Ph.D. Robert J. Craig - State of Mind: Life and Work in a Mental Hospital

PRAISE FOR

STATE of mIND

Life and Work
in a Mental Hospital

This is a candid and engaging first-hand account of a noted psychologists eight years at a state psychiatric hospital. It is full of interesting case vignettes and stories, some amusing, some chilling, some dark, some instructive. These come from diverse settings and populations, and are brought into context with digressions into the professional, administrative, and legal standards as these applied at the time. Dr. Craig spares neither himself nor his fellow employees, from superintendents through psychologist and psychiatrist colleagues to psychiatric aides. as he puts the reader behind-the-scenes of the day-to-day events, problems, dilemmas, and disputes that hummed in the world of institutionalized psychiatric care during his career tenure.

Dave Nichols Ph.D.

Portland, Oregon

This book documents the experiences of a young psychologist as he earns his Ph.D. in psychology and gains experience in treating the mentally ill in a public institution. The different patient and staff personalities, situations, and politics of mental health care all lead to an informative and enjoyable read from a man who loved his profession and had a successful and rewarding career.

Bernard A. Bonkalski R.Ph.

Hayward, Wisconsin

The author has crafted an engaging and very captivating book that recounts the history of state mental health hospitals during the middle of the 20th century through a series of entertaining stories and vignettes. He captured the era perfectly in a very readable book that does justice to a number of complex issues such as the often troublesome relationship between psychiatry and psychology, the often tragic side effects of the early antipsychotics, and the complex politics of state mental health hospitals. The content will have great appeal for both mental health professionals as well as the general public interested in the history and culture of state mental health hospitals, the professional development of an outstanding psychologist, and the pivotal role played by state mental health hospitals in the treatment of the mentally ill. I enjoyed it immensely.

Robert P. Archer, Ph.D.,

ABPP Frank Harrell Redwood Distinguished

Professor, Eastern Virginia Medical School

State of Mind describes Dr. Craigs experiences as a psychology trainee, staff psychologist and the first psychologist to serve as the director of an inpatient psychiatric unit in the state mental health system. A consummate storyteller, he takes the reader behind the scenes and into the therapy room, weaving clinical insights into stories that are laugh-out-loud funny or touching and poignant.

State of Mind is a must-read for individuals interested in the mental health field, students and experienced clinicians. People inside and outside the profession will find it engrossing reading. I loved it.

Mark J. Zerwic, Ph.D.

Chief, Psychology Section

Jesse Brown VA Medical Center

Chicago, Illinois;

Clinical Associate Professor,

University of Illinois College of Medicine

This book was a delight to read. This is a true and personal history of the mental health system during those years. It certainly brought back memories for me since I, too, trained in that era. I believe that knowing our history is valuable in order to appreciate where the system is now and how it got there. Thank you for asking me to read it.

Catherine Cooper Ph.D.

Carol Stream, IL

Not many mental health professionals provide memoirs about their time and service in working in a mental health facility. Bob Craig has provided a very unique description of his early experiences as he progressed from a psychology intern and into his career as a staff member and later a department head at an inpatient psychiatric facility. Clear and informative descriptions and insights are provided in this process. The reader will find the experiences described as providing a very unique and informative perspective of mental health treatment during this time.

James N. Butcher, PhD

Minneapolis, MN

An intriguing read not just for students and professionals in the mental health field, but anyone seeking to understand the plight of the mentally distressed. Dr. Craigs personal account of his extensive professional experience in a state hospital, in a time when it was the accepted standard of care, lifts a shroud of secrecy and mystery. Particularly poignant in his account are his reflections on interactions between staff and patients; he also brings to light the struggles of professionals to maintain ethical care, often a controversial enterprise in the world of greys typical in this line of work. A worthy history lesson that will have you reflecting on many questions of humanity and humane treatment.

Seth Grossman, Psy.D.

Cooper City, FL

In State of Mind: Life and Work in a Mental Hospital, Dr. Craig offers an insightful, often humorous, account of his observations and experiences while working as an intern, and then staff psychologist, at a large mental hospital in Illinois during the 1960s and 1970s. This was a turbulent time for the country as it underwent sweeping social and political change spawned by the Vietnam War, civil rights movement, and rise of the youth culture. In the midst of all this, America was releasing large numbers of institutionalized mentally ill persons into the community. It did so with the hope that new, more effective treatments for serious mental illness would make long-term hospitalization unnecessary. Dr. Craigs tenure in the Illinois mental hospital system began at a time when thousands of chronic patients were kept for years at a time (sometimes indefinitely) at large facilities that became mini-cities for its inhabitants. By the time he left, many of these hospitals were closing because fewer and fewer patients were being admitted for long-term care.

Dr. Craig takes the reader inside the mini-city mental hospital where he trained and worked. We follow him during his eye-opening experiences as a new intern, and grow with him as he becomes a seasoned staffer. With wit and wry humor, he describes the professional and clerical staff he encountered, as well as the methods of treatment that were used at the time. With care and poignancy, he shares many wonderful and intriguing (sometimes beguiling) stories about the patients he encountered and what he learned from them.

All of Dr. Craigs insightful reporting comes from the heart. His is an important memoir about a place and time in American history that may seem improbable by 21st-century standards, yet happened less than 50 years ago.

Stephen Strack, Ph.D.

South Pasadena, CA 91030

STATE of mIND

Life and Work
in a Mental Hospital

ROBERT J. CRAIG, PH.D.

State of Mind:

Life and Work in a Mental Hospital

by Robert J. Craig, Ph.D.

Copyright 2015 Dr. Robert J. Craig, Ph.D.

ISBN 978-1-63393-123-7

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the author.

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