Essex mental health nurse uses podcast to challenge stigma around psychiatric hospitals
He works at a secure hospital in Wickford
Last updated 9th Aug 2022
A mental health nurse in Essex is challenging stereotypes about psychiatric hospitals and mental illness in the UK through a podcast.
John-Barry Waldron, who works in St Andrew's secure hospital in Wickford, hosts 'On the Ward', a podcast which features conversations with patients and staff at the institution.
He hopes it will help to change people's perceptions: "Unfortunately the only times anybody sees a psychiatric hospital is in a movie, or an undercover documentary where patients are being treated poorly, meaning those are the only references people have.
"This is really not great, because it's going to stop people coming in to hospital. People will not want to seek out help if that's where they think they'll end up."
He says there's long been a stigma around the institutions: "It's really damaging. We have some patients' families who don't want to come and visit because they think it's like Arkham Asylum or that it's full of people in cages.
"I don't blame the families, or anyone, for having that opinion, because that's the only reference they've been given - in the news or in films.
"Most people assume a partner or relative going in to hospital will be in a cell and a white strait jacket -__ I wouldn't want to be in a place like that!"
In reality, John-Barry says the hospitals are much less like what people will have seen in popular culture: "I want to try and show people that patient's lives don't end when they go into hospital.
"Yes, they're in hospital, sometimes for a month, sometimes for long periods of time, but their lives carry on.
"They have jobs, they're volunteering, helping others, participating in this podcast or engaging with music and art."
The senior nurse does acknowledge though, that it's not always easy being in a psychiatric hospital: "The whole idea of the podcast is to try and make the hospital not seem as bad as people think, but I do still have to tell the truth.
"Sometimes there are lots of incidents, with patients who are severely unwell, who require medication and extra support - it can be really difficult."
John-Barry acknowledges society has gotten better at discussing mental health issues, but still feels there's a way to go to destigmatise certain conditions and hospitals: "We've got a way to go when we talk about serious mental illness. People still have quite a reservation when it comes to Schizophrenia or Bi-Polar Disorder - they're still scary words to people, meaning they're not talked about enough.
"People are getting used to talking about things like depression and anxiety, which is great, but there are still some reservations...
"We had a guy in the hospital, who I took home. He met someone he hadn't seen in years who asked where he'd been, and the patient told him he'd been in prison, rather than a mental hospital, because he didn't want to have to answer questions or make the friend think negatively of him…
"That's so sad that he felt he had to do that... that's a big thing I want to change with the podcast."
John-Barry Waldron was speaking to Mick Coyle on the #MentalHealthMonday podcast.