Behind the Walls of the World’s Psychiatric Hospitals
This podcast examines the history of now-defunct or abandoned psychiatric hospitals. Listen every week to learn about the history of mental health care and the true stories of the people who lived and worked behind the walls.
Episodes
This week we look at the early beginnings of what would become the Fernald State School in Massachusetts. At its outset, it was known as the Experimental School for Teaching and Training Idiotic Children. Find out how developmental disorders were classified back in the mid-19th century and what the school hoped to teach their students.
Trigger warning for outdated and ableist language, strong overtones of discriminati...
This week we reminisce about Sarah's recent trip to Crete and her visit to the Spinalonga Leper Colony. Learn about the three different "eras" the island experienced as a Venetian stronghold, Ottoman outpost, and leper colony. Discover more about leprosy, also known as Hansen's Disease, and the stigma surrounding it that persisted for centuries.
Sources used in this episode include the Spinalonga we...
This week we look at some of the paranormal activity and stories that have come from Camarillo State Hospital. Find out about the woman in white, the creepy goings-on in the former children's building, and the Scary Dairy. If YOU have a scary story from Camarillo State Hospital, please let me know!
Follow the show on Instagram: @behindthewallspod
Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/behindthewallspod...
In this week's episode, we discuss the history of the children and adolescent programs at Camarillo State Hospital. Find out where children lived when they were first introduced to the hospital and how long it took them to get their own separate program. Learn what types of units made up the Adolescent Treatment Program and what services were offered to them.
My primary source is the Images of America book on Cama...
This week's episode explores the final decades of operation at Camarillo State Hospital. Learn about the introduction of the Developmental Center that separated patients with mental illness and those with developmental disorders. Find out how one patient attempted to escape from the hospital before being stopped. And discover when and why the hospital finally came to a close.
My main source for this episode is the...
This week's episode examines the early years of Camarillo State Hospital in Camarillo, California. Find out why it grew so quickly in its first decade, and learn how many patients it housed at its peak. Discover which movie patients said was true to life at the hospital and was one that the public needed to see.
My main source will be the Images of America book on Camarillo State Hospital by Evelyn S. Taylor and M...
This week's episode explores the life and hospitalizations of author and artist Zelda Fitzgerald. Discover where she was institutionalized throughout her life and how her life came to a tragic end. Learn about the Craig House in Beacon, NY, where she was hospitalized for a time and find out what amenities were available to patients who resided there.
My main source for this episode is an Atlas Obscura article writ...
This week, Sarah interviews Rusty Tagliareni (photographer and co-author of the Images of America book on Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital) and Lisa Marie Blohm (President of Preservation Works advocacy group) to discuss what it was like to try and save the old Kirkbride building at Greystone Park and what Preservation Works is doing now to try and save other historical sites.
Follow the show on Instagram: @behindth...
This week's episode tells the story of a patient, Harrison W. Noel, who was committed to Greystone Park for the rest of his life following the commission of a gruesome double murder and kidnapping. Learn about his symptoms prior to the crime spree and find out which infamous murder Noel hoped to copy.
All sources will be listed at the end of the episode transcript.
Follow the show on Instagram: @behindthewallspod
Su...
This week's episode examines the life, music, activism, and eventual hospitalization of folk singer Woody Guthrie. Find out how he got started in music and who influenced him along the way. Learn why he was eventually committed to Greystone Park Psychiatric Center for five years on "Wardy Forty."
My main sources for this episode include the book Woody Guthrie's Wardy Forty: Greystone Park State Hosp...
This week's episode discusses the arc of deinstitutionalization at Greystone Park, from the early-1950s until the closure of the original Kirkbride building in 2008. Find out how many people lived at Greystone at its peak and how quickly that number dwindled. Learn about a class action lawsuit filed against the hospital due to the poor conditions for patients. Finally, discover just how many dangerous patients es...
This week's episode focuses on how Greystone Park managed during the years of the Great Depression and World War II. From increased overcrowding due to war, economic difficulties, and multiple fires, find out how administration advocated for their patients and survived these challenging years. Learn how Dr. Curry spent his 30 year tenure at Greystone Park and his legacy that was left behind.
Primary sources includ...
This week's episode discusses the history of the New Jersey State Insane Asylum from World War I until just before the Great Depression. Find out what circumstances led to the on-the-job death of the superintendent and find out what changes were made after a new superintendent took over. Finally, learn which ward was a favorite among the staff and public officials.
My two sources for this episode include various a...
This week's episode examines the first couple decades of the State Asylum for the Insane in Morristown, New Jersey. Find out what an average day was like at the asylum, what treatments and entertainments were offered, and how long it took for the massive building to become overcrowded.
Primary sources include the Images of America book on Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital by Rusty Tagliareni and Christina Mathew...
This week's episode looks at the final decades of Volterra Lunatic Asylum through the lens of three different physicians who each left a lasting impact on the hospital: Dr. Claus Schilling, Dr. Franco Basaglia, and Dr. Gino Basci. Find out which doctor was later tried for war crimes and which one would go on to create the most radical psychiatric law in the world. Finally, hear the story of one patient who quite ...
This week's episode covers a particularly turbulent time in Italian history: from WWI to WWII and the birth of the Republic. Find out how Volterra Lunatic Asylum fared during wartime and why it began to help feed the surrounding city of Volterra. Learn why the hospital superintendent was forced to retire after 34 years on the job. Discover how Fascism infiltrated every aspect of daily life.
My main sources for thi...
In this week's episode, we head to Tuscany, Italy, to the hilltop town of Volterra. Learn about the early history of the Volterra Lunatic Asylum, the political climate of Italy at the time, and the controversial treatments of the first asylum director, Dr. Luigi Scabia. Finally, hear the stories of two artists who were sent to Volterra later in their lives.
The main source for this episode is the Manicomio di Volt...
This week's episode is perfectly-timed for Halloween! Learn about Rolling Hills Asylum as a haunted attraction and what draws people to the site. Find out about the staff and patients who lived at the poor farm and whose spirits are said to roam the halls still. Discover what is so creepy about the "Christmas Room" and what happens to visitors when they lie down on the autopsy slab in the morgue. Listen...
This week we discuss the history of Rolling Hills Asylum, which was known as the Genesee County Poor Farm while it was in operation. Learn about the historical context that shows why poorhouses started in New York. Find out about the doctor that exposed the horrific conditions that poor and mentally ill folks were living in. Finally, discover when and why the Genesee County Farm became known as Rolling Hills Asylum.
Al...
This week's episode tells the stories of six survivors of Ireland's Magdalen laundries and orphanages. Learn what their typical work day was like, what punishments they experienced, and what the long-term consequences were of incarceration at the laundries.
My main sources for this episode include the 1998 documentary Sex in a Cold Climate and a 2013 BBC article entitled, "Magdalene Laundries: Survivor S...
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