Boiler,
I spoke to the high school boy who interviewed me. He will call you very soon. His name is Will Grossman. I'm very sorry about your wife's sister and I agree that the DMH really needs some of its power taken away. Drugs are not the way to treat a person's problems, and if they included more therapy and less abuse, people wouldn't consider mental hospitals as complete shitholes. Everyone in today's hospitals are people too, and should be treated as human beings. I think one of the problems is lack of funding for the DMH.

Former Visitor,

I completely agree with you! Many children whom I knew of had very minor disorders like Down Syndrome and other stuff that didn't require a trip to a hellhole like Gaebler. And the blood taking and vaccinations were horrible, I hated them. I don't remember the chalkboard, but I clearly will never forget the rec room. I only went in there to stomp on the floor and release my anger. It sucks that we all had to go through that. I hope you are well wherever you are and wish you the best.

Pookie, thank you very much for the message. Yes, the dept. of mental health sucks, and it's terrible that you got sent there too. What went on in there was just hell, and the only positive thing about Gaebler going down was that no more children would have to deal with the horrors in there. Unfortunately, I don't remember you from my time there. I'm sorry, but I don't facebook. With all the stories about myspace and facebook suicides out there, I think it's best that I don't get involved. But we all got stronger, so it's for the best.

Boiler, when I was there, I just felt sad. Knowing what we all went through made me wish everyone who I knew was there was with me. I felt bad being alone. But yes, I went inside and the windows were boarded up. I noticed the eerie wall paintings that I clearly remember, especially the creepy jungle scene. And it was so quiet in there, except for some scuffling noises, but I could hear screaming in my mind. It was just awful, but we all got stronger. I can't believe that it's gone now. Some things should be left under wraps, I guess. Someone actually interviewed me on my experiences. He was a really polite child from a private school who said that he wanted to document the unfairness of mental health treatment for educational purposes and to give us a voice. I am still in contact with him, and I'm sure he'd like to talk to you. Do you want to be interviewed boiler? I think it is all for a good cause and people need to know what happened to us so that our other brothers and sisters can fight for proper rights to stop other's lives from being ruined. If you give me your contact number and your permission, I could have him arrange an interview on the phone so that we can make it known what the hell happened within those walls.

Was there, I was on Ward D. I have Aspergers Syndrome and barely socialized with anyone back then, and I consider myself a solitary man today. But I was able to have a wife and son and we live happily. I don't remember a lot of names, because I only socialized with a few people in D ward. I remember this room, as I got sent there several times, UGH! What ward were you on? Why were you sent to Gaebler? (If you're ok answering that).

Pookie and Boiler,
I'm very sorry for what you went through when you were at Gaebler. I was there from 1986-1988 for attempting suicide several times. I'm so glad there are finally people who have been there who I can connect with after many years. I'm Luke and I have many negative memories of that horrible place. I went there before thanksgiving of 2010 before the demolition. I saw the activities center and basketball court, which I remember using sometimes. I might know you from my time there. It's really terrible that the building is gone now. Please reply to me. I would really like to talk to you.