CITY OF WANDERING MINDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 144, 19 June 1926, Page 16

CITY OF WANDERING MINDS.

— m INSPECTION OF THE AUCKLAND MENTAL HOSPITAL. WAITING FOR RECOVERY. PATIENTS' PRIVILEGES AND AMUSEMENTS. No. V. "Canst thou minister to a mind diseased?" asked the Melancholy Dane, hopelessly. In the time of Hamlet, indeed, little could be. done for the mentally afflicted. Those were the dark days, in which insanity was regarded sis an affliction imposed direct from the hand of the Almighty, and its alleviation or cure was considered impossible. It all depended upon the circumstances of the sufferer, his influence, position, and friends, whether lie was humoured or consigned to a dungeon. Nor was it for many centuries that even civiSised communities became enlightened with regard to the treatment of mental diseases. Indeed, the early Victorian period in England in this regard was a blot upon our history, and it took the exposures of Charles Reade, in "Hard Times," and the author of "Valentine Vox" to awaken the public to a realisation of the horrors of the asylums for the insane. Such an awful condition of affairs was then revealed as to thoroughly stir the public conscience, and reforms were commenced which at length brought about a new and better system, offering hope for the sufferer in the early stages of insanity, instead of, as formerly, driving completely mad with its horrors those who passed into institutions which were merely prisons and very terrible prisons at that. Public Deeply Concerned. Though this public conscience was lulled into a better sense of ease following on the institution of reform in the asylums, it has never gone completely asleep, and the welfare of the unfortunately afflicted is safe in the hands of the people outside—if the people are kept acquainted with the facts of their condition. The worst of all things in connection with the mental hospitals is the preservation of secrecy regarding their management. The public deeply resent secrecy in the conduct of State institutions; it makes them suspicious that all is not as it should be. It was the hush-hush attitude of officialdom in the past that led to the many rumours regarding the Auckland. Mental Hospital, and to the agitation ,for reform; and it may be taken for granted that this policy will not be tolerated when it hides behind a veil those people with whom the outside community so deeply sympathise. It is gratifying to know that • the present administration welcomes all inquiry, that it has nothing to hide, and that its sole concern is the welfare of its patients. The Work of Restoration. . And so it comes about that Hamlet's query can, in these days, and at our own: mental hospital, be answered in the affirmative. Afflicted minds are cared for, humoured, soothed, and often restored to the normal. Dr. Prins puts it this way: "The insane are anti-social. That is why they are here. Up to a point a person may be as eccentric as he likes, and still be tolerated by society. But when he becomes violent, or too noisy, or a danger to himself, then he is declared to be insane. The great thing is to restore him to normal —to again make him social. To that end, all possible is done to soothe the mind, to overcome delusions,, to get him interested in everyday matters. It is hard, however, to get some of these people out of themselves, even when tliey are apparently almost normal again. They will not mingle with their fellows, they will not attend the concerts or other entertainments provided -for them in the institution, they will not go out with walking parties or with shopping parties; they will not stir out of the institution, although encouraged to do so under suitable escort. With others, 'of course, it is different. They can be brought out of themselves and gradually restored to a state of mind in which they may go forth into the world again in confidence and security." Care of Physical Health. There are perhaps no people whose physical health is eared for with such scrupulous detail as are the inmates of a modern mental hospital, and there are no people whose physical health is better. Out of the twelve hundred inmates at the institution under review, there are under thirty ill in bed,' and these are mostly epileptics, or old people who are slowly passing into the future—of better understanding, let it be hoped. The oldest inhabitant is a woman who has been there ever since the main building was erected, nearly forty years ago—"and a dear old soul she is," says Dr. Prins, whose gentleness and humane understanding make him the idol of his numerous charges. The regular habits of the inmates and the immediate attention given to the slightest . ills make for their physical health and the prolongation of life. It will surprise most people to learn that parties of inmates from the mental hospital are frequently in the city, accompanied by attendants in mufti. They are brought in to see the shops, to make purchases, to go trips, and to see the sights generally. Also, they come, a score at a time, in charge of four attendants, to see suitable pictures, and no one would know by their demeanour that they were not "even as you or I." In such manner is the confidence of convalescing patients restored, until they are deemed sufficiently recovered to be discharged from the'institution, on probation, or cured. Large Measure of Liberty. There is, too, a system of parole in existence at the hospital, suitable patients being given liberty to wander at large about the grounds or in the vicinity, or even to -take trips to the city, on their undertaking to return at a fixed time. Rarely indeed is this parole broken, and the benefit to the patients who enjoy it is immense. Patients who are sufficiently recovered to be permitted this liberty understand the importance of it, and, although they greatly value being allowed so much freedom, they do not wish to be discharged from the hospital until the medical superintendent as thoroughly satisfied that they can stand the strain of the competitive life outside—for a person restored to normal by the quiet and secure life of the institution may for some time after discharge be liable : to be knocked off his balance again by tbe worries of the outside world. All patients when they are discharged; __!__°. c ' _* re * by. the medical _*M™__S__t to «tujaju volnatacr ".\llafctliiwii_ ij r ___ ' *" T^^~

patients if they find themselves greatly worried again, or are unable to sleep, and many of them take advantage of the opportunity and come back for a few weeks' further rest and treatment. Thus they often avoid another complete breakdown, and they subsequently progress until the uneasy past is left far behind. And not only committed patients are admitted to the institution. Voluntary patients frequently come along, and they are not refused, for it is realised that if a person comes to a mental hospital thinking he needs its treatment his mind must be far from at ease. In such cases, it may be a matter of imagination—but these imaginations are likely to progress. The voluntary patient is required to sign an agreement to censent to detention at the hospital for two weeks after he has sent to the superintendent a written application for discharge.