MENTAL HOSPITALS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 107, 2 November 1937, Page 8

MENTAL HOSPITALS

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —In answer to the DirectorGeneral of Mental Hospitals (Dr. T. G. Gray's) letter in your correspondence column of October 26, may we correct the inaccuracy that has crept into his statement re our lack of knowledge regarding the occupational therapy at present in operation in the- mental hospitals under his control. ' Dr. Gray was presenj when the guild's representative stated to the Minister in Charge of Mental Hospitals inter alia, "Careful perusal of the Etrmual report of the Mental ( Hospitals Department for the year ending 31/12/36 leaves guild members with a greater degree of confidence in the expectation of more modern methods of equipment and treatment being used for patients." Our speaker then emphasised that guild members were not so concerned with the comfort and wellbeing of the patients resident in the different villas, but rather our concern was for the wellbeing of those patients who were housed in the large institutions and who form the greater proportion of the 7539 patients under the control of the Mental Hospitals Department.

Dr. Gray informed our deputation that women patients worked in the laundry 5£ hours daily 5 days a week, 7 hours daily if employed in the kitchen. Our speaker challenged this statement and, speaking from her experience as a housewife, said it was wrong that mentally sick women should be required to work these hours at heavy laundry work. Her remarks have our hearty approval.

Now Sir, since Dr. Gray has raised the question of occupational therapy in your columns, we, and no doubt many of your readers, will be interested) in reading his answers to the following questions. 1. Is the whole of the. work of keeping these large institutions and the surrounding farms and gardens in order, cooking, laundry, sewing, etc., done by the mental hospital patients? 2. Do patients get paid for doing this work?

3. Are patients who are engaged upon these tasks, if in a position to pay, still charged the mental hospital fee of four guineas a week? j 4. Are medical officers and members of the staff's homes supplied with domestic helpers from the institutions?

5. Are mental hospital patients required to do the laundry work of the members of the staff?

6.'Are. patients penalised if they refuse to do the tasks allotted to them? 7i Is Dr. Gray of opinion that this hard, laborious, and monotonous work is conducive to a healthy and happy outlook and promotes the speedy return of patients to normal community life? 8. Does Dr. Gray not think that scrubbing, polishing, washing, and cooking must be particularly trying and harmful to women whose mental illness is largely the result of nervous exhaustion due to .the strain, of child bearing and strenuous conditions of work in their homes? We await Dr. Gray's reply to these questions. In conclusion may we say the guild s recommendations covered a comprehensive and constructive range of suggestions and we are satisfied that these suggestions, if carried out, would do much to assist the curative work of the mental hospitals. We would like to express our cordial appreciation of the sympathetic hearing we received from the Hon. Mr. Fraser, Minister in Charge of Mental Hospitals, when the representations of our guild were placed before him.—We are, etc., ,

EXECUTIVE OF THE WOMEN'S . SERVICE GUILD; INC."