Children of Darkness: The MOST disturbing mental illness documentary (EXTENDED)
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- čas přidán 1. 08. 2023
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Children of Darkness is an Oscar nominated documentary film produced and written by Richard Kotuk and Ara Chekmayan. It explored the topic of juvenile psychiatry-an acute lack of mental health care in America for seriously emotionally disturbed youth.
It is about mentally ill and emotionally troubled children and young adults living in various private and public residences, state institutions, such as the Eastern State School in Pennsylvania, the Elan School in Poland, Maine, Sagamore Children's Center, a Long Island (state run) institution and South Beach in New York psychiatric hospital. It contains interviews with various parents, including ones whose children died under suspicious circumstances while in custody.
Many children in these institutions were simply warehoused and the common basic form of therapy was drugs, which didn't really help the kids but merely controlled them.
The film not only uncovered the mistreatments in mental institutions but it also captured the cold realization that mental illness can happen to anyone. Public mental institutions were not just for the poor. Children from middle class families and upper middle class families often ended up there due to inadequate insurance money and dwindled savings. Children of Darkness is scarier than many horror films we've ever seen, possibly one of the most disturbing and upsetting documentaries out there. The real life tragedies and dramas viewed in this film are a depressive tour-de-force into the corridors of psychiatric institutions dedicated to children and teenagers who early in life are put up against the most difficult of problems.
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When was this documentary (year,) done? Thankyou.
By the way, I really learn so much from your channel.
Thank you so much!!!@@sonyagraske376
to answer ur question,1983 and after getting a huge leg up from Oprah, Dr Phil is still supporting ''ranches''... speaks volumes@@sonyagraske376 very scary times.
What year was this documentary filmed?
@@Mrs.LadeyBug 1983.
That poor lad with the muscle dystrophy 😢 how his parents could be so cruel. He seems like such a lovely boy too 😢
His parents are soulless and don’t deserve him.
This is is absolutely heart- breaking. I just want to put my arms around him and hug him so tight.
In 2023, there are people who disown their children because they are the soft and sensitive ones. They don't even need to have a physical or mental disability. They just need to be the ones who are constantly told to toughen up and act like their older sibling. So don't be surprised. People are savages pretending to be human.
I agree very sad for him
@@Imaseeker13
Whats THAT for a heartless comment ❓️YOU his parents❓️ how dare YOU leave your child so neglected ❓️😪
Brian is lucky to have such a wonderful dad and friend.
Brian’s Dad breaks my heart. He loves that boy so much.
Indeed! Such a lovely person despite all the torment and blows that life gave him.
Him and his Dad is the most wholesome thing ever
God bless Brian and his dad ❤
Yeah I’m team Brian
I’m from Philadelphia I’m almost sure I’ve seen them in my area.
Brian's 'girlfriend' is so sweet. I bet ppl make fun of her too just for being his friend. She's really special & cares for him. The Dad is amazing.
I agree but I also think she’s in it for the money.
Why so? @@reginamatos7021
@@reginamatos7021you believe that , or say you do , because she is doing something selfless that you know you would not do.
I cried listening to Brians father talk about what is going to happen when he dies and who will show love to Brian and take him out every weekend.
Me too😢
Is Brian still alive??
@2:50 , this child sounds and speaks completely sane and sensible. His muscular distrophe just affects, his speech a little, that's all. His comments were completely sensible and understandable. Such horrible parents.
I know soul crushingly sad😢 I hope this guy has since been able to make a life for himself outside the institution and has found some kind of peace despite his awful “parents”
That made me cry bc I worked at a group home about 7 yrs ago and this one young male resident has a similar story. He was non verbal but he understood when you spoke to him and his condition was severe but he could still get around well enough he'd run you ragged. Such a sweet guy always happy and loved to laugh so I could never understand why his parents just ditched him there years before and never came back. I thought it was so cool that his initials were TGIF and I was under the impression it was intentional so HOW can someone put such thought into something like that just to throw it all away?!
Absolutely heartbreaking. 💔💔💔💔💔💔 Brings tears to my eyes. 😭😭😭😭😭 I'm much younger than him, since this was made long ago; but I still would want to adopt him. 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖
Yes. Totally. I have 14 year old teen with autism and he cannot speak like this. I would not drop him off anywhere. I am taking care of him and keeping him safe.
poor baby is better without those horrible parents, they dont deserve him, this kid is still mental alert, God blessing with love and prosperity.
This 1983 documentary is sad and upsetting but what is shocking is that not much has changed in 40 years! There are still places like these. Patients are still dying in “mysterious” circumstances and people are still treating those with mental health conditions as social pariahs. 😢😢
SPOT ON! THANK YOU!
My brother found dead in his room residential mental care he never harmed anyone 😢rip pez
@@Jessica-oe2ss SO SORRY JESSICA!
@@Jessica-oe2ssPEZ from PA? I Had a friend back around 2005 named PEZ I don't know where he went. Would he be in his 40s right now?
over 4 years ago, i used to work at a pet store and I can't tell you how many times I saw an unmarked vehicle dump a person at the parking lot and it turns out that was the state dumping mental ill people who aged out of the system. Alot of homeless schizophrenics would be seen returning to the pet store. The animals give them comfort. Its really sad.
This was not a treatment center. It was a torture center.
I feel the Same! IT IS a Horror house!
@@mariadiamond6311the so called confrontation "therapy" around 1:11:39 (starts a little bit before that) with making the girl wear the dunce cap as the other (much older) children degraded her... horrible. And they made them "confront" her in this way or wlse theyd be punished. How the staff in these places could see this abuse as "therapy" is beyond me. And I have heard this kind of "therapy" was done into rhe 2000s
@@heatheroriordan5800 there was a children's care center in upstate NY that would put shock vests on children up until 2012
Fnn right it was.
This hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m tearing up so much. I complain about my life sometimes. Then I see this, and think to myself how dare I complain. These kids are true warriors. They deserve respect, love, understanding, compassion,and respect.
I am eternally grateful that my parents hid my autism diagnosis because they knew what would happen to me if I went into the system. It wasn't easy for me, I really struggled sometimes, but it was worth it.
❤
Now that I think about it, there were probably many more kids on the autism and Asberger's spectrum that we knew about, but they were just the "odd ducks" in school, and were integrated into regular classes.
@@goudagirl6095 it probably wasn't as obvious to you when you were younger, but at around middle school age is really when the schisms start as far as cliques go. That's when you start pairing down to hanging out with the people that you want, not the kids that your parents force you to interact with. I bet that you can name one or two kids from school who were just not quite on the same page as everyone else. I'm not talking about the obvious stuff, like skin color, size, economics, etc., but it was almost like you were speaking to someone who still spoke in Old English; you recognize that they're speaking familiar words, but not in the way that you understand. That's autism. Even I could recognize it as kid!
@@goudagirl6095 I was definitely one of those "odd ducks". I never understood why I struggled so much in social settings, why I've always been "overly sensitive", why I felt so overwhelmed by life sometimes, etc. until I found out in my late teens that I'm autistic, and suddenly my life made so much more sense. apparently my parents had wondered if I was on the spectrum when I was very young, but didn't do anything about it because it wasn't impacting me academically. part of me is glad that I wasn't diagnosed as a child because it could have kept me from being able to have the same opportunities as everyone else, but on the other hand it's incredibly difficult to grow up feeling so isolated from your peers and not knowing why everything is so much more complicated for you.
I worked in a residential treatment center in Oklahoma for a short time. Although they didn’t physically abuse their patients, the emotional abuse was very similar to Elon. I didn’t know this type of thing existed in the United States.
After I had worked there a few months I broke my ankle while at home mowing the lawn. A few days after I returned to work the director accused me of stealing a clients medications, the exact same medication I had a prescription for. She fired me, and within a year the place closed and she was arrested for driving while under the influence of-you guessed it-the same medication she accused me of stealing.
The people who are in charge of these places are not who they pretend to be.
This is a nightmare
I knew a girl that was a registered nurse, she was working on a cancer floor, and she was stealing the patients medicines for pain and whatever she wanted. She ended up getting caught, losing her job, but upon completion of drug court, she is was reinstated as a RN, and allowed to practice again. A few years later, her son was diagnosed with cancer. Very sad that her son ended up with cancer, seems like bad karma to me. Very sad for him.
Let Brian go to the canteen...telling him he doesn't have money. Pry all he has to look forward to. 😢 a d the things he says, he's heard...so some serious trauma when he was small and it seems to continue currently.
I agree with you that the people in charge put on a show but are different behind closed doors.
I read that Brian died in 2016 at age 53. He was found dead in his group home.
He’d moved at 18 to a group home only 4 blocks from his dads home.
But sadly, his dad had passed away in 1984, so about a year after this documentary.
His girlfriend from the doc did continue to visit and care for him for years after this documentary.
I think she must’ve moved on because his girlfriend close to the time of his death had a different name.
😢
😢
😢😢😢😢😢😢
😢
Thank you for sharing this news with us.
I felt so moved by Brian, his kind and loving father, and also his sweet girl friend! 🥺
Thank you Sharyn!!
She started the whole situation because the dad told him he could go, and she immediately spoiled it, letting him know he couldn’t. And then they cornered him. Of course, he became hysterical. More importantly, the woman started it.
The boy who painted and wrote poetry. Who died. My daughter is like that she’s high functioning autistic and she’s wonderful. She needs a little bit of extra love and care. She’s clever and sensitive and beautiful and she loves animals.
I’m crying now.
🫠 virtual hug ❤
I'm crying as well God bless you x
Sending a hug ❤
Yes, so very sad.
All children need love and care
Brian’s dad and friend are two amazing people ❤
As much as my heart goes out to all these dear children it actually breaks for parents like Brian’s Dad. We should all be grateful for our healthy children and always remember how blessed we are ❤️
My thoughts too. Some of us have it very hard on this planet. If only we could help each other better.
The state COULD pay for an in home care taker for kids like Brian. But then these facilities wouldn't be earning all the money from state and feds. Its all about money
Lmao you obviously don’t understand the expenses involved for PERMANENT lifelong mental health care. We can’t have social and medical safety nets and expect not to fund it through taxes. It was tuff in the 80s because Reagan shut down mental health facilities left and right. This film is right when that was happening. It was hard then. It’s 5x MORE expensive NOW.
@@LeniDell TV
Brian unfortunately died a few years ago. He was in his 50s I think.
Imagine being so desperate to help your child you pay and send them to a place like Elan. You think it’s going to help but the ‘treatment’ methods are like emotional abuse. I’d come out with more problems than I had going in.😢
😢
Imagine praying 🙏 to some god deity to solve these problems. 😶
It is abuse. These people are just making money off of these poor kids illnesses. It's so sad to watch. I was hoping there was going to be s better out come, but obviously not.
Yeah, if parents made their kid live in a full trash can with guards, that would be abuse and they would be charged and arrested. But it is done to kids with mental issues “as treatment” ?!?!🤷🏻♀️
How does a thing like that help?
@@bonniebrown6960 As far as I understood, the kids at Elan weren't mentally ill, but "bad", doing stupid things. They had been more lucky ending up in jail...less horror there.
omg 2:45 He's completely aware of his parents dropping him off and not wanting him anymore. Due to his muscular dystrophy he struggles with his speech but other then that there's nothing wrong with him. I have a neighbor that has it as well and he lives alone. This is so heartbreaking. 💔
I have a ten year old son with autism and I could never drop him off somewhere and just go live my life… how heartbreaking… I just want to give all these kids love ….
Youre a good mother !
Very old doco, more knowledge available/support now at least in NZ
My child is severely Autistic and 9 years old. I made myself watch this because, I think I need to do something for children like this. I could never imagine my husband or I leaving our baby behind anywhere. Loving, kissing, and hugging is everything in our child’s life. He can not speak and still in diapers but, he is the happiest child. I pray with the love of Jesus, we can always give him a life full of love. I can’t imagine what would happen to him, if not for constant love and acceptance. I could see him easily falling into disconnection from the world.
This country’s Autism rates are off the chart from when these videos were made. In my opinion it’s the symptoms of a falling world. Growing in darkness.
Yes ma'am!!!
I have a daughter with special needs and she's the light of my life
This place lived on until 2011. Absolute horror for all those poor kids.
There are plenty of inpatient behavioral hospitals like these throughout America. I trained at one in med school
No way 😳
It's still better than nothing though.
Absolutely 😒
I feel so sorry for Brian, you can see how much he hates the institution.
Where else could they get 24hr care..
I felt so bad when the worker said "Brian is mildly retarded" but he said "I'm not retarded... am I?"
@@streaming5332home…
Yet he's smart enough to accept it.
..but he will want love and affection, But where is he gonna get it?"
This is the core issue not just in this documentary but within mental health treatment in general.These kids are NOT walking disabilities they are humans with thought and feelings who also have mental disabilities.
3 minutes in and I'm in tears..Please protect the unwanted and unseen
Brian's father is an excellent example of how all us should be.
KInd, caring and compassionate.
Kudos to Brian's father.
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
Jim is such a good father and Brian’s old neighbor is an angel too 😭
Jerry, the boy at 3:00 always broke my heart. This isn't the 1st time I bump into this documentary and every time I see it I can't help but to bawl. He looked so sweet. He needed love from his parents.
Same 😞
I too noticed him. In all honesty, the way he words his sentences is on at least average level, sounds like he didn't have a serious mental disability.
@@magnuskallas they just didn't want him. Too bad, he sounded very sweet and smart.
@@magnuskallasmuscular dystrophy. muscle weakness makes it difficult to form the words with the mouth and throat muscles, and also can eventually make walking difficult or impossible. but there's no intellectual disability at all it is a physical one. He did not belong there at all. Very sad.
I wonder if he got a job and has a good life which I wish for him...
Brian's dad is an amazing man.
This is very sad. 😢 my daughter is 22 and has had schizophrenia since 14 years old and thank god for medicine we have today!!!! This is very upsetting
shizophrenia isn't a mental health problem, its a neurological problem,, the same way, autism, dementia etc are neurological and not a mental illness
Neurological problems are also mental health problems
The boy was in a great mood... Shame on that male nurse for forcing him to lay down... It wasn't necessary to do any of that!! No human likes to be forced to do anything!!! No wonder these kids lose it so much!!! Going about these kids/people all wrong!!!
At least they didn't give him a pill to calm him....
...the one Dr gave him a shot though
He would have been better off going out for a walk.
We need to treat our fellow humans better. Recently a young mentally disabled woman who was living in a care group home in my city gave birth and left the baby outside in a field. The child survived, but quite a few people went on a crusade against her. Turns out one of the carers was sexually abusing her and as she was unable to speak or otherwise express herself very well she just shut down when she accidently gavceebirth too early outside and left the kid there. The home & her parents were aware she was pregnant but no one investigated what was done to her before she became 'a criminal'. The child was fine thankfully, but they put that woman through so much police investigation. She was sitting in the station and telling the translator in limited sign language that she wants to have her crayons and continue coloring her book... she didn't understand at all what she did.
😢😢 absolutely heartbreaking 💔
Absolutely horrific. Thats anorher issue in this county, is the judicial system. Someone who truly is suffering frm mental illness will get the same treatment as a neurotypical person. Its not right and many fall through the cracks
@@jennifers.3818Yep and the prison system is the new mental hospital. It’s a vicious cycle.
God Bless Brian’s dad!💕
well if there is a god...then he's made this happen...think about it!!!
Can I just say, for all the terrible things seen in this documentary, the teacher in the autism school, I appreciate him so much. He seems to genuinely care and love the kids he teaches. That is incredibly rare.
I love Brian’s father. So sweet and profoundly worried about his son in this cruel land. It shouldn’t be that way!!!
My goodness! The doctors and so called "experts" come over as far more mentally disturbed!
It's been proven these tactics don't work.
It was like experimental abuse, nothing surprising, but absolutely horrendous. That would drive anybody completely off their head. I wonder what happened to these souls 😔💔💜
This is the type of "treatment" that Paris Hilton and many others endured. It explains her instability and hyper-sexuality in her youth.
@@schoomzer yeah, I know. Shocking.
Definitely physical and verbal abuse. Anyone would go crazy in that place !!!!!!
I work in mental health and watching this was horrific
Have you ever seen this kind of abuse??
@@MiMiDixon-np8wmno I haven't thankfully
Behavioral health needs a serious improvement. Psychiatrist don't evaluate and diagnose correctly at times . True about therapy, they don't help just give you pills that may not be right for you , it confuses and and makes it easy for control. People might want to take class on Mental health first aid and also learn how to identify.
Many times Psychiatrists will just prescribe pills without a full examination of the possible ailments
@@kimcummings6904 true , they say trial and error. Keep prescribing pills for wrong diagnosis. I have witnessed sexual abuse , physical abuse, and giving patience shots in ass just to shut them up .
.
exactly they pump my son with thorazine to control him hes like a zombie
Psychology is very different from other medical specialties. We know very little about how some medication works and some do not. Which is why they monitor their patients side effects carefully.
Being on toxic medication can also give people stranger personalities / body language, etc.
I wanna kno why tf they actually tell these kids that their parents were embarrassed to go in public with them? These kids shouldn't be told such messed up things regardless if it's the truth
Well I mean, when the kids ask where their parents are for hundreds of times in a month, what else do you expect the care-workers to say to them
@corpsefoot758 maybe something like, I'm not sure why they left but I'm sure it was for ur own well being? Something like that maybe?
@@yvonne4978
I dunno dude, kids are pretty sharp; I worry they might be able to pick out the lie eventually, and for someone already suffering from mental illness that’s yet another deceptive aspect of their life you’re adding to the pile
I think if you prepared the children properly, a lesson of “your parents neglected you but you are not defined by the type of parents you come from” isn’t too terrible a lesson, in the end 🤷♂️
@corpsefoot758 ya see that doesn't sound too bad but that's not what they told him, they told him ur mom didn't want u because ur retarded
That's what I wanted to know
Poor babies !!!! How utterly heartbreaking !!!
I believe these are children that are starving for the affection of their parents and what they did here is absolutely absurd
Brian is such a beautiful child and so are all these children. I feel so bad for those abandoned especially the young man in the wheelchair. 😢❤
Brian's dad needed Brian just as much as Brian needed his dad. This is a heartbreaking doc 💔
This was disturbing to watch but such the mindset in the 1980's. Strange that the Elan staff wasn't dolling out the punishments but the other "residents"...that is sick! I wonder how these people are doing now that they are 60+ years old. I wonder how many crashed and burned due to the mistreatment they received.
That place IT is a living hell 😢
Those poor children !
In Tucson Arizona the behavioral health system is Trafficking. FACT. I have paper trail .
Tey will end up in Hell for abusing young folk!
With the things I've seen too, I don't even question you about that sadly... Too many of the system do trafficking 😢😢
I'm in Tucson. Can I know what info you got?
@@arianagarcia3733 Sheriff department Deputy Hector Palomino mastermind my son's homicide, I'm fighting to get Justice, law enforcement had me hospitalized for evaluation, Four different diagnosis, which none are true. They want me to seem unstable when I go to court. I was released with no court order for treatment. My son. Richard Jensen , Deputy Palomino & Sheriff Chris Nanos Raped Jessica Rodriguez, got her pregnant. My son was going to do DNA. Hector Palomino is the DNA. I have much info .
@@arianagarcia3733 diagnosis was from 4 different psychiatrist .
So much love from Brians father,thats amazing. And Brian is much better and happier with his dad..
This made me cry. He needs love and proper care. He seems so safe and happy at home.
His father is 70 he's obviously a much younger woman pregnant and she hasn't wanted this child
Sometimes babies and toddlers brains get damaged, sometimes the onset is vaccinations by the age of 2. You see the baby / toddler's brain hurts and so he will have a tantrum. My son sat on the floor and had mini-seizures - banging his head (the back of his head on the floor). Like doing a situp only smashing his head on the floor. We didn't understand it but but would try to catch him, soften the blow. Later that year he looked right through me, no communication at all. Then diagnosed with autism. So he developed physically but non-verbal year after year. The speech center of the brain is damaged yet the brain scan - the doctor said it seems normal. I had to move out yet would always check on him and his sister. His mother could not work because her job was caregiver for our son and our daughter (she was normal), so she went to school but her mom was always there for her too. Our son is now 21 and aging out of his school, a school for children and young adults that are autistic or have cerebral palsy. He does seem to like school though, he wakes around 7:30 and his mom drives him to school and he starts at 9:00.
The marriage was tough, unfortunately there was fighting and
disagreements. So I lived on my own. The divorce was finalized a couple years ago. Now I am a caregiver for my son. I am paid by the state and go to him every day for 4 hours. And he does an overnight with me around the weekend. So far we keep him out of some strange place caring for him.
There was such a down to earth way about people back then, unassuming and honest on camera. Such a different generation. So different from the narcissism and insincerity that seems to pervade nowadays.
When the one caregiver was asked if this was the best they could do you could see he really did have compassion for the kids he really did care and wished there was a better way. He was nearly brought to tears and seeing how these kids were living then it breaks my heart.
I miss those days. I hope things get better
This comment is wild. People were monsters back then without consequence. That was the height of the Aids epidemic, "Satanic panic," more active serial killers, and absent parents. People are nicer to each other now. Parents born in that generation actually teach and take care of their children. There aren't nearly as many latchkey children now. I'm guessing you guys were shielded from the world or are looking back with rose colored glasses. Today isn't great, but it's better than it was then. We just had fun without knowing the consequences until one of our friends disappeared. I couldn't go outside without grown men cat calling me. Some chased me. 1 caught me and hurt me. I told the cops and they laughed. This documentary shows a bunch of abuse and parents who just dropped off their kids and pretended they didn't exist.
Seriously?
@@mandibailey9104 My comment was merely talking about the way people expressed themselves on camera, at a time when social media and constant camera use hadn't invaded our lives, therefore the average Joe tended to be much more down to earth in how they expressed themselves. I was in no way trying to say that therefore, there were less criminals, less catcalling etc. I'm fully aware things aren't perfect in any era or generation. My comment still stands; narcissism and self absorbancy is absolutely more prominent in today's society and people are more hyper-focused on presenting a version of themselves to the world that will get them likes, clicks, money, societal or sexual praise etc.
Muscular dystrophy, despite the inability to control muscles, are 100% mentally normal. How awful that he is housed with others who have various forms of psychosis.
It's all so sad. Jerry's story is the one that broke my heart the most. He can carry on an intelligent conversation, and yet, his parents felt he wasn't worthy enough to finish raising. I wonder how his life ended up?
This doccie is a serious eye-opener to what goes on in a world that many of us do not know much or anything about.
How fortunate for him to have such a loving father
Mental illness is a terrible, terrible thing,see never judge the book by the cover.My late dad used to tell me that.
This is nothing more than abuse by power hunger adult's
Poor Jerry. My poor heart couldn't go any further than Jerry. Hope his parents had a nice long multi-year stay in a facility far worse than this one day, then straight to Hades after.
Hearing the "Dr." At the second place talking about screaming at the kids made me so angry! Then seeing the kids screaming insults at each other really had my blood boiling!!! Id LOVE to high five that Doctor in the face!!
Me too
@@firebyrd437 I think the doctor had some mental issues himself.
They were shut down eventually . After sexual abuse and assaults came out into the open .think it took years though .they had suicide after suicide attempt after the kids left . Sick and vile
It always helps to scream at kids to calm them down.
That is totally cruel.
that vile female nurse upset brian on purpose...and thenheld him down
Brian is a beautiful looking young man..His Dad is such a lovely Man…
My friend use to work in a house with 4 mental men. And he notice that some of the medicine there were gettin was making them worse.
Makes me think twice when I complain about my problems because this is heart wrenching…and I can just hope that maybe things are better now than in the 1980’s with medications and how we handle our children. 😞
me too. i went to a mental hospital a few years ago and it was not like this at all! I got my medication, food, sleep and respect. they were short staffed but it was a good experience. This movie is old. I doubt they knew what to do at the time.
Yes it is I went to a residential place kinda like the place at the end and it’s not like they they treat you like a person they still suck ass tho
With autism, called Classic autism it's not much better though. He's my experience:
Sometimes babies and toddlers brains get damaged, sometimes the onset is vaccinations by the age of 2. You see the baby / toddler's brain hurts and so he will have a tantrum. My son sat on the floor and had mini-seizures - banging his head (the back of his head on the floor). Like doing a situp only smashing his head on the floor. We didn't understand it but but would try to catch him, soften the blow. Later that year he looked right through me, no communication at all. Then diagnosed with autism. So he developed physically but non-verbal year after year. The speech center of the brain is damaged yet the brain scan - the doctor said it seems normal. I had to move out yet would always check on him and his sister. His mother could not work because her job was caregiver for our son and our daughter (she was normal), so she went to school but her mom was always there for her too. Our son is now 21 and aging out of his school, a school for children and young adults that are autistic or have cerebral palsy. He does seem to like school though, he wakes around 7:30 and his mom drives him to school and he starts at 9:00.
The marriage was tough, unfortunately there was fighting and
disagreements. So I lived on my own. The divorce was finalized a couple years ago. Now I am a caregiver for my son. I am paid by the state and go to him every day for 4 hours. And he does an overnight with me around the weekend. So far we keep him out of some strange place caring for him.
It was very popular in the 80s for parents to dump their "problem" kids in these residential "schools" as broken homes where on the rise, mothers out working and wanting a life for themselves outside of the home. So many of these "schools" were horrifically abusive as the staff knew these kids were basically written off by their parents.
True. Now even famous celebrities are speaking out about their experiences. Seems it waa alot of parents with money and status They needed their kids to fall in line and not make them look bad. Easiest thing was ship them off, hide them
it was just as bad in the 70s, 60s and decades before, this was not a new thing,it had been going on for many many years sadly, but at the same time, what else do you do with someone who needs round the clock care, its one thing to do it to someone who is at least somewhat functional, thats not right, but these real severe ones with mental health issues on top of that, they need 24/7 care.
ELAN is no "treatment center" - it's a horrific "traumatising machinery". The so called rules are against human rights and most likely many laws. Those people should be sent to jail alltogether due to child violation, abuse and unresponsible 'medical treatment'. It's disgusting! Shame on the parents.
👍 AGREED
This was in early 80s.
I went to a Reform Boarding school for troubled teens and it was worse than ELAN. Schools like this are still around. Mine was shut down in 2003 I believe.
This is demonic.... rest in peace to all of the victims. The forgotten one's
I get the feeling that a lot of experimental 'treatments' are carried out in places like these all over the world 😢
The situation with Billy was horrific. They mentioned lobotomy, but I thought that was illegal in 1983??
Poor poor billy . restrained for 2 and a half years . What a sad way to live .
So sad what happened to Andrew and it NEVER should have happened. The staff should've KNOWN he was allergic to Thorazine it should've been in his file (if they even looked). Imagine thinking he was faking the reaction and then giving him even MORE!? Unbelievable. That poor boy. Hearing his parents talk about it just made me so sad, truly heartbreaking.
A similar thing happened to a friend of mine. He and his brother lived in a different group home where I live and his brother became sick with appendicitis and they said that he was faking it and didn’t take him to the hospital until he was throwing up blood and having other severe symptoms and by then his appendix had already burst and by the next morning he had died!!!
I was a student teacher at a place like this, but for physically disabled kids like Jerry, not emotionally disturbed. There was a kid from an immigrant family who would come for short stays, he did fine, but something about the parents was off. Then one day he was dropped off with a suitcase, and a letter saying, "I'm leaving him here with you, if you send him back to my home I will abandon my wife and my other two children." The mother threatened suicide if the boy went home. We immediately had the father arrested for child abandonment, and the mother put on a 48 hour mental health hold. It turned out the mother just needed time off from child-rearing, but she had to be counseled to go after her husband for child support.
62 deaths in a year and a half a south beach hospital . 😢 Thats terrible and disgusting
A mother left her disabled son and said TAKE HIM! OHHHHH HELLLL NO!!!!
You know Karma drives a big bus and knows every zip code. One day she will have to face her actions.
It baffles me that these people who are in the business of providing a service for these young people with such severe mental, psychological, and intellectual disabilities don't have the understanding that these kids are not behaving in those ways on purpose, are not deliberate; these behaviours involuntary, out of their control! To treat these kids the way they are treating them is like punishing a fully functional, able bodied human being for expressing pain when they hurt themselves, for eating when hungry, or any other normal human behaviours and functions! It's...they are ridiculous in expectations and abusive for doing what they do to punish the kids 😲🤦♀️🤬💔
I think in many cases they do, it's just a reaction from dealing with such combativeness and chaos on a regular basis that wears them down and desensitizes them to it somewhat. Can you imagine spending all day 5 days a week dealing with that loud and often chaotic situation, knowing there would never be any significant improvement in their condition? It would be tough, I'd wager the burnout rate is short and high. You almost have to emotionally remove yourself somewhat or become completely exhausted physically and mentally.
they also make ALOT of money without anyone overseeing their programs. My sons has been held in a group home under a 6500 hold for 11 years every year we try to request he come home but they continue to raise his thorazine and I cant provide him the shots he needs. We are fighting for overnight visits and more access to family visits because we know it will help with his placement but they deny it knowing it will possibly mean they will lose a paycheck
Maybe you could step up and fill the role for a week or two😂😂😂😂😂
Abuse is abuse and if you get to that stage you should walk away
Gotta remember this was the 80's....the mindset of people back then wasn't great, asylums were still a thing.....thank god education has developed so that these children are understood, and it isn't put down to bad behaviour...my own mother refused to acknowledge my sons diagnosis, and at the age of 2 she took him to the restroom and put the hand dryers on to prove a point that he was just being bad......safe to say my child went no where near her again, he was so mentally distressed that every time he saw her he just broke down....
9:53 notice when that worker says “he is mildly retarded” the almost automatic response from the young man is “I’m not retarded”
It’s so sad that he feels so comfortable saying that he is retarded in front of the young man. I understand that this is the diagnosed term for it. But the psychological pain and trauma that results from naming his condition so bluntly instead of using positive and mild terms that reinforce positive thinking in the young man.
I know first hand how traumatizing it is for a child to be called retarded. A teacher at my high school called my brother this and he was so hurt by this because he actually liked this teacher until that point. 30 years later, he still remembers how he felt about that.
It was 1983 the things you're talking about weren't super common until the mid 90's. It's sad. But I don't think the caregivers meant it as an insult. They seemed like they were caring and compassionate, just ignorant.
These medical terms were still used in the early 2000's. I remember being taught in college mild, medium, severe, and profound retardation.
I've worked in facilities and group homes with mentally disabled for 15 years. I was lucky enough to work in homes that were wonderful and beautiful. Clients had a better life than we did lol but I have come to some that I refuse to even work there. This man's solution would be, donate his home when he passes as a group home. With the exception that his son would always live there. Some of the group homes I worked in we're set up that way. This video is heart breaking.
This vile behavior by "therapists " is disturbing. However it still goes on in "bootcamps" 40 years later.
These poor poor children, and thanks for the workers . The world needs many more of these places. It is heartbreaking to see, but we NEED to watch the video. Can you imagine what a day in the life of the children feels like.
Umm Brian is drop dead Gorgeous! And his gf is such a beautiful young lady- an earth angel… I wonder if they ever saw eachother
And Bless his Father…
This is really hitting me hard….
Yes he was very beautiful inside and out. What an absolute shame such a gorgeous young man ended up like this. What kind of egg donor does this. She’s got a lot to answer for one day.
Yes, I’m not convinced he had any kind of Down’s syndrome. Probably some kind of injury at birth or drug/alcohol abuse in the mother caused his problems.
This is so horrible what these people have to endure in their lives.
Billy looks like he's in pain . And he doesn't know how to tell anyone . The way he is biting down on the blanket and moaning like his entire body hurts gives me that impression.
this is not mental health treatment it is blatant abuse. Totally disgusting. The head of Elan should of gone to prison.
No worse than leaving em in the streets like we do NOW😢😢😢😢😢
Exactly
That’s actually a really good point 👍
if you care so much, open your home up to one of them instead of white knighting in youtube comments, Cindy
This boy is so articulate u fortunate his parents can not see this and get past his physical difference and see him and not through the disability
I have a great niece with autism she is my angel, I looked after her from when 6months old for 2days a week she kept me sane when my husband died. She's almost 19 now and still love's to come to my house God bless her
Did she talk at all as a child? My daughter is 4 and non verbal 😢
@@daniellex51484 not a lot and most people couldn't understand her she is doing ĝŕèat now try not to worry she ĝet there I ĺove her to bits x
Thank goodness, we have come so much further in the field since then.
If I got away from my parents sooner I wouldn’t have been in and out of these cold,lack of stimulation,abusive places constantly as a teen,I’m glad I left at 15,it was them who had the issue with me,and lacked empathy,care,protection,and love
I have a feeling my family member is experiencing this, he is 9 yrs. I see his mind changing & asking my mom to keep her ears & eyes open to let me know.
You are a survivor ❤. Keep going
Wow. This whole thing was sad, sad, sad. I’m shocked and appalled. Actually, I’m NOT shocked - which is very telling of our nations mental health industry - but how horrendous this all is. So frightening and alarming!
Sometimes babies and toddlers brains get damaged, sometimes the onset is vaccinations by the age of 2. You see the baby / toddler's brain hurts and so he will have a tantrum. My son sat on the floor and had mini-seizures - banging his head (the back of his head on the floor). Like doing a situp only smashing his head on the floor. We didn't understand it but but would try to catch him, soften the blow. Later that year he looked right through me, no communication at all. Then diagnosed with autism. So he developed physically but non-verbal year after year. The speech center of the brain is damaged yet the brain scan - the doctor said it seems normal. I had to move out yet would always check on him and his sister. His mother could not work because her job was caregiver for our son and our daughter (she was normal), so she went to school but her mom was always there for her too. Our son is now 21 and aging out of his school, a school for children and young adults that are autistic or have cerebral palsy. He does seem to like school though, he wakes around 7:30 and his mom drives him to school and he starts at 9:00.
The marriage was tough, unfortunately there was fighting and
disagreements. So I lived on my own. The divorce was finalized a couple years ago. Now I am a caregiver for my son. I am paid by the state and go to him every day for 4 hours. And he does an overnight with me around the weekend. So far we keep him out of some strange place caring for him.
In 1983 when this documentary was released, I spent one month as an inpatient for chronic depression. I was 13 years old. I feel very fortunate that the program I was in was a good one. I was not drugged and the staff were caring.
I am a 3rd generation of working State Hospitals. My grandfather told of some horrible things that went on and how residents either responded or didn’t. Electric shock was used a lot way back then as well as lobotomies. It kept the resident calm. My mom retired from working at a State Hospital…. She worked with every kind of mental illness on different units. She compassionate & no afraid to speak up on some treatments. The harder unit was with teenagers. They didn’t have issues like in this doc- most of them-- certain ones just needed boundaries set- action ==consequences. Even in 2023 it seems like there are no parental boundaries in place.
My mom love was with the 30 & older mentally challenged. More like kids 5 & under & she had a special gift working with them.
I came in later & worked with intakes, & men & womens units. Working intake was when LSD etc was real popular & I saw what it could do to some younger adults 😩 However, my time was not there for long as the President started closing hospitals & most ended up on the streets…. Not enough social workers & wouldn’t hire more 🤬🤬.
Hubbys job kept me from moving but I found my love for geriatrics ❤. I worked convelscent hospital to care for those who were abandoned.
This doc showed how things were ran & having peer pressure that worked-- sometimes.
It’s very hard to watch or understand & things, I hope, have got better. My oldest son worked with the Special Olympic kids & found them fascinating.
It’s not for everyone that’s for sure. But if you have that gift you are blessed 😇😇
👵🏻👩🌾❣️
Thank you and your family for giving your time to help those in need. There are far too few people to work these jobs and help
Brians father? Woooowwww! Wish more fathers were like that.
Thankyou to the caregivers and nurses in these units. They are the most vulnerable people in our society other then babies and they do need these places and care. Especially for the kids and adults with families who can’t care for them and their specific needs.
Those people in this video were terrible. Did we even watch the same thing?
good program. Well done. It shows how bad some parents can be. How can any parent abandon their son?
Thanks!
Keep doing this sis, we've got your back.
THANKS AGAIN. PLEASE, SPREAD THE WORD.
Those people at South Beach should have been charged with MURDER by torture!
"My parents were ashamed of me.." Oh man.. I can relate, mine wanted me aborted and turns out I'm sane but have an autoimmune condition, I was the sweetest child, never caused any problems, just slept alot. And they still didnt want me but a relative made sure I wasnt up for adoption either which is a shame bc this great loving family wanted me so it's not the children, its the lack of empathy and love with the parents.
The boy suffering from schizophrenia i nthe beginning, I feel if he was taken back in the bus and told "Point to what car is following us, where is it?" Maybe that would calm him instead of making him so frustrated. He must feel noone listening to him so he lashes out from desperation.
There isn't very much wrong with him mentally. So then what his parents did was wrong
on many levels.
I've watched this documentary (unextended) literally hundreds of times, since 2014. It's been several years since I've watched this, because my heart breaks every single time.
I've struggled with my mental health since I was four years old. I've been in constant battle with my mind for almost 25 years, my 29th birthday being in exactly three weeks. I've learned so much about myself, mental health, and my mental health, since I've watched this. I'm so glad I was suggested an extended version.
I'm so glad I've lived long enough to be able to reflect on this video and my life.
These kids deserve all the love in the world. I don’t know where and how they are today but I wish them only the best. I think they are very misunderstood. People should really show more empathy and treat them gently. This world is or can be hard enough without a mental illness, so we should really be respectful. It breaks my heart to see how much people with metal illnesses are suffering, especially children.💔They deserve so much better.
It is important to state what year the documentary was made. Context is everything.
Exactly this was 1983
@paulamarshall3810 but that doesn't seem that long ago to me!
Agreed
@@misse715440 years ago
This documentary is only halfway through and I have been crying since it began. 😢😢😢
Gives me memories of my days at 15 years old in 1976 when I was suffering from anorexia and was put in an adult unit. Was very scary and no treatment to deal with issue - se ual abuse from age 4. Severe punishment would be dealt out if you even sat on floor because you felt you were going to faint. You were watched while you were forced to eat double portions and escorted to the bathroom - no privacy or rights. Still age 62. have zero rights though I have my own property
An extremely sincere, loving father who cares for his sick mental patient, Brian. Really very nice, just sad when dad is no longer there.
I wish him the best