
Via Dr.X's blog , New Scientist has a photo gallery of images from Christopher Payne's book Asylum: Inside the closed world of state mental hospitals. (rows of unclaimed copper cremation urns at Oregon State Hospital)
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today at the psych ward several people had visitors, 4 total including my daughter. that was nice to see, as for the last several years i am often the lone visitor. there is so much to say about looking out a window to a limited view of the trees without leaf, or the rain. i stood there looking out the window and saw the traffic light down the hill where the light notoriously turns red and i am forced to wait. that's where the tears always flow. i stood there looking at that distant light and thought, "the crying place". today i took her ice cream as i told her i would yesterday. she has a lot of internal stimuli, voices, delusions. "i have bad thoughts", she said. i simply sat and watched the movie with her and the hour really was the longest she was calm in a month. i don't know why she jumped out of her chair and charged toward me, punching my arm until the staff dragged her away into the seclusion room. i felt my face turn hot and i heard someone say, "go somewhere else", as i was trying to go toward the elevator door one staff had waiting, and open. at least 6 people took her into that room, and all i could do as i walked past, was say "you're OK".
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the crying place
burning, hot tears flowed down my face. i stifled it. i went to the grocery store and i came home.
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This image: Christopher Payne)
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today at the psych ward several people had visitors, 4 total including my daughter. that was nice to see, as for the last several years i am often the lone visitor. there is so much to say about looking out a window to a limited view of the trees without leaf, or the rain. i stood there looking out the window and saw the traffic light down the hill where the light notoriously turns red and i am forced to wait. that's where the tears always flow. i stood there looking at that distant light and thought, "the crying place". today i took her ice cream as i told her i would yesterday. she has a lot of internal stimuli, voices, delusions. "i have bad thoughts", she said. i simply sat and watched the movie with her and the hour really was the longest she was calm in a month. i don't know why she jumped out of her chair and charged toward me, punching my arm until the staff dragged her away into the seclusion room. i felt my face turn hot and i heard someone say, "go somewhere else", as i was trying to go toward the elevator door one staff had waiting, and open. at least 6 people took her into that room, and all i could do as i walked past, was say "you're OK".
--
the crying place
burning, hot tears flowed down my face. i stifled it. i went to the grocery store and i came home.
--
This image: Christopher Payne)








4 comments:
Dearest Stephany,
That picture is humbling. And says volumes. Volumes.
Thank you for posting it.
Hi Stephany,
Thinking of you lots.
Please come by my blog and pick up your awards.
Love,
Herrad
Bless you...so much...
Thanks Herrad.
Yes the photo is very sobering isn't it? awful
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