Searching for 1980's Golden Valley MN Psychiatric Patients (Woodbury, Warren: house, school)

[Ralph schmitt]

Sammy I was institutionalize D here in Minnesota at the golden valley mental health institute in golden valley at the age of 13 ,my dad was a very abusive single parent all I can remember is I wanted to get far far away from him from the the age of 8 till 13 . They'll used help and all kinds of stuff when I got here I found out I was being committed to a mental ward during my stay there I was exposed to what I think amounts to torture and tone frank it was just as you said they get I your head and tell you you gotta change when in realality I was just a abused teen not troubled as I had been labeled liar a thief trouble maker not trust worthy and when I tried to explain I was was beat I was told maybe my mind wasn't right or I was trying to make excuses for my behavior when in reality my father had no business being a parent daily beatings grounded for life cause no matter what I did to get away from him from the outside they looked at me .looked at my father he never committed a crime in his life ,or so they thought he was just a city engineer who's wife left him ,and was just a troubled child when in reality I was abused child so he and the state of Ohio shipped me here the next 7 months of my life were filled with more abuse death pain sadness and this feeling of I'm not worthy of anything when I got there they treated fairly decent then one day I had a little out burst there response was 4 huge guys in all white scrubs a ambulance stretcher as they approached I did try and get away only cause now I felt threatened next thing I new I was being carted off strapped to a stretcher only tone rolled in a blue wrestling mat with to straps keeping me rolled up in a mat in the dark after 45 mins which really seemed like hours the lights went out I screamed and screamed for help for my mom then I heard a noise I thought oh thank you there coming to let me out boy was I wrong lights came on two nurses and 4 orderlies stood over me in rolled me gave outta no where a shot of Thorazine and a shot of bald op then they left me undressed except for my under where till the morning .i also had a roomate a fellow patient there hang himself in our bathroom they didn't even take him down till the police and doctors got there , two weeks later a girl patient friend of mine slit her arms from Aris to elbows with a piece of glass she didn't even make to the ambulance downstairs ,I remember being scared everyday that I would never get out well I was one of the lucky ones my fathers insurance ran out so they sent me packing abruptly one day .when I read your post that's when I realized it was brutal Inhumane cruel punishment I look back and cant believe for all these years I've blocked it out that place made me a expert of not feeling anything only memories of pain and till this day I trust no one the walls are so tall and so many ill probably go to my grave and still no one will ever get through my defenses there so many and until I read your post honestly I can say I never would have or wanted to let anyone in to get to know the real me hell im not sure I even know the real me I've wandered what the real me looks like I don't see my reflection in the mirror I see man consumed by fear of what others might do say ,or worst take from me I have four children a ex wife and two D girlfriends and a current girlfriend all of which would probably say one thing I'm secretive liar and emotionally unavailable and I would agree I don't know how to be all I know is eventually they all leave or find what I won't and can't give them somewhere else I hope to here from you one day my email is miltonearljones@gmail.com is there support groups for people like us doctors anything let me know

[usnetqueen]

I too was a victim of the Golden Valley Mental Health Center. Anyone who was there please feel free to contact me. Sharon M usnetqueen@gmail.com or 612.701.5248. I am going to start a Facebook page. GVMHC Survivors. Please look for it and join.

[patabatemarco]

I was there for 6 months in 1983. My roommate had all of her privileges stripped wasn't allowed to leaveorspeK to anyone except staff - not even me who shared our room. We of course ignored the rule & become close. I've often wondered if she ever got away. I've always been afraid to talk about how godawful it wS. Constant fear of saying something wrong and ending up in a straight jacket. I remember going to the little kids wing when I was back in 1990 for treatment. A whole ward of locked up babies under 5. It still gives me nightmares

[beck0290]

What was "The Earn All Program" and what was "The Lounge Program"?

[earslikeacat]

What was the address of this place? Googling provides no answers which is odd in itself.

[Tracy.1980]

I was an inmate in 1980?...not sure how long I was in..
seems like a few months...experienced things too horrible to remember and saw things that were atrocious ...would really like my records

[RbccL]

Originally Posted by earslikeacat

What was the address of this place? Googling provides no answers which is odd in itself.

Golden Valley Health Center / Adolescent Crisis Unit was referred to by juvenile courts throughout the United States for treating juveniles for for mental illness. One of the few facilities willing to deal with actively psychotic adolescents in it's Golden Valley Adolescent Treatment Program. There is no address for 'this place' as it is no longer in existence.

The laws have changed, the treatments have changed, the care has changed.

The state operates facilities for the care of those with mental illness in various State Hospitals and facilities around the state. The trend is to move towards group homes with assimilation into the community. A higher staffing ratio enables better care, and naturally costs more to the state.

To fully understand, one would have to research psychiatric care methods throughout the history of psychiatric care. These practices and uneducated methods were the norm throughout the country. The majority of the abuse reported seems to be patient to patient, with not enough staff available to observe and separate all during a 24 hour day.

The Staff at State facilities are no longer able to restrain, there are no longer straight jackets. Patients now have a right to refuse prescribed medications, which sometimes leads to behaviors that cannot simply be dealt with safely by staff to protect the other residents as well, so occasional visits are made to the psychiatric units of local large hospitals. Sometime with police assistance, to get the out of control away from those in harms way, and evaluate to help the one in distress.

Children aren't pulled off of the street and rolled in carpets. If their parents are no longer able to care for them, i.e: if they are a danger to them-self or others, the state eventually ends up with them through the courts system. Including costs for treatment and housing.

The treatment for all adolescents throughout the history of mental illness treatments has been barbaric at times, abusive, illogical. Gains have been made in medicine, and psychiatry, and occasional lawsuits where money speaks to prevent future ignorance and better training-- as well as education for the general public.

IMO

[Bill Hussman]

It was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life , the worthless drugs, the lock up , the "Park bldg, , i left home when i was seventeen approx, i went back to gvhc years later to see if i needed to gather part of my spirit back ,it was so bad. I drove in and parked my car , the fences had been taken down, to my relief and it was no longer the gvhcjuvenile center i remmenbered, . I walked in and entered the "park bldg" i made up up story to get past the guard so i could look around, paint company measuring for a bid on paint contract. I walked through again after years , it was eery quiet, the olace had been shut down years later, i walked up to former icu, lock up , it was open ,much of the plexiglass had been taken down, , the outside fences were down also . Thankfully sammy the place was closed , much of the property turned into development, i left ,returned to my car , it was healing for me to return there for myself. I also read there had been some insurance problems,keeping thwre patients too long, but they were caught uo in the social problems, and returning home for many of us was a very bad option and they knew it , the late 70s and early 80s were a dificult social family time for many people your and my age.if you would like to get to gethwr and have some coffee some place and talk a little about the place it wouldnt be a bad idea. Also visiting the past site as it is now is not a bad idea either. I moved on , im a studio musician and do some writing. My no. Is 612 584 7627,my name is Bill and i remember you too thru misty eyes. Call me

[Bill Hussman]

I decide to rpost a little, Having read the posts and knowing what i went thru there ,and having tears after 35 plus years i havnt quite moved on. I was surprised that these emotions remained. I did visit the nightmare called golden valley medical center afterit was shut down rather abruptly in 1992. It was a mental health treatment facility for adolescents. I was there i was not a bad child growing up ,but like most there,had been abused as children teenagers, by parents stepparents care givers, and turnwd to drugs to escape these home oroblems How could i have this well of emotions come up after so long. Well they kept us there as many have wriiten previous posts until the insurance ran out or we turned 18.years old. We were kept from our communities at a very crucial time in our lives. Our Adolescent years teen age years. And keeping us away from community for such a long period of time 2 to 6 months plus. For a child it seemed like an eternity. I remember crying until i had know more tears, whether it was the drugs they gave us that caused this i dont know ,but really . Give a bunch of drugs to children teenagers that used drugs and alcohol to escape tbere parents or family because of abuse.? Not right. I see these same psych therapy drugs, major depressants now getting brought into federal court with class action lawsuits, thankyou internet for getting testamonials together. It was very hard to connect after u got out of golden valley medical center.I was a different lerson, , for one the complete seperation for so many months, two the drugs they gave us ,many with so much allergic rwaction, they actually mimicked mental illness and then more drugs would be given. The mental health system culture is one built up these kind of drugs. Many many people are told wrongly by doctors that tbey will have to take these debillitating drugs for the rest of there lives. Dont believe it. Treating people children right , given all the resouces this country has , to do at least get that right ,not throwing them away for insurance and doctors to care for. I felt we were throw aways, so much time lost at that olace., Flashbacks from it ,yes i get them from time to time. Records dont ask me where they are. , Lawsuits sure ,okay im in , but i will never likely get back what was taken. I have some contentment that the Golden valley medical center was shut down ,and i did go see the olace after it was shutdown as did one or two others in previous post. There will be more posts by others ,and testamonials by other that were there, as time goes by as there are even more now. I see the drugs they used on us being taken to court , good, . I see the FDA dropping peoples lives ,but more and more court action and internet power of People bringing people together on somthing like this. May it never happen again , and again ,we were not alone. I believe i turned to music ,much in part because of what happened there and other much much better reasons writing also , Life moves on ,its diffent how emotions dont forget. Not alone
.

[usnetqueen]

I actually as a 51 year old adult have spent the greater part of the last 20 years at Courage Center Physical Therapy which is located at the entrance of the hospitals grounds. First time I went to Courage Center I had a massive psychiatric break pulling into that driveway. I spent over a year at GVMHC as a young woman in 3 consecutive stays. I grew up here in Minneapolis and no one ever speaks of that place, like it never existed. I do remember at OT there that I loved so dearly and as a 12 year old clung to her every chance I could. Ms. Lewendowski. I loved OT. The rest of it still gives me panic attacks... I to was shipped to some place in Saint Paul that was even worse. How it could be worse is unbelievable. I then was shipped to Anoka State as I was always escaping. The streets even at 9-12-14 were better than these chambers of horrors. I do remember being in that directors house. At first I thought I was special, doing better. I would go through the metal anguish to call these bastards out who stole my childhood and robbed me of ever trusting anyone in life... actually, my mom still has all the records from that place when I was there. What they gave her of course. When I couldn't get it together in life those records were used to get my on SSDI! I have never had the guts to drive further down that road. Most the land is a gated rich people community now. If I would participate in a lawsuit. For years I could not even snuggle in a blanket. FOR YEARS!!!