20 ROBIN DANIEL summary

DVCPro Tape 1 of 3 – VHS Tape 1 of 1                                          01:00:31 - 01:33:20
 
Memories of childhood
R. born in Bideford, N. Devon.  R’s. father in Navy - away when R. born. R. has one younger sister. Recalls childhood activities - catching rabbits with grandfather in woods .  Other grandparents died when R. aged between four and six. Grandfather died when R. aged twenty and lived with R’s family - but left to go to a nursing home. 
 
Going to Singapore
R. lived in Singapore from ages of six until eight. R. went to Royal Naval School - short school days - spent afternoons swimming.  Mixed sex school. R. didn’t want to come back to England.  Lived in a bungalow in Singapore.
 
Return to England and School days
R. went to primary school, passed 11+ exam - went to Grammar School - 1970 for five years.  Became ill aged fifteen.  Had car crash aged thirteen. R’s. sister went to Secondary Modern School and later got a degree in nursing.  R. talks of after-school activities. R’s talks about his enjoyment and knowledge of pop music
 
R’s parents and sister
R. talks about his mother, father and sister - mentions going to Majorca with his sister.  R. talks about the grandfather - lived with the family until about 1972, died in 1979.
 
Car accident
R. explains what happened in the car accident and the headaches he had for years following it, was taken to Bideford hospital - had slight skull fracture - talks about EEG/ECG and having slight brain damage.  R. off school for a month or so.
 
School days
R. talks about life at the Grammar School - other pupils, parties, uniform, hair cuts, other aspects of school life, having lots of friends. Says his best friend also had a mental illness.  R’s ambition - to be an RAF fighter pilot, or play football/ cricket.  R. thinks his parents wanted him to go to University, but R. didn’t take ‘O’ or ‘A’ Levels.
 
First admission to Dryden Clinic - nr. Exeter - 1975
R. explains why he was admitted to Dryden - R. not sleeping, uncontrollable, getting drunk. Explains his behaviour at school and of going high and low at school - R. thinks problems caused by after effects of car accident. R. describes psychiatrists at Dryden - talks of having group meetings, sports, outings. R. stayed three weeks, given Largactil
 
Second admission to Dryden Clinic
- R. explains its effects - not being able to concentrate on school work - stopped taking it - became ill again, three weeks later re-admitted to Dryden for nine months. R. quite enjoyed Dryden - talks of girls there, food. Left Dryden, lived at home for two years then admitted in 1977 to Digby Hospital.  R. talks about dormitory, washing and bath facilities and getting up at 8.30am.
01:33:20 - 01:55:48
 
Daily life at Dryden Clinic - Occupational Therapy (OT)
R. talks about OT, playing football, cricket, cinema, pub. Talks about drinking alcohol and the effect of this at same time as being on Largactil.  Mentions having therapy and counselling, regular injections of Modecate. R. went to sixth form whilst still at Dryden - and when better went home for long weekends. Talks about friends reactions - quite supportive.  R. unable to take ‘O’ Levels and did work experience instead - making concrete slabs in Walford Hospital with an ex-nurse. 
 
R’s. access to money whilst at Dryden
R’s father sent him money, R. too young to get social security payments. R. made good friends at Dryden, missed his parents - who visited, and R. phoned them up. R. says he had a good time there, but says he was cut off from school friends.  R. not sectioned there. R. discharged at Christmas time - about 1975. R’s father left Navy 1973 - R. talks of his visits and about outings with his father. 
 
Times when R’s father in the Navy
R. father away from home for two years at a time. R’s mother kept in touch by letter.
 
Admission to Digby Hospital - 1977
R. aged eighteen - having similar experiences as before going to Dryden. R. on Harvey men’s ward.  Talks about being put on a locked ward a month later, also once locked in the clinic room - unable to get out even for the toilet - R. put in due to ‘playing up’ - and swearing at nurses - R. fed up being locked in. After two weeks R. on open ward. R in Digby for about three months - and was quite well.
 
The locked ward at Digby
R. describes the locked ward - twenty five male patients, dormitory style. Front door and windows locked - separate bathroom - separate lockable toilets.
 
First impressions and other memories of Digby
R. explains why he thought Digby looked like a prison from outside.  Says it was ok inside - disco, football, ordinary beds. Staff wore uniform. R. says he doesn’t think he was Sectioned but was on a locked ward.  R. explains layout of Harvey and Ross wards.
 
Separation of male and female patients at Digby
R. talks of watching TV with females patients in a veranda type place. Says men not allowed in female bedroom, but says he knows some men did sneak into female rooms. Men and women encouraged to make friends, but sex on premises forbidden. Men and women had breakfast and other meals together.
 
[End of DVC Pro Tape 1 - VHS Tape 1 continues]                                   01:55:48
 
 
[DVC Pro Tape 2 - VHS Tape 1 continues]                                               02:00:39 - 02:21:27
 
R’s reasons for doing this project and Everyday life at Digby Hospital
R. explains why he think most people may not realise what psychiatric hospitals are like - in terms of pills, and psychotherapy. R. says he has been drugged up to the eyeballs - talks of the effects of these. R. given more drugs in Dryden than Digby. R. talks about the amount of time patients spent sleeping, knitting, watching TV, drinking tea.  Talks about most patients and staff smoking - cigarette rationing.
 
R. talks of being kicked by a male Charge Nurse
R. describes being kicked by a nurse for asking for his rationed cigarette too early - but R. says he didn’t make a big deal of this, and why he didn’t complain about this. Talks about staff shouting at patients and forcing them to have injections - being held down. R. says this happened when the patients were unruly or high or aggressive.
 
R. talks about reasons for patients being aggressive
R. explains that patients locked up for twenty four hours a day wanted to go out, get fresh air, go to the shop etc, and when not allowed some people got angry - R. says injections then given. R. says staff were fairly reasonable. Mentions cigarette rationing.
 
Patients - clothing / Mealtimes Access to money in hospital
R. says most patients dressed in the day, some in pyjamas.  R. describes how meals were given out - on trolleys - describes the food - no menus - set meal.  Says later at Brownlease ward at Barnstaple Hospital - patients given a menu choice of food. Mentions cafe at Digby in the grounds. R. paid £5.00 per week for cleaning the ward -  Social Security paid by cheque. R. worked weekdays for about an hour a day. 
 
Occupational Therapy at Digby (OT) and Leisure centre/staff & patient relationships
R. mentions drawing, painting, woodwork, rug-making.  Says leisure centre there had juke box, pool, table tennis, cheap tea and coffee.  Mentions going to the motel near the hospital.  Says he has known of staff and patients having relationships but that it was generally frowned upon. 
 
Other areas of Digby Hospital / Visitors and work
R. mentions a laundry, a ballroom, and a stage. Mentions a Miss/Mrs and Mr Digby competition - people lining up and other voting on who was best.  Mentions singing but no plays held there.  R. visited by parents but not friends - R. lost touch with friends, but made new ones in Digby and at home in pubs of Bideford. R. says that it was not realistic for him to look at getting a job due to lack of ability to concentrate.  R. in hospital for three months first time and twelve days the second time.
 
R. talks about sectioning/ medication/ECT/garden at Digby
R. doesn’t think he was sectioned, and dreaded being sectioned. Talks about his feelings regarding being informal or sectioned. R. says he was not forced to have injections. R. not offered ECT at Digby but was offered it in Brownlease - R. explains why he didn’t want it - talks of effects he saw it had on others - memory loss etc. Mentions gardens and says only five or six people worked on the whole garden there.
 
02:21:27 - 02:31:28
 
R’s life between 1977 and 1980 - second admission to Digby Hospital
R. explains his lifestyle during these two years - says it was a normal life - seeing friends and going to the pub.  R felt he couldn’t cope with getting a job or going to university etc. R. living with parents.
 
R. leaving home aged twenty five. 
R. explains why he was chucked out of home - got drunk and broke some furniture - led to R. going to live in Wood Dale House - a halfway house - where R. lives now. R. went there in 1984 after being in Brownlease psychiatric unit at Barnstaple Hospital.
 
Brownlease psychiatric unit - North Devon District Hospital (Barnstaple Hospital)
R. went to Brownlease in 1982. Unit opened in about 1979. R. says there was a lot less to do there than at Digby - spent most of time sitting about, drinking tea and smoking, occasionally playing cards, listening to music.  OT not forced on people - whereas at Digby people persuaded to do OT.  Says furnishings more modern.  Says OT was part of the main general hospital at Brownlease.
 

Public, Robin’s and his parent’s attitudes towards psychiatric patients.
R. says people would refer to patients at Brownlease as nutters. Digby known as a nut house. R. not v. aware of anything to do with mental illness or hospitals prior to being a patient - but at school recalls joking about Digby as being for nutters/nut house.  Says parents’ attitudes were ok and didn’t try to keep it quiet about R. being a patient.
 
02:30:00 - 02:55:39
 
R’s most recent admission to Barnstaple Hospital - 1985
R. admitted to Williams Ward - says it was similar to Brownlease Ward - mentions eating arrangements.  Patients had their own rooms - describes the private washing facilities - but since knocked it down and now have shared bathrooms, and more room for increase in patients. 
 
R’s diagnosis
R. diagnosed in 1982 - Manic depressive - R. explains why he thought he was manic depressive at Dryden due to knowing a friend of his mother’s.  Explains more about the car accident and his belief that it affected his brain/caused his problems.
 
R. considers what life might have been like if he had not had car accident
R. describes the kind of life he might have had, and how although he feels he has lost out a little bit he considers he has had a good life. R. says he has had several relationships, talks about the possibility of having children - says unlikely at his age.  R. says that if he’d been able to get the qualifications he may have gone into teaching.  Says he may work in future but finds it hard to concentrate for over an hour. 
 
Current medication
R. is on Lithium and Haloperidol - quite happy to take it to keep well.  R. mentions someone he knows who was mentally ill but is now working as a carer - R. says this gives himself hope and supposes that if he really tried he could get better.
 
Current living situation - Orchard House
R. describes his daily life now - seeing parents sometimes, going to the pub, day centres, long walks, pool, chatting, tea and smoking.  Talks about the day centre, friends in Bideford.  Says there are ‘mentally handicapped’ people living with him at Orchard House and how he feels about this.
 
Future living situation
R. talks about his forthcoming move to an independent flat in the back of Orchard House - talks of looking forward to doing own shopping, cooking etc. Currently food is delivered to the House and meals cooked for him. R. confident about being able to look after himself, cooking and shopping. R. says he could have become more independent about ten years ago but happy about prospect of inviting women back to his flat, and having parties.  R. not sure how long he will live in the flat.
 
Orchard House
R. talks about the various shifts that the staff do at his home. Mentions visiting his parents. R’s sister is married - lives in London - is  a nurse. R. says he doesn’t feel any pressure on him from others having expectations of him. 
 
[End of DVC Pro Tape 2 - VHS Tape 1 continues]                                   02:55:39
 
 
[DVC Pro Tape 3 - VHS Tape 1 continues]                                               03:00:31 - 03:17:35
 
R’s hopes for the future - current income
R. quite happy with life at moment, but says he’d like to get fully back to normal - going to work, having a relationship, having a partner, possibly more money. Now R. gets £14.00 per week plus an extra £8.00 for cleaning half an hour a morning a week. R. gets food included, but uses own money for the pub, cinema and swimming, toiletries. R. mentions holiday to Majorca, and his desire to go on a world cruise.
 
Memories of life in Singapore
R’s school in Singapore - all British children. Recalls the swimming pools at the Naval Base, going on holiday to Malaysia, says shops etc similar to here - mentions bartering.
 
R’s awareness of the user-movement
R. talks about hearing of the user movement from a social services resource centre based in Alexandra Road in Barnstaple, but R. says he doesn’t know much about user movement
R. talks about why he agrees that users should have a say in shaping mental health services.
 
Things R. considers helpful and unhelpful
R. talks about the sorts of services he thinks should be provided - esp. going on outings. R. says that sitting around smoking and drinking tea all day wouldn’t do one much good.
 
R’s views on community care
R. says community care doesn’t always work - talks of need of somewhere to go - if only for a couple of weeks. R. mentions outreach workers. R. has heard of Mind and the NSF but not heard about places they run.
 
Things that R. finds helpful and enjoyable in life now
R. says getting out, having something to do and meeting people is what helps him most.  R. talks about various pop music that he finds relaxing - mentions having had long hair in the past.  R. talks of taking life as it comes, and says he thinks the word ‘survivor’ is a good word to describe him.  R. talks about often feeling quite happy now and doesn’t really get depressed.  R. ends the interview saying that it (mental illness) could happen to anybody - and that one in three people have been in psychiatric hospitals.
 
[End of DVC Pro Tape 3 of 3 – End of VHS Tape 1 of 1]                                     03:17:35

 
 
INTERVIEW ENDS