10 MAUREEN HUTCHISON summary

DVCPro Tape 01 of 06 – VHS Tape 01 of 02                      01:00:32: - 01: 56:45
 
Earliest memories
Born Bristol 1949.  Describes family, and fact that never she saw her father much. Lived with grandparents in Horfield, Bristol. Primary school and Sunday school in Bristol.
 
Memories of grandmother
Describes grandmother’s laying out of bodies and feeling of death always being around.
 
Brothers and sisters
Mo talks of older sister, piano lessons, and jealousy of sister towards her. Mentions half sister by mother’s second marriage.
 
Horfield, Bristol
Describes the area, working class, factory in Filton, Gloucester road shops. Few childhood friends. Memories of grandfather and going to the park.
 
Moved to London
Moved to Colliers Wood in London with mother and lived at aunt’s house with cousins. Mother married again. Talks of stepfather taking her to places in London. 
 
Fortesque Primary School
Went to Fortesque Primary School with sister and enjoyed it.  Talks about ethnic mix of pupils there and attitudes towards black people. 
 
Moved to Surrey
Then passed 11+ and went to an all girl’s grammar school.  Describes school life there including the details of the uniform, rules and regulations.  Money at home tight.
 
 
01:31:54
 
Nonesuch School Grammar School for Girls
Wend to the grammar school.  Talks of differences between the grammar school and her sister’s Secondary Modern school - Chatsworth Road.  Didn’t like the school, talks about its privilege, Mo didn’t feel she fitted in.
 
The Beatles
Talks of going to the airport to see their shows.
 
Memories of Nonesuch School
Mo’s parents struggling financially. Describes more about school rules and regulations and strict discipline.  Classical music taught.  Talks of a particular English teacher who introduced her to enjoyable books.
 
Subjects studied at school
Describes having to study classic books, and unimaginative teachers.  Boredom at school.  Enjoyed Latin and had real interest in Ancient Rome.  Enjoyed poetry.  Wanted to take ‘A’ levels in Latin, Greek and Ancient History and wanted to become an archaeologist.  School only did modern history not ancient history, so left in the fifth form.
 

Leaving Nonesuch School
Talks of being a rebel and wearing skits that were not regulation.  Says school was glad to get rid of her.  Decided to apply for technical college in Wimbledon and Epson.  Describes the interview process for each.  Headmistress told college that Mo wouldn’t get any ‘O’ levels so Epsom college wouldn’t accept her. 
 
Childhood dreams/ambitions
Had some ideas about studying medicine or nursing.  Loved Latin and the Pompeii ‘Exhibition and thought about doing Archaeology. Aged thirty wrote around to medical schools to see if any chance of studying to become a doctor as a mature student.
 
Politics
Mo had a socialist leaning, but mother and stepfather were conservative.  Mo describes love of  Bob Dylan albums.  Talks of friend Gillian at school and how later they re-met when both working for Mind. 
 
Wimbledon Technical College 1966
Did a Diploma in Business Studies.  When college planned to move, Mo mobilised the students to protest.  Mo wrote dissertation about the Vietnam war.  Says the sixites were good times to do things (politically).
 
 
DVC Pro Tape 02 of 06 – VHS 01 of 02                               02:00:48 - 02:51:13
 
Wimbledon Technical College
Talks about doing the Ordinary National Diploma secretarial who were all women.  The OND Professional all men except one. Mo’s mother thought secretarial work would suit.  Then the English lecturer there suggested Mo do A levels and apply for university.  Mo took the Diploma plus English, Economics and Law ‘A’ levels. 
 
Southampton University
Mo decided to do Psychology and Sociology but switched to a single degree in Psychology. 
 
Meeting Paul - Mo’s husband
Met her husband at Southampton University, he did a double Honours degree in Psychology and Sociology. 
 
Student days at Southampton  1968 - 1971
Mo talks of her mental health beginning to deteriorate.  Describes the buzz of the sixties.  Political demonstrations by students.  Enjoyed student life very much and loved studying Psychology.
 
Experience of mental health problems in Southampton
Mo describes a feeling she had that she was not going to wake up in the morning.  Felt as though she was mentally falling apart.  Wanted to stay at University but found it hard to live. Saw the GP at student health centre.  Describes incident in a cinema when feeling unwell.
 
Prescribed very strong sleeping tablets - Mandrax. 
Mo talks of the effects of taking the sleeping tablets.  Mo saw a psychiatrist at the student health centre, who worked from a Freudian bent.    Describes feelings about seeing the psychiatrist and the reactions by others towards her at this time.
 

Needs for emotional support prior to university
Mo felt like an outsider, would have liked to have had someone to talk with.  Talks about her concern at not seeing her father and the gap in her life. The tensions at home with mother’s re-marriage and step sister’s birth when Mo was twelve years old.  Describes finding it hard to accept the injustices of the world and this in relation to being offered anti-depressants.  Talks of side-effects of the drugs and lack of any alternative treatments.
02:30:30
 
Suicide of a fellow student at Southampton University
Mo talks of her feelings about this, and how she feared that committing suicide might be something that is done that is out of that person’s control.  Mentions a Dr Hall giving a Freudian analysis of a dream Mo has about the suicide.  Talks about suicide.
 
University life and engagement to Paul
Mo had some fun times, but mostly not.  Got engaged to Paul in the first year.  Describes the difficulties of her relationship with Paul’s parents who didn’t approve.  Engagement broken off at one point.. Mo then became very sick, didn’t eat and so on, but got back together eventually.
 
Leaving University. Marriage to Paul 1971
Mo and Paul left University in June 1971 and married in the August.  None of Paul’s family at the wedding.  Mo’s family liked Paul. 
 
Paul’s mother’s attitude
Describes more about Paul’s mother’s attitudes and explains what a very difficult time it was for her.  Also his mother being frightened of mental illness.  Mo’s mother also ashamed of Mo’s mental health difficulties. 
 
Mo’s sister
Mo’s sister, Sue,  had post natal depression, and a son who was killed aged ten in a road accident. Sue had an unhappy marriage, and worked in shops mostly.  Sue and Mo didn’t get on well when younger but do now.  Sue had tragedies in her own life and didn’t really empathise with Mo’s own problems.  Mo talks of family’s outrage at her leaving her three children when in and out of psychiatric hospital.  Mo talks generally about the lack of understanding within her own family about her mental distress.
 
 
DVCPro Tape 03 of 06 – VHS Tape 01 of 02                                  03:00:40 – 03:56:41
 
First experiences of psychiatric hospital
Mo and Paul moved to Liverpool so he could do a postgraduate teaching certificate.  Planned to be there for a year.  Mo describes first feelings of acute anxiety prior to getting married and being prescribed drugs by the GP.  Mo discovered they were for schizophrenia and describes her reaction to this. 
 
Mo and Paul’s Wedding and honeymoon
Mo talks about her anxieties before the wedding and the side-effects of the drugs.  Had a wonderful wedding, but had lost a lot of weight.  Went to Dundee for their honeymoon but Mo felt agitated and went to casualty department of hospital there.
 

Liverpool and first admission to psychiatric department of general hospital
Paul studied and Mo got a job typing.  Mo started passing out and got an emergency appointment with a psychiatrist.  Mo admitted to psychiatric ward of a general hospital.  Given lots of drugs.
 
The hospital and the treatment there
Mo describes the detail of the wards and the staff.  Mo talks of being very sick with the drugs prescribed her.  Patient with alcohol problems dies whilst Mo was there, another patient anorexic.  Mo fell down the stairs and hurt ankle, argued with psychiatrist and got sectioned.
 
Locked ward
Describes this and the way food was pushed through a hatch.  Bathrooms without locks.  People screaming and yelling and fighting.  A sense of solidarity with other patients.  Being threatened with injections if made a fuss.  Mo stayed only a few days as section not renewed.
 
Returning to hospital
Talks of being in the hospital for about five months as an in-patient then as a day patient.  Describes bus trips to get there.  Felt touched by the nice people in Liverpool and the people she got to know on the ward. A patient who was a nurse who was told to give up nursing.
 
Hospital life
Talks about table tennis, occupational therapy, quizzes.  Separate male and female wards.  ECT treatment on other patients. Not aware of rights or what sectioning meant. Felt imprisoned.  Her own family and Paul were shock at realising she was detained.  Describes being indoors all the time, being drugged up and the smoking by most patients. Describes various aspects of daily life in hospital, meals, privacy, staff, food, beds, cramped conditions, clothing etc.
 
03:30:30
 
Hospital life continued
No visitors, no access to telephones.  Describes attitudes of staff towards patients as medical.  Mo didn’t feel safe, lack of privacy in bathrooms etc.  Nurses treating people as if it were a big joke.   Mo had a cassette player. 
 
Hospital regimes
Mo talks of a psychiatric registrar who made rule about patients not being allowed to lie on beds in day time.  Describes how there was absolutely nothing to do on the ward, apart from table tennis. 
 
Meetings with the Consultant
Mo describes her meetings with the consultant and their conversations.  Talks of other consultants who never saw their patients due to the amount of private work they did. Consultant advises Paul to divorce Mo.  Mo talks about her reaction to this.
 
Medication
Patients had to queue for medication, no discussion about it with them by staff.  Mo accepted the medication out of fear of getting an injection if she refused.  Talks about Paraldehyde and the instantaneous effect it had of literally knocking people out.
 
Wards
Contrast between locked ward and mixed ward and women’s wards and private rooms.
 
Access to outside world
Newspapers not delivered to psychiatric units, television only upstairs in male area.  No radio.  Mo remembers nothing about what might have been going on in the world and felt as if not expected to live much longer.
 
 
DVCPro Tape 04 of 06 – VHS Tape 01 of 02                                  04:00:36 – 04:59:35
 
Moving to Kent
Mo and Paul moved to Kent.  Paul working.  Mo working in Epsom at St. Ebba’s ‘subnormality’ hospital.  Had applied to do research but did secretarial work for the Clinical Psychologist. 
 
Mo’s experiences of Netherne Hospital
Mo visited GP due to feeling muddled and uneasy.  GP sent Mo to a psychiatrist from Redhill General.  Advised to go into Netherne hospital near Croydon for ten days to try out a new drug.  September 1972.  Describes the large hospital grounds and bus to get there and the process of admission.
 
Drug treatment at Netherne
Mo given barbiturates, Largactil as form of modified narcosis.  Mo under impression she was going to try a new drug, but turned out to be an anti-depressant.  Describes severe effects of the drug treatment including having hallucinations.  Given handfuls of drugs and vitamin tablets.
 
Mo’s activities in the hospital
Mo describes being unable to do anything much of the time, but did do a lot of knitting for others on the ward, and smoked a lot.    
 
Ward kitchen and meals
Mo talks in detail about the kitchen and how meals were served.  The type of food available
 
Other activities in the hospital
Mo describes field used for football matches by staff of other hospitals.  The occupational therapy department being across from the football pitch.  
 
Meetings with Mo’s psychiatrist from Redhill
Mo talks of chats with her psychiatrist from Redhill, his smoking, and of not knowing who her consultant was at the time.  Mo discharged from Netherne after about five months, and how there was always the insinuation that she would be back again.
 
04:30:20
 
Hospital decor and other patients there in villas and wards
Mo describes the dilapidated and dingy state of the hospital, and about having to go outside to a phone box to call her husband.  Talks of many other patients being long stay who had been there for twenty years.
 
Hospital grounds and numbers of patients
Mo talks about the grounds and the gardens which were worked on by patients.  Says there were probably about a thousand patients, with lots of wards and villas. 
 
About staying at or leaving the hospital
Mo talking about staying at the hospital until people got bored of seeing her, and of her own feelings of being unable to live outside of it.  Mo had sense of desperation.
 
Getting money in hospital
Mo paid £2.50 a week for working in the psychology department of the hospital whilst still a patient. 
 
Mo’s work as a volunteer in the psychology department of Netherne Hospital
Mo talks about giving IQ tests to patients when she was a volunteer worker in the psychology department, whilst being a patient there herself.  Mo worked with elderly people on one ward, where the staff thought she was a trained psychologist and was treated with status of professional but then returned to her ward where she had status of patient.  Also did some research observing patients.
 
Payment for the work and staff’s and patient’s attitudes towards Mo being both a worker and a patient
Mo talks about queuing for her weekly pay of £2.50 along with the other patients being paid for gardening work etc. Describes the amount paid as completely token and not comparable to an ordinary wage.  Staff rather unaware of Mo’s work and the patients that did know showed camaraderie.
 
Camaraderie and other patients behaviour
Describes the younger nurses and patients playing guitar and records,  Also the distressing behaviour of some of the younger patients such as self-harm.  Talks of ligheartedness as well as the desperation of patients.
 
Drug treatment
Mo on MAOI antidepressants. Trip to Redhill and concern of staff only about whether she was going to drink alcohol but not about anything much else.  Mo says no help offered to help her to live in the community and only treatment being drugs.  Mo and Paul both felt they had no control over her situation and describes his visits and their feelings.
 
 
End of DVCPro Tape 04 of 06 – End of VHS Tape 01 of 01
 
 
DVC Pro Tape 05 of 06 – VHS Tape 02 of 02                     05:00:33 - 05:58:12
 
Work at Cane Hill hospital
Mo worked as a probationer clinical psychologist at Cane Hill hospital at Coulsden near Croydon, having been discharged from Netherne hospital.  Talks of catchment areas of both hospitals and describes the hospital grounds of Cane Hill hospital.  Describes giving personality and IQ tests to people.  Mo gives these tests but questions why they were given.
 
Ward rounds and the locked wards and use of behaviour therapy
Mo visits the male and female locked wards. Says the female locked ward more disturbing than the male one. Mo has to perform behaviour therapy. Mo felt unsupported in the work. A Danish or Swedish psychologist then employed but Mo found him to be of no help and she felt distressed.
 

Re-admission to Netherne hospital
Mo continued to work at Cane Hill hospital but was admitted to Netherne as a patient.  Describes the difficulties caused by this arrangement.  Then got discharged from Netherne and continued to work but it became increasingly more difficult. 
 
Difficulties of continuing to work at Cane Hill
Mo talks of the great difficulties she had in continuing to work at Cane Hill. Decided to leave but the principal psychologist suggested she take a few months off.  Mo felt this wouldn’t be possible as she wouldn’t be able to face returning, so left the job.
 
Attitudes towards patients also being workers
Describes the attitudes towards her then and how it is now.  Talks about the staff and patients being poles apart.  Also about her concern about having been allowed to work without the experience or qualifications needed.
 
Work with a voluntary organisation in Redhill and studying for a PhD
Mo went to City University to do a PhD degree in Psychology department.  Worked as a research assistant and did some tutoring on the degree course. Lived in Redhill and went to London twice a week to college.  Worked as an auxiliary nurse at the general hospital in Redhill, to fund the course, but had to stop the job due to back injury.
 
Birth of first and second children
1974 - Aged twenty eight, Mo’s first child, Jane born.   Gave up the University and looked after daughter.  Involved in Labour Party at Paddock Wood.  Mo describes enjoyment of having her daughter.  Mo very ill after the birth.  Mo had two miscarriages, and then gave birth to son Tom.   Describes enjoying having Tom.  Lived in flat in Paddock Wood then moved to council house there.
 
05:24:00
 
Involvement with local MIND group
Mo became a management committee member of Maidstone MIND. Mo then worked as the coordinator on a honararian wage in 1979.  Describes how they set up MIND voluntary sector service in a house in a residential street in Maidstone. Talks of negative attitudes of the neighbours at first but improvement after time. Mo had Tom during this time and took him into work for a while. Describes the environment of the MIND place and the service offered. Mo kept the fact that she had experienced mental health problems quiet, especially from the committee, no-one at Mind knew about it.
 
Birth of third child - Sam
Sam born in 1983, Mo took him to work with her initially but he also had a child-minder.  Mo describes juggling the work of picking her children up from school, play-school and the childminder. 
 
Mo’s experiences of distress
Mo describes her paranoia, at the time when Sam was aged about eighteen months old, Tom three and a half and Jane about six.  Mo became very psychotic and decided to go to see a Senior Registrar she had known at Netherne who was now working at St. George’s hospital, in Tooting, London.  He then suggested Mo see another psychiatrist at Atkinson Morley hospital.
 

Atkinson Morley hospital
Mo saw a different psychiatrist to the one recommended and was admitted to Atkinson Morley neurological hospital.  Mo describes the psychiatric wards of the hospital.  The female ward described as a sort of therapeutic community.  Mo talks of the environment and atmosphere of the ward. 
 
Drug treatment and ECT at Atkinson Morley and patients with anorexia
Mo given Stelazine, major tranquillisers and anti-depressants.  ECT suggested but Mo refused.  Describes feelings about ECT.  Talks about her feelings towards the patients who had severe weight problems, who were there because there was a Professor Crisp working there who was an ‘expert’ on anorexia.
 
Mo’s Diagnosis
Mo diagnosed as having a severe depressive disorder with paranoia or paranoid psychosis.  Describes meeting a ‘lovely’ senior registrar and sharing his political feelings. 
 
Children’s care whilst Mo in Atkinson Morley
Mo was in Atkinson Morley for three months. Paul looking after the children and working at college during the day and doing the housework etc.  Social Services then paid for child minding costs.  Mo talks of her distress about not being at home with the children and her feelings for Paul having to do everything at home.  Talks about her children’s feelings and accepting attitudes towards her in more recent years.
 
 
Medway Hospital
Mo went to Medway hospital about ten miles from Maidstone, her GP agreeing as Mo knew of a very highly respected psychiatrist there.  1990 or 1991 - Mo admitted for about six months.  Describes the small psychiatric unit there within the District General Hospital.
 
Decor of Medway Hospital unit
Mo describes the new unit, which had opened in the 1980’s.  Describes carpeted floors, curtains, divan beds with duvets etc. 
 
Stealing of property at Medway Hospital unit
Mo talks of a time when her Sony Walkman had been stolen.  Mo knew who had stolen it, the police involved.  Mo describes the attitude of the Ward Manager to the incident and not being taken seriously by him or the police. 
 
 
DVCPro Tape 06 of 06 – VHS Tape 02 of 02                      06:00:37 - 06:49:43
 
Comparisons between Medway Hospital and the other hospitals
Mo talks about the way drugs are administered to patients as being worse at Medway that at Netherne.  At Medway most patients stayed for about five or six months, but Mo had stayed longer.  Mo describes talking to younger patients about not getting stuck in the system. 
 
Incident at Medway with young man brought in by Police
Mo talks about young disturbed man brought in by the Police and then put into a seclusion room. Staff not speaking to him, but Mo getting on with him. 
 
Information for patients at Medway
Mo saying that patients were getting more information than in the past, but not enough about the Mental Health Act. Describes difficulties of getting hold of the Mental Health Act administrator.  Mo knew a solicitor, but by the time she was in contact with him, and her appeal tribunal came Mo’s section only had two weeks to go.  Lack of advocacy in general.
 
Differences between the 1959 and the 1983 Mental Health Acts
Mo talks about the differences, including the process of being detained.  More rigorous under the 1983 Act.  Describes staff not being honest enough in terms of her rights under the Act and problems regarding being a voluntary or a detained patient. 
 
Seclusion room at Medway
Mo talks of the seclusion room being used as a threat for treatment of ‘bad’ behaviour by patients and being used quite a lot.  Describes the layout of the seclusion room and the procedures around the use of the room.  Says that staff seemed to enjoy the drama involved in getting people into the room.
 
ECT at Medway
Mo describes the ECT suite and her own treatment and being very against it.  Mo threatened with being put under Section Three of the Mental Health Act if she refused. Mo agreed rather than be forced into it and told she should have a course of eight treatments.  Describes effects of ECT on her in 1993/4.  Has further ECT treatment in 1996 and describes her concern over possible permanent brain damage.
 
Leaving Medway and working as a user consultant
Mo left most recently in 1997.  In 1996 Mo had signed up to be a user consultant and talks about what the work involves and her reservations about it.  Also about how differently others perceive this work compared to when Mo was a Mind Project Manager. Talks briefly about her expectations for the future.
 
06:36:40
 
Mo’s children
Mo talks about the difficulties for her children and herself during times of admissions to hospital.  Mo becomes upset when talking about this period.  Talks of the pride she has in each of them, especially in their attitudes on life.  Describes the level of understanding shown by her children towards Mo’s experiences of depression etc.  Talks of the effort her children made in visiting her in hospital.
 
Future hopes and thoughts
Mo talks about her views and feelings about mental health services.  Talks of concern especially for young people in the mental health system and about human rights. 
 
Feelings about past and present
Mo talks about how being in the mental health system has affected her life in terms of being able to hold down jobs.  The effect on her and her husbands income and the potential income and life they may have had.  Mo talks of fact that she could have been in a well paid job, could have had a PhD, and how unlike other people similarly educated she and Paul have been relatively poor throughout their lives. 
 
End of DVCPro Tape 06 of 06 – End of VHS Tape 02 of 02
 
 
 
 
INTERVIEW ENDS