Up to 7000 forgotten gravesites being uncovered at Eloise

**river rat** · December-29-15, 04:54 PM

Many years ago I had experiences at Eloise. Thousands lived there and the conditions were not great for those with mental illness. They had a warm place to stay, meals were reasonable and there was little violence. The had recreational opportunities, but their lives were solitary and isolated as they were mentally ill. I was always stunned by the absence of family visits, but came to understand that the families were relieved to be free of the burden of the victim of mental illness.

With the late 60's and 70's emptying of these institutions and mainstreaming the mentally ill we developed the problem of homelessness and those who were previously in Eloise on the streets and often victims of violence and they often turned to fringe mechanisms of existence. Drug use was fine to them because the were on psychotropic drugs to start [[think Thorazine). They found great use for all drugs.

I look back and wonder if we did those inmates a favor - and did we improve society?

To quote Oscar Wilde, "It is with the best of intentions that the worst work is done."

**jackie5275** · December-30-15, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Thanx, but then it goes back to shoddy record keeping. They obviously can't connect the simple numbers on the markers to a name. Either or, I find this very disturbing.

HT, I can see where you're coming from on this, but reread my original post in this thread. That's just how it is. Personally, I think the folks should have had a proper headstone or grave maker with a minimum their name and dates of birth & death. However, I, in 2015 or even in the 1980s when I started there, can not account for how things were recorded in the time period of this cemetery which was the 1880s to late 1940s.

**jackie5275** · December-30-15, 01:32 PM

[QUOTE=river rat;496055]
With the late 60's and 70's emptying of these institutions and mainstreaming the mentally ill we developed the problem of homelessness and those who were previously in Eloise on the streets and often victims of violence and they often turned to fringe mechanisms of existence. Drug use was fine to them because the were on psychotropic drugs to start [[think Thorazine). They found great use for all drugs.

I look back and wonder if we did those inmates a favor - and did we improve society?/QUOTE]

Based on all my work experience, the answer is no. I worked there, another private psych hospital, Detroit-Wayne County Mental Health Dept [[Authority), and the Wayne County Jail. I've seen these folks seemingly my whole career. I've seen them struggle on their own.

I know in the 60s, particularly during the Kennedy administration when the movement started, [[and maybe this was part of that element of keeping the Kennedy spirit alive,) this thought of releasing all those folks into the community because they were suffering and being institutionalized may have been gallant at the time. I can't speak for other facilities, but the folks at Eloise were reasonably well treated and were primarily safe. Over the past 40-45 years, we've seen this all unravel. Most of the mentally ill out on streets, in the community, aren't getting adequate care. Many end up in the County Jail. The truest, most honest statement Bob Ficano ever made was as Sheriff when he said "I am the biggest mental health provider in Wayne County." For all those people who years ago decried long term psychiatric hospitals as being "cruel, dehumanizing, etc", I have to ask are these folks better off now being homeless, incarcerated, and left to fend for themselves or with family who are ill equipped to handle their illnesses? I think not.

There is a certain part of the mentally ill population that can't be trusted to be compliant with their treatment plans and/or that bad off [[think patients in the Forensic Center) that should not be out in the community.