Editorial Review
"A stunning achievement [that] . . . illuminates the tragedy of our treatment of those with mental and emotional problems."-Robert Whitaker, author of Mad in America
More than four hundred abandoned suitcases filled with patients' belongings were found when Willard Psychiatric Center closed in 1995 after 125 years of operation. In this fully-illustrated social history, they are skillfully examined and compared to the written record to create a moving-and devastating-group portrait of twentieth-century American psychiatric care.
Darby Penney is a leader in the human rights movement for people with psychiatric disabilities.
Peter Stastny is a psychiatrist and documentary filmmaker.
Lisa Rinzler is a prizewinning cinematographer.
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Customer Reviews
A great read which overshadows poor editing 
2008-04-28
This is an eye-opening book of lives diverted or interrupted, many by mere social missteps which resulted in life-long incarceration (AKA "commitment"). The pathos is almost tangible, especially upon viewing the long-lost items harbored in dusty suitcases left behind in the state hospital attic. It reminded me of what I felt and imagined upon viewing the artifacts of passage on display at Ellis Island.
The editing of this book is abyssmal. I had to resist taking pen in hand to suggest re-ordering of paragraphs and note corrections. That being said, the book is still a worthy and engrossing read.
An unnerving account of forced commission 2008-04-28
"The Lives They Left Behind" gives true accounts of ten people who were committed to a mental asylum against their wishes. Some of them were merely homesick, destitute, or not fluent in the English language. It's a sad commentary on our nation's history of treatment of those with such problems, who were often locked away for the rest of their long lives. Makes me wonder what we are doing now that is so much better for people like this.
The Lives They Left Behind 2008-04-27
Depressing, of course, but historically very interesting. I live about 50 miles from where Willard was, and a lot of the names and/or places in the book are familiar.
Fascinating read 
2008-04-25
This book is fascinating. A must read for anyone who works in the health care field or who has had family members with mental illness. I was impressed by the research done to create the book as well as the story of the suitcases which were the inspiration for the book. I was touched that those people finally have a voice even after all these years. I highly recommend the book.
not as good as I had hoped 
2008-03-30
This book is just ok. The writer seems to repeat things over and over and over and over. If your into beating a dead horse this is the book for you. Luckily the characters are pretty intresting people.
Could Have Been So Much More... 
2008-08-01
I was gravely disappointed by this book. What could have been a unique, enlightening, and fascinating piece of work was simplified beyond belief, full of opinions instead of research, and really did far less justice to the individuals profiled than the author appeared to believe.
And...ok, this is an extreme pet peeve of mine...the editing was terrible. What it is lately about editing that has become so difficult? And we're not even talking about true editing, just simply making certain there are no typos and that form and grammar are correct. This was so poorly done it was painful to read.
I had looked forward to this book for some time, so I was very disappointed when I got through the first ten or so pages and realized it really wasn't for the thoughtful reader who wants solid research behind a story. No, it was a quick read for a non-critical thinker that likes to be hand-fed polemics.
Sorry.
Middle of the Road 2008-06-23
Not one review before mine gave a score of "average". Folks either really like this book or absolutely hate it. The numerous errors and typos were easy to spot. The authors quickly established that they had "an axe to grind". But in most of their observations they were talking about institutional care of the past, rather than the current system. Not to say that events upon which they report aren't still happening. I do think the authors do a reasonable job of showing that a number of the cases upon which they report did not have a "wretched" before Willard. Examples such as "She is in a [private boarding] home and refused to leave after being ordered out and used vulgar and obscene language" seems pretty weak as justification for a lifetime of institutional commitment. And it does seem clear that the culture of the time resulted in very little timely research regarding the underlying reasons behind the patient's abnormalities. I do not share the view that these folks would have been upset with their stories being told, in fact with varying degrees, those that could think coherently would have probably welcomed it.
Psychiatry and polemics do not mix well 
2008-06-17
The book consists of a conundrum of stories, as deducted by the authors from the suitcase contents (!) and case notes of former long-term patients in a state mental health institution. The authors' agenda becomes clear after reading a few pages in this book - they do not approve of state mental health institutions, disqualify them as inhumane, and attempt to explain away the chronic and persistent mental health issues that led many patients to be admitted there in the first place as mere alternative lifestyles minimized and explained away by the treating 'traitors'. Religious delusions, for example, are termed as 'spiritual turmoil'.
This is in no way a realistic picture of the mental health field. Reality is that some of our patients simply require long-term care. Period. A more reasonable take can be obtained from the new book by E.F. Torrey "The insanity offense" where a clear argument is made, backed by epidemiological data, that the closure (now lack) of long-term facilities, while well-intended by liberals - for issues of 'humanity' - and by conservatives for 'cost-considerations', has gone awry. There is in fact an unprecedented wave of mentally ill patients who now occupy our prison system, for example, or who bounce back and forth between acute hospitalizations and highly structured living situations.
In essence, a very polemic ill-advised book, that fails to address the truly important issue we face: how to provide the best and most appropriate care for our most ill mental health patients. The authors strongly argue against structure, but fail to provide any alternatives whatsoever.
Real Stories with Real Power 2008-05-14
"The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic" is a straightforward book about an ugly part of our history. Its power, however, is that it demands that we look at the here and now. By clearly and simply reconstructing what little CAN be reconstructed of the lives of souls forgotten in a huge mental institution the authors left me with a haunting question: where are we stashing and forgetting the troubled souls of this generation? The answer is to be found in our prisons, under our bridges, in isolated board and care homes ....... and?
Darby Penney and Peter Stazny, in this book, in their museum exhibition, on the "suitcases" web-site and in displays and presentations around the country, have given back something of what was taken from the individuals who were committed and consigned to the anonymity of large institutions. It is up to us to see that the "taking" ends in whatever form it occurs.
Relevant, Powerful, Honoring of forgotten lives 2008-05-09
This powerful book documents the lives of people who were marginalized and forgotten. The authors took the opportunity to honor, respectfully, the individuals who were locked away and treated as though they didn't matter. The case notes illustrate just how much the "professionals" refused to see beyond the diagnostic lens, to the real person facing extraordinary challenges.
This is relevant today because it still happens today. Having worked as an advocate for people confined to state mental hospitals, I can testify that there is a disproportionate number of individuals of color, individuals who came from other countries, individuals whose culture and traditions differ from the accepted norm. Rather than recognizing trauma and helping survivors recover, we label people and drug them, often condemning them to a lifetime of disability. Even though we don't keep them in the hospital for the rest of their lives, many lives are wasted through overmedication, hopelessness, and learned helplessness. This constitutes institutionalization in the community. Penney and Stastny have done a great service to the people they memorialized in this book: they gave them a name and a story.
