is this the way they end for me here in this place and mental hospital they call it that's a fancy name that is but i know it better it's the bug house a place where they lock you up and then throw away the key and now they've got me too me fred clinton fred clinton fred clanton is that really my name everything's so mixed up these grounds these buildings they're all so dark everything's dark even the sky i'll never get out that george he's turned them all against me even betty they keep talking about me why won't they let me alone [Music] oh my god oh no don't let them take me in there i'll never get out oh god what will happen to me now [Music] [Music] ah [Music] what will happen to fred now what happens to all of them the men and women from every walk of life who each year pass through doors like this into the mental hospitals of our land here in the story of fred clanton and the typical oklahoma state hospital to which he came the spotlight focuses on these people [Music] many patients are old and often theirs is a tragedy of hospitals such as this the tragedy of fathers and mothers too old to work rejected by their own children classed a senile and committed mental hospitals because there's nowhere else for them to go yet given proper care they can still adjust make new friends to ease the passing of years [Music] some patients are disturbed unable to care for themselves in normal life situations [Music] others are physically as well as mentally ill many are capable of limited adjustment able to work at varied tasks within the hospital [Music] there's the veteran returned from years of service overseas the farmer who had never set foot outside his home county till he came here [Music] deterioration chronic conditions limit hope for some others may go home tomorrow [Music] meanwhile they're living here 3 200 men and women all gathered together in a modern mental institution a city in itself complete with every facility for effective treatment those shortages in hospital personnel do exist patients are secure and comfortable and most of them are happy for while mere custodial care can never be enough a favorable environment and human comforts are essential in any therapeutic system [Music] for most meals are served cafeteria style food is plentiful and good and investment in patient health [Music] just baking the bread for three thousand people is a man-sized job [Music] above all though these kitchen chores offer patients work the therapy of busy hands [Music] the laundry more chances for patients to focus on specific realities outside themselves first step along the road that leads to recovery and release [Music] the patients tell you the power plant smokestack is 525 feet tall they seem to take a personal pride in it maybe because power is so important here the sick must have heat and light there's water to be pumped and food cooked and laundry washed [Music] patients must be housed and today's new hospital buildings center on human needs and comfort whether they provide living quarters or treatment facilities whether they're for convalescence older people the tubercular veterans or occupational therapy these modern structures are part of a long-range integrated plan to improve conditions for all who live within these grounds [Music] special units provide homes for nurses and attendants for they too play a vital role in helping patients to regain health in addition to the regular staff student nurses come here to learn to recognize and care for the mentally ill [Music] there are lakes for fishing the hospital farm cuts operating costs provides fresh truck and dairy products and the familiar scenes the work help make patients from rural areas feel at home they come from all sorts of homes these patients all kinds of backgrounds but somewhere along the line life became too much for them some apply for voluntary admission to the hospital one of the three procedures by which residents may enter a state mental institution in oklahoma many former patients return of their own free will when new troubles assail them all applicants for voluntary admission are held a minimum of 15 days for examination before they may be released [Music] other patients are certified for admission by two competent medical examiners this is the second method by which patients enter the hospital under the terms of oklahoma's mental health law [Music] the majority however come by court order committed either by a judge or a six-man jury this was the case with fred clinton fred clinton oh yes how are you friend well i feel all right they just left me alone well why don't you tell me about it you can't fool me i know you're in with them too friend i'm going to send you to the hospital and if you will cooperate with those doctors i think they'll be able to do you some good the admitting clerk records fred's case history as soon as he enters the hospital takes care of valuables until he's sufficiently improved to be trusted with them [Music] escorted to the receiving ward by an attendant he's bathed and outfitted [Music] he gets a blood test part of the medical examination given each patient on admission there's a chest x-ray also [Music] and a spinal fluid test [Music] finally comes the neuropsychiatric check designed to bring out data related to the patient's mental disorder they're turning my wife you know betty against me you're taking up all her time why do you think they're doing you this way well i've been working on this for years they don't know it but i'm on to them you see if they can just get better to team up with [Music] them a clinical psychologist gives fred a variety of specialized tests in order to make possible a more accurate evaluation of his total personality [Music] so [Music] following the examination and testing an informal meeting of the hospital staff arrives at a tentative diagnosis of schizophrenia paranoid type fred benefits from the skill and experience of all members of the staff as well as the psychiatrist to whose care he is assigned [Music] diagnosis and staff approval completed the patient is transferred to a treatment board for therapy [Music] in fred's case insulin shock is prescribed a common treatment for schizophrenia [Music] electroshock therapy may be recommended for other disorders [Music] [Applause] hydrotherapy is useful in calming disturbed patients [Music] so are sedative packs but whatever the mode of treatment it's essential that it be supplemented by an atmosphere of security and calm the effective hospital must always serve as a refuge for its patients a place where they can live quietly during that period of reorientation in which they learn how to achieve a better adjustment to the world outside [Music] the degree of adjustment the level of orientation varies sharply from patient to patient some show a complete loss of contact with reality dark shadows across disordered minds [Music] in other words our light and life a return from private worlds to the here and now [Music] as patients improve they are moved towards in keeping with their condition they're given the opportunity for contact with others who are also getting better shown that their status as individuals is recognized that no matter what their problem there still is hope [Music] in fred's case insulin therapy brought relatively quick improvement close linked with it helping further was personal follow-up attention by the psychiatrist directing his treatment and care [Music] occupational therapy reinforce shock treatment help fred to draw away from his feelings of antagonism and suspicion and move closer to reality [Music] boredom is always an enemy of the mentally ill now improving fred begins to take increasing interest in the wide variety of recreational facilities patients enjoy movies just as much as anyone and a hot game of dominoes or pool or ping pong is always fun [Music] the sewing room's popular and a permanent wave may serve as a milestone of self-respect for many women in spite of the bubble gum [Music] books mean so much to so many improvement brings added privileges a more normal life what could be better than an afternoon softball game friday dances give fred a chance for contact with women on a social plane help to spark his dormant pride [Music] religious services in the chapel offer inspiration then there's the happy day when fred is granted grounds privileges fine doctor as a matter of fact i feel like going back to work well uh you have to stay around the hospital for a few days maybe we can find you something to do here oh how would you like to help us out around the hospital here i don't know whether there's much i can do or not we have quite a few jobs that you could might do for example you might uh work up the dairy might help out in the garden or you might uh work over in the cafeteria or we might even be able to get you on the ground crew ground crew yes sir i like that a lot i really would don't last swell you just report out there in the morning and everything will be all right in the morning yes sir what a difference it makes at last fred can be outside once more working enjoying the sun and the seasons there are the days when visitors come the chance to talk again with betty and george comes too and now somehow he doesn't seem quite as bad as he did before [Music] it's not too long till the psychiatrist decides that fred can try it for a while at home he talks with betty and with george helps them to understand that they too have vital roles to play in aiding fred to adjust successfully to the world outside [Music] you