Extreme Precautions

great name for a band! Great shot too!

hey i think I found my band name lol...great idea!

that is SOO EFFING AWSOME!!!!

Ha Ha, my brother had that stenciled on his bedroom door in our old house when I was little. WOW, what a flashback!

THIS IS AWSOME,
sadistic in an Admin sort of way

What constituted "extreme precautions" I wonder? Mace? Body armour? A platoon? :-/

i wonder what was on the other side of that door during dsh's operating times

Did you see this when you first walked in through a door? If you did, you got in the same way as I did.

e_jamesiii, there's no sadism like ADMIN sadism! It's not what you request, it's not how you request it... it's all down to what they file you under...

creepy!

*shivers* thats creepy.

Needless to say behind that door is a beach, ocean air and sun. You all should check it out.

wowzers.
nicee.

Picture this scenario. Someone rushing the door, in an attempt to escape. A frequent occurence. Alternately a fight happening just inside the door, behooves one to be real careful on entering the door. The patients moved to a violent ward tended to have impulse control issues, another good reason for extreme caution

Lynne,
What would extreme precautions consist of?
Thanks

Building on what Big Ed said, it's as much a prep for the state of mind to be prepared for "excitement." Don't have your arms full of books; don't wear anything around your neck that can't be pulled off immediately (where I work if we wear ID badges or keys on a loop around our necks it has to be a break-away loop - that's as important for regular users as for people who work with the more challenging folks. I was filing and bent over and got my keys stuck in a lower drawer file cabinet a few years ago in an area where no one ever goes, and was laughing so hard I almost couldn't get out. If there hadn't been a break-away snap I would be there still ); don't carry anything that could be used as a weapon; don't be wearin' the latest high-heeled shoes or scanty "hip" clothing or body piercings or you'll be led around the area like a wild bull with a nose-ring; drop your attitude; "stop-look-listen." In truth, as many injuries can occur from flying projectiles you didn't see coming as anything. That's where the "primitive, uncivilized" administrative requests often come from to have people wear soft shoes, like sneakers or slippers, and not wear belts (if you were ever hit with a belt, you'll know what I mean. They also are real good at stopping air flow when tightened around the neck of yourself or anyone else). Having been beaned numerous times when I got in the trajectory of someone's attempt at hurting someone else, it's a tad startling. The unofficial motto we use is "Expect the unexpected" - then you are better able to deal with anything happening. You also don't react as aggressively to the person who hit you. If it's unexpected you tend to react more physically or viscerally. If you know it might happen you are better able to control your adrenalin and not react punitively.

As Big Ed also said, these are folks who have impulse control issues. If they THINK IT they often can't stop themselves from DOING IT. It's part of the package. When I have the opportunity to help with staff hiring or placement on a specific area, I tell them, "If you can't be spit on, hit, or called every ugly name under the book without smiling and walking away, this is not the place for you." The reason - these folks can't help it. They are in their own pain and lostness and that's how human beings react when they are in pain and don't have control of themselves - they often lash out. The best way to help them is to show them that you understand it's part and parcel of their problem and you are strong enough to help them shoulder the hellacious burden they are living under.

[Trips while jumping off soap box wearing high heeled sneakers.]

I notice the door is one of the older doors.
How do I know this you might ask. Notice the keyhole, it is for one of the old style skeleton keys. There were several forms for the skeleton keys. The newer doors had more contemporary style keys.

Thanks Lynne and Big Ed.
I guess we also have to remember that in the days before chemical restraint and effective medications the most unwell people had no way to 'calm down' other than by physical means, which most likely made them even more aggressive and frightened.

My grandmother got locked in the violent ward once. (she was just visiting her mother, who was in Danvers for deprssion issues), and you had to climb the stairs to get to each floor, and one time, she got locked in the hallway with the violent patients by accident. After some extreme knocking on the door, she got out. She said it was horrifying though.

Well if that isn't an open ended invitation, I don't know what one is.

It's like saying "Don't push the red button!"

=)

this is a really cool photo.
i wish we had cool places like this near where i live! northern virginia doesn't scream "cool haunted places" to me either.

i love that you are as fascinated by the history of old state hospitals, i worked at one, and it was sooo interesting!! til ronald reagan closed it down!!!!

Write it, what the hell are you waiting for.

can someone tell me how this is awsome please? ya it may say something cool on the door but when it is on that door it is not oh your brother may have it on his door but he doesnt have to go through his life living in is room never coming out and having people be scared of him. Let them rest in peace

"can someone tell me how this is awsome please? ya it may say something cool on the door but when it is on that door it is not oh your brother may have it on his door but he doesnt have to go through his life living in is room never coming out and having people be scared of him. Let them rest in peace"

That was a ward door. None of the patients doors had any writing on them. Other than a piece of tape with their name on it. It was a warning to people entering the floor to be very aware, and careful.

Now there is a sign you never want to see.

i just wnana go hommeee

Eerie, but fascinating at the same time

When those of us who work/worked in the mental health field talk about patients and signs like this, we are not in any way intending any disrespect to the patients or to their memory, if they are now deceased. We are sharing what it is like, how things have changed, how things still need to change, trying to cut through some of the sensationalism around mental health care and discuss the reality of it. It is in NO WAY intended to be demeaning to the person. We do not "blame" the patients or resent the care we provide. We know that we would not have jobs if people didn't have problems, and if people didn't need help with daily living, they wouldn't be in our care. We know better than most people that it is the illness, not the person, causing problems. We want to help. There are always more needs than we can meet, so it is not in our interest to "force" treatment on someone who doesn't need it or to keep someone in treatment any longer than necessary (and today, with managed care, the problem is usually being able to keep someone in treatment long enough to really make a difference as opposed to just getting through a short-term crisis).

In addition to what BigEd (thanks, BTW, "impulse control problems" is what I was trying to say in my post on another picture and couldn't manage to remember it) and Lynne said about "extreme precautions," for me they would also include no rings, watches, or bracelets, long hair tied back, keeping an "escape" route between the patient and myself, and having a means for requesting assistance if I needed it. Sometimes we had to assign two staff to work with one patient in especially extreme cases.

Almost looks like someone or something is reflected in the paint. Shutter?

I had explored the interior of the hospital in 1995 and never thought to photograph what I saw. Nice work!

charming

what was that room used for ????

I like this picture. The words are so basic "Extreme Precautions" Makes you just wonder what laid behind that door back in the day when the hospital was open. Pretty much seems like anything could be possible.

While it sounds like this sign was intended for staff, I've been "on precautions" in the hospital. It just meant that I was a suicide risk, so the staff made sure to keep anything -- and I mean anything -- out of my hands that I could conceivably use to injure myself. Most places have allowed me to keep things like paperbacks, lip balm, even pens and non-spiral notebooks, but everything else was kept locked up. So if I wanted to brush my hair, for example, I had to ask a staff member to get the brush for me. It's inconvenient at times, but I understand the rationale and I've never really objected to it.

I can't remember if this was the case at every hospital, but in at least one place they did indicate that I was on suicide precautions by putting a certain color of sticker on the name card next to my door.