"Smallville" mental hospitals vs. real mental hospitals

[La_La]

I've been to a mental hospital to visit a relative and I tell you also that there's some major differences. For one thing Clark looks like he is stuck in a mental asylum from the 50's. The orderlies look like they are ready to fix him ice cream instead of meds lol. And as someone else already said Clark would be in regular clothes or pjs. And if they had to restrain him he wouldn't be walking around.

And has someone else has already said, mental hostipals look just like regular hostpitals or homes. And they aren't all grey and stiff looking either. The only ones that have bars are either Criminally insane ones (We once went into that one on accident and it was the scariest place I've ever been) or old abandon asylums.

[InLove_with_Chloe]

Wow, those are some tough stories.

Thanks for sharing, guys.

Allow me to contribute: about the appearance of the mental institution in 'Labyrinth'.
IMO, the set was pretty much a copy of the one from the 1975 movie

'One flew over the cuckoo's nest'

Do you agree???
It's a movie by the great director Milos Forman, starring Jack Nicholson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo%27s_Nest_%28film%29

It's after a novel by Ken Kesey (which I can recommend).

Btw, Nospam briefly referred to the movie, by calling the mean Nurse he met 'Nurse Ratched' (in the movie: the incredible Louise Fletcher), I dunno if we discussed that point already...

I have started a thread about that fact earlier, but no one answered, I guess most of the kids around here don't remember the movie....

http://www.kryptonsite.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68019

[Jaded Wolf]

As part of my training in occupational therapy, I had to visit the San Antonio State Hospital. It didn't have bars and definetely the therapist had more control of the group. However, I think in Smallville, we have to remember the Zoner was trying to break Clark's mental capacity and therefore was not really going for accuracy in the design and layout of the mental facilities. Sometimes when you try to analyze everything you miss the meaning and purpose of the episode.

[al821]

its pretty funny that the orderlies were dressed up as waiters

[SpeedDemon77]

Originally posted by Jaded Wolf
As part of my training in occupational therapy, I had to visit the San Antonio State Hospital. It didn't have bars and definetely the therapist had more control of the group. However, I think in Smallville, we have to remember the Zoner was trying to break Clark's mental capacity and therefore was not really going for accuracy in the design and layout of the mental facilities. Sometimes when you try to analyze everything you miss the meaning and purpose of the episode.

I totally agree with this. In "Labyrinth" the Zoner was placing Clark in the worst of possible states of confinement. It wasn't meant to have a pleasant or peaceful atmosphere, by any means. I have been to three mental hospitals in my life. One was for my aunt, who unfortunately had a brain tumor that went undetected for years and made her suffer numerous psychotic episodes. She tried to go Lizzie Borden on my grandfather and stepgrandmother with an ax....and always used to hear people that weren't really there. She was really cool to me though. I used to defend her from a lot of bullies in public. People can be really cruel sometimes.

Another time I went to visit my cousin in a facility for mental depression and there was a lot of heavy security in that one. My cousin and I were only seventeen at the time and you know, that's a hard age anyway....so he was going through some major issues. Happy to say that today, he's twenty-nine, has a wonderful five-year old son and he's doing so much better....and we keep in touch regularly, because family support is a major, and being so close in age we're more like brothers than cousins.

The third time I visited was for my sister's boyfriend. Totally different atmosphere from the place where my cousin had been. State facility. They had some guy in a straight-jacket walking him down the hallway and he looked like a zombie. Completely stoned on meds....and one of the guys walking him warned us not to make eye contact with the guy if he looked our way because it would send him off. I think that was one of the scariest places I've ever been to as far as mental hospitals go. The other was a biker bar a few miles from one of the places where I grew up, but that's another story.

I do agree though that the mental hospital where the Zoner placed Clark was made to look more surreal. If he had been put in a pretty decent place with friendly encouraging people, he might not have wanted to leave. On second thought, why didn't the Zoner use a place like that instead? Duh, Zoner!

[Jaded Wolf]

Originally posted by SpeedDemon77
I totally agree with this. In "Labyrinth" the Zoner was placing Clark in the worst of possible states of confinement. It wasn't meant to have a pleasant or peaceful atmosphere, by any means. I have been to three mental hospitals in my life. One was for my aunt, who unfortunately had a brain tumor that went undetected for years and made her suffer numerous psychotic episodes. She tried to go Lizzie Borden on my grandfather and stepgrandmother with an ax....and always used to hear people that weren't really there. She was really cool to me though. I used to defend her from a lot of bullies in public. People can be really cruel sometimes.

Another time I went to visit my cousin in a facility for mental depression and there was a lot of heavy security in that one. My cousin and I were only seventeen at the time and you know, that's a hard age anyway....so he was going through some major issues. Happy to say that today, he's twenty-nine, has a wonderful five-year old son and he's doing so much better....and we keep in touch regularly, because family support is a major, and being so close in age we're more like brothers than cousins.

The third time I visited was for my sister's boyfriend. Totally different atmosphere from the place where my cousin had been. State facility. They had some guy in a straight-jacket walking him down the hallway and he looked like a zombie. Completely stoned on meds....and one of the guys walking him warned us not to make eye contact with the guy if he looked our way because it would send him off. I think that was one of the scariest places I've ever been to as far as mental hospitals go. The other was a biker bar a few miles from one of the places where I grew up, but that's another story.

I do agree though that the mental hospital where the Zoner placed Clark was made to look more surreal. If he had been put in a pretty decent place with friendly encouraging people, he might not have wanted to leave. On second thought, why didn't the Zoner use a place like that instead? Duh, Zoner!

Now the Zoner goes "D'oh!!!"

[GottaLoveHotSuperHeros]

Originally posted by al821
its pretty funny that the orderlies were dressed up as waiters

yeah, they just looked stupid imo


I have a question. Remember back in season 3 when Lex was at Belle Reeve (sp). this time the hospital was way different than that. which one is more realistic? besides meteor freaks...

[meteor]

i have a family member in one now. i have great empathy for those that have suffered having seen how difficult it can be.

[shirkie]

Well in a way it's kind of like a big sleepover. Everyone can just chill in pajamas, no responsibilities, no work or school, heh. At least that's the way I looked at it.
shirkie

[P@M]

the real mental health

Well guys, I recommend you to take look at this page www.cchr.com so you look at some of the real and documented facts of the real mental health, also there is some info on the treatments of hospitals.
I know some cases which can tell you that smallville hospital isn't so unreal

[GottaLoveHotSuperHeros]

eh, there's no way I'm watching that... sad

[shirkie]

OMG that link is VERY radical and NOT at all representative of what most mental health clinics are like!!!!!!!!!! Most of the statistics they cite have absolutely no documentation to explain where they got them from. They practically just say "24% of psychiatrists admit to eating their patients" and give no evidence for the claim. Ikes.
shirkie

[GottaLoveHotSuperHeros]

cannabalism = ew.

[P@M]

Well, it actually is documented, you just have to send them an e-mail so they show you where is the evidence

[RedPhoenix23]

Re: the real mental health

Originally posted by P@M
Well guys, I recommend you to take look at this page www.cchr.com so you look at some of the real and documented facts of the real mental health, also there is some info on the treatments of hospitals.
I know some cases which can tell you that smallville hospital isn't so unreal

Why do I get the feeling that the creators of that site are sceintologists?

Anyways, I agree with whoever said that the institute Clark was in was susposed to be a bad representation. That was the whole point.

...... Even though, another show did the whole "you're life for the past few years has been a lie and you've actually been in an asylum" this year and they weren't forced to reducing the mental hospital's creditablity. Of course, that SGA episdode was really really boring as well, so.... I don't know. Eh, it was boring, but you know what? It was also much more believable then Laybrinth.