High Royds Hospital

Fred Bloggs · Post by **Fred Bloggs** » Wed 14 Jan, 2009 10:06 am

I suffered child abuse in the fifties and sixties. My father took me to medecine and successfully had me diagnosed with a mental illlness which I didn't have. Thus he covered his tracks for ever. The doctors were useless.This would be the room where I had Electro Convulsive Therapy (to get rid of my ticks.) I recognise it. I used to come in through that door at the back in my socks. I was sixteen. This was taken a few short years after I was there. The main bed was at right angles then. The bed on the left which is most in view is where I woke up several times wondering where I was and where I'd been. Who was I? Thanks a lot. What a nice life. Put through all that because I had nervous ticks. Who wouldn't have after what I'd been through.

silverstealth · Post by **silverstealth** » Wed 14 Jan, 2009 11:38 am

Fred Bloggs wrote: I suffered child abuse in the fifties and sixties. My father took me to medecine and successfully had me diagnosed with a mental illlness which I didn't have. Thus he covered his tracks for ever. The doctors were useless.This would be the room where I had Electro Convulsive Therapy (to get rid of my ticks.) I recognise it. I used to come in through that door at the back in my socks. I was sixteen. This was taken a few short years after I was there. The main bed was at right angles then. The bed on the left which is most in view is where I woke up several times wondering where I was and where I'd been. Who was I? Thanks a lot. What a nice life. Put through all that because I had nervous ticks. Who wouldn't have after what I'd been through. What a harrowing story Fred..You are quite correct fred the image is indeed the ect treatment room on Escroft, richmond. Unfortunately your experience is not uncommmon in relation to the dolling out of this particulatar therapy.Over in wakefield they were still giving it out raw without muscle relaxants up to the early 1970'sWould you mind if I added your experience of high royds to the site. I think its important that people know what went on behind the closed doors.www.highroydshospital.co.ukMy email is [email protected]

Fred Bloggs · Post by **Fred Bloggs** » Thu 15 Jan, 2009 2:59 am

Thanks for your comments Silverstealth. I've notice you around a couple of places not least of which the High Royds Site. Yes, do put my post on the site although I should let you know that I got the picture from the Highroyds Site anyway and have been sending it to people I know. I very much agree that there is much that went on behind closed doors that needs to come out into the open.Keep up the good workPaul

silverstealth · Post by **silverstealth** » Thu 15 Jan, 2009 11:01 am

Hi Paul thanks, I have added your comments to the site. http://highroydspauperlunaticasylum.fot ... 56.htmlThe comments are on the very picture you have posted, I realised the image was off the site as its the only image of the ect suite I have seen on the net. I scanned from the contact magazine for staff. I don't mind at all you using it at all.History is often charted via the polished accounts of these places, the hospital minute books often only show what they want the world to see. The reports are the tidied up version and are more telling by what is omitted rather than added. Experiences like yours as harrowing as they are, show the human story behind these vast institutions. What I would say though is that High Royds was just the venue, the blame lies with the society that allowed you to be sent there in the first place.Having spoken to lots of people that spent time at High Royds I know the experience often leaves far reaching consequences so I realise that even for you to talk about it took a lot of courage. Slighlty off topic, I was talking to Martin Smith last night. He was a true pioneer he went round all the Asylums and colonies looking for deaf people wrongly certified as deficeint or suffering from mental illness , back in 1957 he went to High Royds and witnessed first hand the conditions. One of his earliest memories was seeing a group of epeliptics locked in a cage on an airing court singing a song about High Royds and the misery they encountered. During his career he rescued people that had been in these insitutions for many years, one particular chap in Denbigh north Wales had spent 43 years confined through wrong diagnoses. He rescued Geoffrey Abbott from Meanwood who had spent 22 years there diagnosed as a mental defective from the age of 6..http://meanwoodparkhospital.fotopic.net ... 9.htmlThis is Geoffrey with Martin back in 1993Geoffrey Abbott A True Survivor, 22 Years In Meanwood For Being Deaf.“My father signed a paper and put me away and put me into hospital, he just signed it. This hearing man just put me in hospital and it was my father’s fault, my father who was bad, it was wrong. Well I didn’t communicate. I didn’t talk to them, it was full of hearing people and I was by myself and there were like warders there with keys who like locked things up and I really had to be quite patient.”Sadly Geoffrey died 10 years ago, for many years he was a volunteer at the Deaf club in Leeds.www.meanwoodpark.co.uk

chemimike · Post by **chemimike** » Wed 12 May, 2010 11:23 am

There is apparently a program about high royds on BBC 4 on Mondayhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/may/12/ ... -treatment

Fred Bloggs · Post by **Fred Bloggs** » Wed 12 May, 2010 11:43 am

Thanks Chemimike! I'll be there, watching avidly, remembering old times, living on my nerves.

Crazy Jane · Post by **Crazy Jane** » Thu 13 May, 2010 11:33 pm

Damn good photo of it on the link, though i really couldn;t face the programme.The only way i want to see it on the telly is on the local news with at least ten fire engines struggling (and hopefully failing) to keep control of the situation

Post by **chameleon** » Thu 13 May, 2010 11:43 pm

Crazy Jane wrote: Damn good photo of it on the link, though i really couldn;t face the programme.The only way i want to see it on the telly is on the local news with at least ten fire engines struggling (and hopefully failing) to keep control of the situation Careful what you wish for, close -http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 6291676.jp

Brandy · Post by **Brandy** » Thu 13 May, 2010 11:57 pm

woooah that's a little bit weird right there eh? nearly bang on right with the fire engines also. jane asked for 10 but they only sent 9! lol

Post by **chameleon** » Tue 11 Jan, 2011 11:40 pm

Now on BBC4 if anyone can catch it -Mentral: A history of hte madhouse featuring life, patients and treatment at Highroyds. Don't know if it will be repeated anywhere again, this is the programme first shown last May.