HOUSING MENTAL PATIENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 5 July 1930, Page 14

HOUSING MENTAL PATIENTS

VILLA TAKES PLACE OF CELL. . MORE HUMANITARIAN METHODS. How residential villas were replacing prison-like asylums in New Zealand for the treatment of the mentally afflicted, who were also being given the benefit of separate consultation clinics and voluntary attendance for treatment, was explained by Dr. T. G. Gray, In-spector-General of Mental Hospitals, in a public lecture under the auspices of the Wellington Labour Club. Mental, hospitals had developed from prisons in which vfeve dark, foul cells, straw beds, manacles, raving , maniacs, brutal and callous keepers, ignorant and drunken doctors, helpless and hopeless misery relieved only by death. In 1845 there was passed in the House of Commons the Act which laid the foundation for the present-day legislation dealing with mental hospitals in Great Britain. It -was easy to scoff nowadays at the view held in 1845 and for many years afterwards that mental patients were dangerous. They were indeed • ‘dangerous, but only so because of the brutality of their treatment.’ To-day dangerous patients did not constitute 2 per cent, of the of any of our institutions. At Nelson mental hospital 80 per cent, of the male patients were on parole, they being allowed to wander at will over the estate. The mental hospitals of New Zealand naturally followed the models- of English asylums, but in common with all progressive countries the Dominion was gradually eliminating the objectionable features.as opportunity and financial conditions permitted. Tho last word in mental hospitals constructed was the villa, system, in which there was a large main building which was so characteristic of our present institutions. However much the construction of the present buildings might be deplored, it would be obviously impossible to abandon or demolish those old buildings, which represent up to last year a capital outlay of £1,363,933. It had been decided that no further additions would be made to existing buildings, but that all future accommodation would be secured by erecting detached villas, and that policy had been carried out. About 20 years ago, when a patient went to Porirua, he.went to the only place available, which was a great, ugly, gaunt main building —-a most depressing looking place. To-day ho went first of all to an admission cottage, where he was thoroughly examined by two medical officers. Although the number of insane in New Zealand was proportionately the same as in other countries, with our highly favoured conditions the numbers should be fewer. The steadily-growing population of our mental hospitals gave room for very considerable worry and anxiety, and the immensity of the problem would be recognised by observance of the fact that the total net expenditure incurred last year in running our institutions was £303,299. It had been found, said Dr. Gray, that early consultation and appropriate treatment could do a great deal to prevent the onset and lessen the duration of mental disease, and it was felt that if persons afflicted with any sort of mental difficulty would only consult with (he officers of the department a great advance would be made in the direction of prevention. To that end clinics for nervous affections had been established at the general hospital in each of the four large towns. Those clinics had been an immediate success, and wer' doing a fine work. The recovery rate in connection with committed patients was as low as 26.04, but no fewer than 68.6 of voluntary boarders were discharged within 12 months. In essential matters there was remarkably little difference between the sane and tho insane.