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Edward Deeds and Hospital No.3

Update #2 · Mar 9, 2012 · comment

STATE LUNATIC ASYLUM #3... A utopian vision for mental health care.  

At the tender age of 17, after a stormy adolescence and chronic abuse at the hands of his father, James Edward Deeds Jr. was committed for LIFE to State Hospital No.3 in Nevada, Missouri. The hospital Deeds was committed to, and ultimately lived in for 50 years, was a Kirkbride institution, housed in a grand building designed by Dr. Thomas Kirkbride for the Moral Treatment of the mentally ill.  He believed mental patients could be cured in a light filled, activity rich environment.  Every able bodied person had a job, a sence of purpose and the support of a closeknit community. It’s been suggested that the environment provided by this self-contained, self sufficient hospital which followed the philosophy of Moral Treatment, might have been a better place than the harsh, abusive place of Edward’s childhood.

In the course of Edward Deeds incarceration there were transformations in the field of mental health care. When he went into the hospital in 1925, it was still a self sufficient community complete with fresh air and productive labor...This hospital had a full working farm, livestock and dairy - they produced all their own food. Later, in the course of his 50 years there, overcrowding and under funding -- warehousing and neglect overtook the progressive ideals. In the late 1940s, electric shock therapy and psychotropic drugs became part of the normal, routine treatment of patients. The story of how patients went from productive engagement to slack jaw drug and shock induced calm is disturbing.  

MENTAL ILLNESS AND FAMILIES... Discussing the ideas of Moral Treatment motivates profound conversations about how we treat the mentally ill. We’ve discovered that many people have a deep personal interest in this story because of a troubled family member in their own life. The Deeds' family story is a window on a larger societal dilemma. Using Edward's commitment as a starting point, we will explore the changes in treatment and attitudes over the 20th century. 

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Funding Unsuccessful This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on April 3, 2012.

Funding period
Mar 4, 2012 - Apr 3, 2012 (30 days)

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    Thank You! You are now an Associate Producer and will receive a producer’s access code to the web production project page where you are invited to be part of the process. Do you have an idea for a great interview subject? Is there a story line you would like to see explored? Let us know in this ‘Producers Only’, interactive section of the site. There will be monthly updates on the project there as well. Your name will appear on the web site’s supporter’s page. Electric Pencil Postcard 4" X 6" with Thank you note from filmmakers

    Estimated delivery: May 2012
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    All of the above. Electric Pencil 8½" X 11" Lobby Poster

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    All of the above. Screensaver Slideshow of select Electric Pencil images. Choose ONE of five categories: Assorted, Portraits, Transportation, Landscapes, or Animals.

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    All of the above. DVD of finished Doc (as soon as available)

    Estimated delivery: May 2012
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    All of the above. Screensaver Slideshow of select Electric Pencil images. Choose TWO of five categories: Assorted, Portraits, Transportation, Landscapes, or Animals. DVD of finished Doc (as soon as available)

    Estimated delivery: May 2012
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    All of the above. Screensaver Slideshow of select Electric Pencil images. Choose THREE of five categories: Assorted, Portraits, Transportation, Landscapes, or Animals. Your Initials (2-3 letters) One of a kind -- Printed and matted 4" X 6" in the Electric Pencil Alphabet

    Estimated delivery: May 2012
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    Estimated delivery: May 2012
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    All of the above. Dinner for 4 with the filmmakers -- You chose the cuisine, we'll choose the restaurant. (Date to be determined, travel not included)

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