Thanks, Niall, a sobering expose of one of the gurus of psychiatry. I trained around the time when Sargent was at his peak and I remember well the influence he had. At that time also, one senior psychiatrist in town was routinely using 'maintenance ECT', meaning a weekly shot, often for years, and while many of his colleagues whispered their disapproval, nothing was ever done about it. As you say, since psychiatry had no evidence base to challenge this practice, there was nothing that could be done. Carolyn
I'll just correct one small point: it's not an evidence-base that psychiatry lacks, it's a theory base. As they will tell you, they have lots of evidence that ECT is wonderful but the evidence was collected without an over-arching theory. Thus, they can omit the crucial point that plenty of places in the world get by perfectly well and cheaper without ECT. Theory comes before evidence; evidence without theory is prejudice.
I'm not aware of the Long Bay story, though I recall hearing of instances of female patients rewriting their wills in Bailey's favour. I know some people who might know more about the prison stuff and will get back to you if they tell me anything.
Another thing worth remembering about Bailey was his position as Australia's top celebrity psychiatrist following his time as superintendent at Callan Park. His reputation in the profession was already mixed and McClemens found much of his evidence to the Royal Commission into Callan Park questionable but the media loved him. If he'd been a little less flamboyant and a bit more dignified he might have been in the running for Australian of the Year.
Bailey was also a dab hand at psychosurgery. In fact the Slattery Royal Commission which finally 'exposed' the open secret of deep sleep therapy at Chelmsford was originally empaneled to investigate the excessive use of psychosurgery at the NSW Neuropsychiatric Institute, which Bailey ran.
He was particularly enthusiastic about cingulo-tractotomy, which he saw as a surgical panacea to all manner of mental illnesses and disorders, including homosexuality. Let's not forget that at the time homosexuality was both a mental illness and its practice a criminal offence (why choose between 'bad' and 'mad' when you can have both?) and many of his surgery subjects were 'recidivist homosexuals' referred by NSW courts - apparently some members of the judiciary had come to doubt NSW prisons were the best places for overcoming homosexual tendencies. The Catholic church also sent lesbian nuns to seek redemption under the knife.
Following a series of media exposés of DST at Chelmsford, culminating in a 60 Minutes investigation which belatedly forced an official response, Slattery retargeted his Commission from psychosurgery to DST and the rest is history - albeit history if not actually memory-holed at least swept under the carpet.
Also like Sargant, Bailey was well known for getting 'overly friendly' with patients, staff and anyone else in arm's reach. Slattery heard extensive evidence of attractive female patients at Chelmsford spending the night at Bailey's home while stupefied or comatose on DST barbiturates. One such victim the Royal Commission didn't hear from was Sallie-Anne Huckstepp - referred to Bailey by the courts for drug offences - as she was 'no longer available'.
But to Bailey, even the sexual abuse of his patients was therapeutic and in the 1960s and early 70s he had several papers published in journals advocating sexual relations between therapists and patients suffering 'frigid woman syndrome'.
Thanks for that, W wasn't aware of that extra background. He certainly wasn't alone in believing in deep protein therapy, I recall asking a psychiatrist whether he felt he could assist gay men but, oddly enough, he didn't feel any inclination to help them.
There was another matter which from memory involved Bailey but I could be wrong. Some singers gave a concert at Long Bay, one of the women was assaulted and got a large settlement. She was sent to a psychiatrist which I think was Bailey; some time later she died by suicide but left all her money to the psychiatrist. Do you know about that?
One of my colleagues suggested you mean the 1972 concert at Parramatta Gaol at which 'comic book killer', Len Lawson, attacked dancer Sharon Hamilton during an escape attempt.
Lawson grabbed her and held a knife to her throat but she was quickly rescued by other prisoners without suffering physical injuries. However she was deeply traumatised, for which she received multiple deep sleep treatments at Chelmsford over 1974-76.
In 1976 the NSW government settled for negligence over her attack to the tune of $100,000.
She became Bailey's lover for the final years of her life, committing suicide in 1978 and leaving most of her assets to him.
I feel fortunate. I spent 13 years in and out of psychiatric wards due to a violent family member. 16 admissions. Forced and coerced drugging.
I’m alive. I’m a survivor.
Those who were killed by the psychiatric Gestapo need to have their voices heard.
Thanks, Niall, a sobering expose of one of the gurus of psychiatry. I trained around the time when Sargent was at his peak and I remember well the influence he had. At that time also, one senior psychiatrist in town was routinely using 'maintenance ECT', meaning a weekly shot, often for years, and while many of his colleagues whispered their disapproval, nothing was ever done about it. As you say, since psychiatry had no evidence base to challenge this practice, there was nothing that could be done. Carolyn
I'll just correct one small point: it's not an evidence-base that psychiatry lacks, it's a theory base. As they will tell you, they have lots of evidence that ECT is wonderful but the evidence was collected without an over-arching theory. Thus, they can omit the crucial point that plenty of places in the world get by perfectly well and cheaper without ECT. Theory comes before evidence; evidence without theory is prejudice.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/251632.Hospital_of_the_Transfiguration
I'm not aware of the Long Bay story, though I recall hearing of instances of female patients rewriting their wills in Bailey's favour. I know some people who might know more about the prison stuff and will get back to you if they tell me anything.
Another thing worth remembering about Bailey was his position as Australia's top celebrity psychiatrist following his time as superintendent at Callan Park. His reputation in the profession was already mixed and McClemens found much of his evidence to the Royal Commission into Callan Park questionable but the media loved him. If he'd been a little less flamboyant and a bit more dignified he might have been in the running for Australian of the Year.
Bailey was also a dab hand at psychosurgery. In fact the Slattery Royal Commission which finally 'exposed' the open secret of deep sleep therapy at Chelmsford was originally empaneled to investigate the excessive use of psychosurgery at the NSW Neuropsychiatric Institute, which Bailey ran.
He was particularly enthusiastic about cingulo-tractotomy, which he saw as a surgical panacea to all manner of mental illnesses and disorders, including homosexuality. Let's not forget that at the time homosexuality was both a mental illness and its practice a criminal offence (why choose between 'bad' and 'mad' when you can have both?) and many of his surgery subjects were 'recidivist homosexuals' referred by NSW courts - apparently some members of the judiciary had come to doubt NSW prisons were the best places for overcoming homosexual tendencies. The Catholic church also sent lesbian nuns to seek redemption under the knife.
Following a series of media exposés of DST at Chelmsford, culminating in a 60 Minutes investigation which belatedly forced an official response, Slattery retargeted his Commission from psychosurgery to DST and the rest is history - albeit history if not actually memory-holed at least swept under the carpet.
Also like Sargant, Bailey was well known for getting 'overly friendly' with patients, staff and anyone else in arm's reach. Slattery heard extensive evidence of attractive female patients at Chelmsford spending the night at Bailey's home while stupefied or comatose on DST barbiturates. One such victim the Royal Commission didn't hear from was Sallie-Anne Huckstepp - referred to Bailey by the courts for drug offences - as she was 'no longer available'.
But to Bailey, even the sexual abuse of his patients was therapeutic and in the 1960s and early 70s he had several papers published in journals advocating sexual relations between therapists and patients suffering 'frigid woman syndrome'.
Thanks for that, W wasn't aware of that extra background. He certainly wasn't alone in believing in deep protein therapy, I recall asking a psychiatrist whether he felt he could assist gay men but, oddly enough, he didn't feel any inclination to help them.
There was another matter which from memory involved Bailey but I could be wrong. Some singers gave a concert at Long Bay, one of the women was assaulted and got a large settlement. She was sent to a psychiatrist which I think was Bailey; some time later she died by suicide but left all her money to the psychiatrist. Do you know about that?
One of my colleagues suggested you mean the 1972 concert at Parramatta Gaol at which 'comic book killer', Len Lawson, attacked dancer Sharon Hamilton during an escape attempt.
Lawson grabbed her and held a knife to her throat but she was quickly rescued by other prisoners without suffering physical injuries. However she was deeply traumatised, for which she received multiple deep sleep treatments at Chelmsford over 1974-76.
In 1976 the NSW government settled for negligence over her attack to the tune of $100,000.
She became Bailey's lover for the final years of her life, committing suicide in 1978 and leaving most of her assets to him.
Thank you for that. Amazing how psychopaths get ahead, isn't it.
You mean our society hasn't been deliberately optimised for them?
Heck, if we run short of psychopaths we just set up another corporation with a psychopathic charter and declare it legally human.