The Locked Ward: A humane and revealing account of life on the frontlines of mental health care.

(Paperback)

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An extraordinary account of life behind the locked doors of a secure psychiatric ward from a nurse who worked there for seven years. This is a memoir which will appeal to fans of the bestselling Stuart- A Life Backwards and Gabriel Weston's top-10 bestseller Direct Red. An extraordinary account of a nurse's life behind the locked doors of a secure psychiatric ward. Dennis O'Donnell started work as an orderly in the Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit of a large hospital in Scotland in 2000. In his daily life he encountered fear, violence and despair but also a considerable amount of care and compassion. Recounting the stories of the patients he worked with, and those of his colleagues on the ward, here he examines major mental health conditions, methods of treatment - medication, how religion, sex, wealth, health and drugs can bear influence on mental health, the prevailing attitudes to psychiatric illness, the authorities, the professionals & society. What emerges is a document of humanity and humour, a remarkable memoir that sheds light on a world that still remains largely unknown. 'This is a superb study of people whose minds have gone wrong, and the art of caring for them' Evening Standard

Reviews

Crammed full of vivid anecdotes and careful observations that run from terrifying to laugh-out-loud to exquisitely painful...a valuable contribution to the literature of madness * Observer *
Observant, modest, lightly erudite and heavily self-deprecating...an informative read. * Scotland on Sunday *
I really enjoyed The Locked Ward. He is compassionate without any taint of sentimentality, and the way he uses language is so elastic. It's like he's the most brilliant court-jester in the most colourful of courts. Bravo to him!
His tone is just right - perfect for the subject matter. He's like a very good documentary maker; he knows exactly where to point the camera * Spectator *
We come away with a better understanding of life on a locked ward, and the book should contribute to a more open discussion of mental illness and suicide * Irish Times *

Author Bio

Dennis O'Donnell was born in Scotland and attended Edinburgh University where he read English. He was an English teacher for many years before leaving to become a psychiatric orderly. He now lives in West Lothian.