MENTALLY AFFLICTED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 21 April 1928, Page 4

MENTALLY AFFLICTED

THEIR CARE AND TREATMENT “THE IDEAL SYSTEM” fliti(illESS OF VILLA .SCHEME Care and treatment of the mentally alllicted is now a highly specialised and highly developed study. In New Zealand the villa system, recognised as providing tile ideal method, i.- gradually yet effectively supplanting the old order. Some interesting points concerning it- development were touched upon by the. Inspector-General of Mental Hospitals (Dr. Cray), in the. course of an interview with “The Dominion." "The whole history of mental hospital.-," said Dr. Cray, “shows that, they have developed from the old times when patients were really held in much the same sense as prisoners were held. The buildings were built with that underlying idea, and in the construction oi them provision was made for a considerable number of cells, while tite grounds, so far as the potients were concerned, simply consisted of exercise yards. Nowadays, when the question of treatment and classification of patients is recognised to be of the lirst importance, structural ideas have altered materially. Instead of erecting barrack-like buildings with different wards to accommodate different types, it has been found advisable to house the different type of patient in an entirely detached self-contained unit. This system is known as the villa system. It- of course, been found : mpossible to completely adapt tii - existing structures to meet the altered views, and it would obviously be unreasonable to suggest, that the existing buildings should simply be scraplied and replaced by villas. To meetthe requirements of present clay views, no additions arc being made to the large buildings, but extensions as required are met by the establishment of separate detached villas.

ALL REQUIREMENTS MET “New mental hospitals, such as the otio now in process of erection in the Auckland province, are on the villa, plan. The villa system offers the ideal svstcin of treatment, observation, and classilic.it ion. and entirely does away with the objectionable features which arise from the aggregation of crowds of somewhat difficult, irritable, and highly dynamic people. From time to time in New Zealand there has been a demand for what tire popularly known as half-way houses. A study of the villa system must convince even the most sceptical that this system provides not. only half-way houses, but quarter-way-houses, oue-eightli-wav houses, and three-quarter-way houses; in fact, accommodation to meet the varying re(tuii ement- of the very diverse types cf people who find their wav into the institutions for the care of the mentally afflicted." A LONG JOURNEY Dr. Gray mentioned that# the principle was being adopted in every mental hospital in New Zealand. There were five villas at Porirua, in addition to the curative unit. Of all the admissions to Porirua. about 70 per cent, were admitted to the curative unit, and if by reason of non-recovery any individual bad ultimately to enter the main building, he only reached there after successive trials in the various villas anrl detached buildings, the functions of which were to prevent, as far as possible, a. patient, being labelled as chronic or irrecoverable. As exemplifying the desire of the medical staff to exhaust every possible therapeutic measure before. giving up the patient, as hopeless, Dr. Gray mentioned that from the lime of entrance to the reception cottage it would take about three years before admission to the main building had to lie resorted to.