On Apr 29, 2008, at 11:11 PM, Mike Farnam wrote:
Dear Heidi,



The time factors here may be a little scrabbled up, like when and why I was released. There’s a story behind that.

In was born and raised in Cadillac, Mi.

To give you an idea of why I was there, In 1960 I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. I guess back then the only thing they knew to do with someone with epilepsy is lock them up.



On Hall18 every time I had a seizure I was thrown in the seclusion room. Some times in restraints.

I don't recall what the lowest type of punishment was, but there was a couple. One was getting your privileges pulled.

There were different levels of privileges and parol that had to be earned. In order to go outside with the group you had to have privileges, to visit your family (which was every other weekend and for some, once a month) depending on your privileges. A special privilege was going home for the weekend.

One of the few exciting things on Hall18 was on weekends during visiting hours, we were all waiting for the phone to ring to see if our parent’s were coming. When the phone rang we would run to the Nurses station to see who’s parent’s was calling. But then we had to wait for another call from down stairs to say your parent’s was there. I still remember the feeling I had just waiting.

You also had to have privileges receive allowance to go to the Canteen. This was money dropped off at the nurses station by your parent’s.

Parol was one of the highest privileges you could earn. You had a Parol card and could go out on your own.

I just remembered this last night and I'm sure Tom still remember.

The light switches were only a slot in the wall where the actual flip tab went and was activated and deactivated by a key that only the Attendants had. I used a tab off of a pair of pull over snow boots(galoshes) of mine. It fit perfect in the slot.

Some times the attendants would give us the keys and let us turn the lights on.



One thing that never left my mind was the caged in porches. I believe they were refer to as Balcony's and the "day room" was called the Annex(?)





I'm going to cut this short for now but alot more things are coming back.



Here's a picture of me just after I got out of TCSH
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t313 ... 1209436781


To be continued

Mike

Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 11:34 AM


Dear Michael,


Thank you so much for sharing your personal memories....it truly means a lot to me and I find moments of recognition in your recollections.
I had heard about the Parol card...but the whole concept seems so adult... you were just a little kid and it seems so callous and difficult to expect
kids to earn 'priviledges' ....and parol cards? Why were sick little kids treated like prison inmates??!...But I guess it sort of was like a prison then wasn't it.
I am so sorry you and other innocent children had to endure such ignorance and to such a disgraceful extent.
I do not work in the field, but I like to think our generation was the last to experience mental health care without Patient's Rights.


How are you doing now? What do you do in Oklahoma?
My father was born and raised in Cadillac as well and I have about a dozen relatives that still live there.
I grew up in and near Traverse City (I was born at Munson hospital in 1963) My aunt Undine was a patient at the TCSH from 1954 - 1972...she was there
when you were there. As a little kid, I would slide down to floor of the car to hide when we drove by the TCSH...I thought FOR SURE that my aunt could
see my mom and I driving by. I didn't want her to see me and think I was so mean that I wouldn't come and get her out of there. My mother has had problems with
depression her entire life and came from a dysfunctional family of 13 kids. She basically wrote my aunt off because she couldn't deal with her mental illness then...and now.
My aunt had hebrenic schizophrenia.


Anyway Michael, thank you for sending the photo too...what a cute little guy.
I just can't get past how 'trained adults' could treat children so poorly in the 1960's!! ...in some ways, we have come so far in 40+ years...


Just an quick historical story about epilepsy and Dr. James Decker Munson, superintendent of the NMA - TCSH 1885 - 1925. His sister died of complications of epilepsy when he was a young man of 13, Munson then attended U of M in Ann Arbor and wrote his doctoral thesis on epilepsy (I have a copy of the original thesis) And recently I found evidence that an asylum guard (and long time personal friend to Munson) died of an epileptic seizure on the lawn of the hospital in 1910 while on patrol as the Head of asylum security. The newspapers covered it up and said he died of heart failure...But the State of Michigan death records said the cause of death was "epileptic seizure". I find this amazing! that Dr. Munson would knowingly have employed someone with epilepsy in such a position of authority and ESPECIALLY during that time of true ignorance about the illness...maybe Munson was far far ahead of his time.


Take good care,
Heidi Johnson

Certain songs put me in certain places. There are some that put me in one of the seclusion rooms.

ronl wrote:

Certain songs put me in certain places. There are some that put me in one of the seclusion rooms.

remember Mike the record player was next to the first seclusion room next to the office, I can place myself next to that old record player many times.

ronl wrote:Mike it wasn't till 67 when they allowed battery operated record players, which I got one. but in 65 66 we only had that old mono one which use to be next to the office, that was where the wall plug was. You were only about 10 years old so maybe you cannot recall this. Sometimes they would move it down by the pool table when the other kids were watching TV.