BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

KEN KESEY

• Born in CO (1935)• Died in OR (2001)

“I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a hippie”

EXPERIMENTATION WITH DRUGS

• Part of CIA experiment with psychoactive drugs

• LSC, cocaine, mescaline

• Kept using them after the experiment!

WHY CUCKOO’S NEST?

• Worked at a State Veterans’ Hospital

• Talked with patients (while on hallucinogenic drugs)

• Felt SOCIETY had pushed them out since they were “different” not that they were INSANE

MENTAL INSTITUTIONS / HOSPITALS

• Wide variety of institutions

• In- or out-patient facilities• Variety of disorders• Voluntary or involuntary basis

EVOLUTION OF CARE

• Containment and restraint

• Treatment with drugs / therapy• To allow them to live lives outside an institution

TITICUT FOLLIES

• Only film banned NOT due to sexuality, language, or drug use.

TYPES OF TREATMENT

Electroshock Treatment

Lobotomy

TYPES OF FACILITIES

• Crisis Stabilization• Suicidal, violent patients

• Open Units• Try to make life as normal as possible

• Medium Term• Few weeks

TYPES (CONT.)

• Juvenile Wards

• Halfway Houses• Type where my sister works

MENTAL ILLNESS TODAY

• Medications has come a long way.

• Mentally ill is NOT mentally handicapped.

• Mentally ill are in society and around us!