The Psychiatric Team

Abstract

In the last chapter, we witnessed the workings of a massive industry. We saw boss texts in operation, a massive army of functionaries, institutional discourse and processes, all functioning to keep the control tight, all overpowering the individual called “patient.” Correspondingly, we walked in the institutional shoes of the distraught person from the time of being picked up through their posthospital existence. Professionals’ activation of forms was central to the narrative of that chapter. By contrast, this chapter zeroes in on the personnel themselves.

One day a youth entered the institution. He wasn’t walking, talking, or toileting. I thought: Good. This is a place to be away from whatever made him retreat. To me it was clear that he had gone within, and something in his environment had caused this. We can provide a cushion of safety. What happened? Within 48 hours he was ushered off for ECT. I brought this up in report, asked why this had happened. I was told: Why do you have to bring that feminist stuff in? And I wondered: How is it feminist to wonder why a youth is being sent to have electricity shot through his brain? We don’t even know why he isn’t walking or talking. Anyway, days later, I was lectured for not going along with the plan. And I thought: Who wrote the plan? Did he write the plan? Who consented to the plan? I also remember the family coming in. The mom had flat affect. The siblings were clingy, without boundaries, were hanging onto the nurses, every second trying to talk to us. The father noticed, and the siblings did not turn up again. With all my years as a public health nurse, I sensed something being hidden. Perhaps abuse. And this little boy was discharged back to that family, no attempt made to find out anything. Actually, I phoned you on the way home that day, Bon, pulled over to the side of the road and phoned. And I said: I can’t do this any more. I can’t participate in this. I tried to speak up, but the power of the script is too big for me.

—Cheryl G., nursing professor and interviewee