Anything you'd like to know about my 10 years working in a mental hospital?

It was a state mental hospital. It had a civil commitment section (homeless people brought in by police, indigent mental patients whose families couldn't care for them) and it had a forensic section (people serving prison terms considered mentally ill or not guilty by reason of insanity). I worked as a teacher, first adolescents for 5 years, then adults for 5 years. I have been retired for 4 years.

I'm asking this because I'm writing my memoirs of my career to be given to my friends and wondered what, if anything, people might want to know about it.

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greenmountaingal · 70-79, F

Kellycastro, no one is allowed to smack, shove or manhandle patients if they're unruly; it's a situation ripe for lawsuits. However, if a patient is causing harm to themselves or attacking another patient or staff, they have to be restrained in some way. All staff have to take an annual class that teaches how to restrain a dangerous patient and also teaches self-defense if attacked. A situation involving restraint is often referred to as a take down. It's done very quickly and efficiently. There is a hospital police station at the hospital and they respond to calls for help very quickly. I have had to participate in a few take downs over the years. I have also had to defend myself against various kinds of attacks here and there and have gotten hurt with minor injuries a couple of times. Most violence is patient fighting patient. Over my 10 years, there were some deaths of patients and staff. In fact, when I got the job I was replacing a teacher who'd been killed by adolescent students on her first day at work. All staff wear alarm belts and help comes quickly.

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greenmountaingal · 70-79, F

@satanburger: They didn't actually intend to kill her. They just wanted to scare her by making threats..and it worked. She panicked, did not scream for help, crawled under her desk and the students kicked at her to get her to come out. A kick connected to her head, put her in a coma, and she died.

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greenmountaingal · 70-79, F

@satanburger: The kids surrounded her and called her names and threatened mayhem and violence. Remember, these kids were in a mental hospital for a reason. The teacher was not supposed to ever be alone with these kids; they were known to be dangerous. The teacher sent her security staff person and her teaching assistant on errands with both of them protesting and telling her she was not allowed to be alone with her students. In the 10 years I worked there, I was never alone with students. Doing this kind of work means caring about your students but also never forgetting that they are dangerous people. They usually do know what they're doing and they also know they cannot be punished for anything they do under those circumstances. Some people cannot grasp the concept that these kinds of students are dangerous while still having enough empathy to teach them. They never should have hired her. It was truly a tragedy.

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