June 27, 2018 • 22 mins
After being apprehended fleeing the scene of a crime, an outspoken woman, Karen, is placed in the Central State Hospital at New Canaan for examination and evaluation. After a terse interview with Dr. Hayes, she is quickly acquainted with the harsh realities of life in B Ward.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The control group contains scenes of realistic violence and graphic sexuality.
It is intended for mature listeners. Eaton County Sheriff's Office.
This is Ken Bailey at the Dixie Hotel over on
the Highway twenty nine. We've um there's there's been an accident.
You see, one of our guests has fallen from a
(00:21):
window under the pool day. How far did he fall?
Is it a man or woman? Man? He fell from
her over room. He was on the fifth floor, five twelve.
We're sending an ambulance now, the best to first available
rescue to the Dixie Motel on twenty nine cars in
the vicinity. Are you there, Ken? Yes? My Now do
(00:44):
you know the victim's name? Yes, I with. We looked
in his wallet. I hope that's fine, Ken, but trying
not to move him or otherwise. Grand from Columbus. Is
he responsive all right? Yes? To see. I don't think
he's all right. That's why he took his wallet. Now
(01:07):
he fell from the fifth floor. What did he land on?
The pool deck? The metal lunge chair. When you say
pool deck, what is that exactly? It's concrete, but the
pool deck, it's concrete. Fifth floor onto concrete. Just ma'am,
all right? Did he jump or fall? Do you have
any way of knowing why? I don't think he didn't fall.
(01:32):
I don't see how. What do you mean? Okay? Ken?
Are you with me? Because he he came through his window,
through the glassy, through the glass curts. Have you been
(01:54):
conscious at any time? Have you been able to get
any information from him? No? I don't think I came
to ask him what happened. He tried up all night.
Hold the line please, David. Three. I'm in the southwest corner.
(02:32):
You might want to tend five the sergeant. Come have
a look at this Ali by the parking grash. Bring
the night manager if he's around. It was up. What's
your guy? Barred all the doors? Got someone in the
(02:53):
stairwell ground level. I want to get out. He saw
the lights stuck back in. Did you get a look
at him? No? They're lying low. Okay, good. Hey he
thinks we got somebody trapped in the stairwell. Hey Ken, Ken,
(03:20):
could they get back into the hotel. No, these are
fire escapes, so they lock on all the floors except
the lobby. No roof access, no soon any place that
could be hidening in there. On this level, there's a
stairwell going down, but it dead ends on a basement
door two floors down. What are we waiting on on?
Jam the door and let's go take him. Don't you
think we ought to you? Over there? Hands where I
(04:22):
can see him. Don't move, I wasn't doing hands against
the wall. I'm just trying to leave there. She goes there,
she goes her hands up. You're goddamn hand off of me.
I heard him. Just relax and do as you're told. No,
(04:43):
I'm not doing anything. Tell me, don't touch me. You
just don't touch me, Steve. You want to give me
a hand here? You don't need his help. You just
have to tell me what it is you want to know.
I'm perfectly willing to answer your questions. You don't have
to force me. Put your heads on the wall. I
(05:05):
want to talk to the person in charge. Grab her
other arm's not gonna listen. Stop it. You can't touch me.
You don't have the rights. You hear that, Steve, She
says we can't touch her. Show us to regret this.
Why are you going to arran? You do not have
(05:26):
the right to touch me? All right? Why don't you
tell me, what's going on? I'm trying to Okay, all right,
Look look at my purse. There's a card with a
number on it. Call the number on the card. You
can call your lawyer. Want you're formally detained. No, no,
it's not a lawyer. But it's so many good. He'll
(05:47):
fix all this, baby. President Kennedy himself couldn't get you
out of this fix unless you're renascent. And then what
do you gotta worry you? Really, I don't know who
you're dealing with. Hey, kid, why don't we start with
your name? Your name? All right? You hadgit chance. Hey,
(06:14):
we're coming up, We're coming up. Authorities have released the
(06:40):
name of the man found dead on the night of
August fourteen at the Dixie Hotel in Birmingham. The party
was identified as that forty year old Ronald Grant, a
businessman from Columbus, Ohio. The police have released no further
details on the circumstances of Grant's death, pending a full investigation.
In world news, tensions continued amount over the isolation of
(07:02):
Soviet occupied East Germany, citing the failure to obtain a
peace treaty at the Vienna Summit. Premier Crucia has ordered
the closure of the Brandy. In the field of psychiatric medicine,
(07:23):
it was an exciting time, a time of innovation and discovery,
a time when mental health institutions struggled to redefine themselves,
to become something more than repositories of the sick. Unorthodox
methods and aggressive therapies were not only permitted, but encouraged.
(07:45):
This is a record of that time. This is the
control group. Ye. This is admissions interview with patient Myers, Karen.
(08:18):
The date is September eight. Also present is ward head
nurse Virgery Will Burn. Hello, Karen, I'm gonna keep you.
Just want to have a little chat. See how you're
settling that? Okay? Sure? H average weight right, well, appetite normal? Yeah?
(08:51):
Sleep okay. Well they brought me in at three a m.
And woke me up at seven. We'll call that and
though fair report from ward nurses socializing. What would you say?
Not much opportunity yet, doctor, but I will have Charlotte
show her around the ward. Good girl, what can you
(09:16):
tell us about the circumstances that brought you here? Huh?
Why were you arrested? Listen, I'm innocent. This is all
just a bigness. And I didn't ask you if you're
innocent and guilty, that's for the court decide. I simply
asked why you were arrested. Okay, what was the charge? Well,
(09:37):
this this guy had an accident and died. He killed himself,
and for whatever reason, they they don't want to call
it a suicide. Since I was there and I saw,
I saw what happened. Um, and well they they're putting
the him on me and and they're trying to turn it.
(09:59):
They're trying they're trying to pin it and turn it
into something more serious. And I had nothing to do
with it. I swear, sure enough. UM, so you understand
you're not here to be punished. Don't think of this
as incarceration. Does that mean I can leave. You're here
(10:21):
for examination and evaluation. Once you've settled, animal have another
chat and to term the best plane at treatment. Okay. Sure.
This concludes admission interview for Myers Karen, Dr Hayes, Um.
(10:45):
Just so there's no doubt in your mind, I want
you to know that I intend to cooperate with you
to the fullest. I appreciate that, Karen, and I'll do
anything that's required of me as long as it makes
better and brings me closer to being released. Least you
(11:06):
just got here. Besides which, Karen, you were put here
by the court. It's not only my decision when you're
ready to be released. I mean, you make a recommendation,
don't you. I mean after the evaluation, after your evaluation. Okay,
then well, I'm not asking for special treatment. I just
(11:27):
want something to work towards, you know, to show you
my willingness to cooperate. And in order to do that,
I need you to tell me, to show me what
it is you want me to do. Ms Myers, listen
(11:57):
to me. I've seen your file. I know who you are,
I know what you are, and I assure you, why well,
whatever tricks you play with men on the outside, all
those tricks are not going to work here. What I
want is to see you free of the symptoms of
(12:18):
your particular illness and nothing more. I'm not thinking, yeah,
I feel perfectly well. We'll make a note of that
in your records and send you right back to the
course your before I judge in less than two weeks.
How's that sound. Yeah, So don't you get too comfortable here.
(12:39):
But while you're here, we ask for your cooperation and
expect to receive it. Is that clear? Yes, sir, you
may go and just second perjury. She shouldn't be here,
(13:09):
you know, no, she shouldn't. I'm supposed to not just
on top of everything else, drop everything, do a full
enny on a criminal case. I'm certain that's exactly why
they decided to dump her here in the middle of
the night. Where are we on the morning schedule? We're set.
(13:30):
I just need to go call an attendant from the
Men's war Bergery. Sir, this new girl, Karen, there's no
reason she should be treated any differently from the others.
Let's get her ec T regiments started today. Don't you
think we should at least p we had our chat.
I've seen what I needed to see very well. Dr Right,
(14:11):
good morning, laz We'll be getting started shortly. You may
have nervously having resided on us. Her name is Karen.
It's her first day on the reward. Let's get rid
of some time to get interested in. It's Wednesday, the
third team of teniber and it's going to be that
glorious day. H Karen. Yeah, I'd like to introduce you
(14:47):
to Charlotte. Hello, Charlotte is one of the senior residents
here at New Canaan, and I'd like you to spend
a little time with her this morning. You just just
to help you get oriented. M would would you do
that for me? I guess good. Then I'll leave you
girls to it. Hi, Hi, you want to take a
(15:12):
little walk? Sure? Started. Well, this is the day ward
where you'll spend most of your time. Is this your
(15:33):
first time in an institution, Yeah it is. It's not
so bad, really, if you can just find something to
keep your mind occupied. You know, there's jigsaw puzzles, a
few games, there's some old magazine. Oh my god. So
(15:59):
there's look therapy once a day and E C T
three times a week. If you ever want to skip
the group, just say you have cramps and don't feel
up to it. They'll let you off. Just don't do
it too often. They'll start keeping track of your cycle.
No kidding. They have a little calendar for menstrual complainers.
(16:20):
Are you serious? M hm? Oh? What else? We do?
Calisthenics in the sun room after breakfast. Yeah, I saw that,
(16:40):
and that just about sums it up. So what do
you do all day? We watch television, you're kidding. Nine
o'clock time for Women's World. It's our favorite. A flatter
form dress pattern made flatter's shapes looking high some of
those trouble spots you can't seem to get rid of.
(17:03):
I know, I am hundreds of women have sworn by
this dress. Stop. I mean, we used to all have jobs.
They called it occupational therapy. That was cooking and sewing.
Buchanan even had its own lumber mill and apple orchard.
Our sider was the best in the state. But then
some do good or felt like the hospital was exploiting
(17:25):
the mentally ill, so they got rid of all the
work programs. So they took away our jobs. They took
away my garden. There's a greenhouse up by the founder's mansion,
but I can't bear to look at it. It makes
me so sad. But we do. We do get to
(17:46):
watch television. I pretty still keep the doctor my rain.
Someone's not in a participatory mood today. What's this? Oh?
(18:08):
This is easy T Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Who's grath
He's the big fella there. He's an attendant from the
Men's Word. They bring him downstairs just to maintain order
on Easy T. Days. You're never allowed to be alone
(18:29):
with Grath why not? Well, that's the rules. And if
he ever tries to take you to a private place,
just one of the nurses. Really, Karen, don't be alone
with him. I was, I was. Oh, I'm sorry. Don't
(18:50):
know that hurts. I don't. I don't like the easy.
You don't need to be what's going on? Don't be scared? Okay?
What what is easy? T Listen, Karen, You're going to
have to trust me, okay. Just you a brave girl.
(19:12):
I'm not even supposed to be here, Charlotte, It's okay, Grass,
just trying to help the new girl relax. What are
you looking at? Deaf girl? Carol? Please come, I'll say
(19:52):
this for you. You've got nervous great hop up on
(20:30):
this journey and like back, yes, ma'am. Okay, can I
ask you a question? Yeah? Answer to your side? And
do you have anything in your mouth? No, ma'am? What
is um? Life? Still? Please? What are you doing? Okay?
(20:55):
This is going to feel a little cold on your temples?
What it? What is that? It's a conductant? That's all?
What is on this? Please? Karen give us a second? Okay?
What is a kid, give all right, Who's Next. The
(21:58):
Control Group is a production of How Stuff Works, written
and directed by Brett Wood, recorded and mixed by Rob
Gal m m m m m m
The control group contains scenes of realistic violence and graphic sexuality.
It is intended for mature listeners. Eaton County Sheriff's Office.
This is Ken Bailey at the Dixie Hotel over on
the Highway twenty nine. We've um there's there's been an accident.
You see, one of our guests has fallen from a
(00:21):
window under the pool day. How far did he fall?
Is it a man or woman? Man? He fell from
her over room. He was on the fifth floor, five twelve.
We're sending an ambulance now, the best to first available
rescue to the Dixie Motel on twenty nine cars in
the vicinity. Are you there, Ken? Yes? My Now do
(00:44):
you know the victim's name? Yes, I with. We looked
in his wallet. I hope that's fine, Ken, but trying
not to move him or otherwise. Grand from Columbus. Is
he responsive all right? Yes? To see. I don't think
he's all right. That's why he took his wallet. Now
(01:07):
he fell from the fifth floor. What did he land on?
The pool deck? The metal lunge chair. When you say
pool deck, what is that exactly? It's concrete, but the
pool deck, it's concrete. Fifth floor onto concrete. Just ma'am,
all right? Did he jump or fall? Do you have
any way of knowing why? I don't think he didn't fall.
(01:32):
I don't see how. What do you mean? Okay? Ken?
Are you with me? Because he he came through his window,
through the glassy, through the glass curts. Have you been
(01:54):
conscious at any time? Have you been able to get
any information from him? No? I don't think I came
to ask him what happened. He tried up all night.
Hold the line please, David. Three. I'm in the southwest corner.
(02:32):
You might want to tend five the sergeant. Come have
a look at this Ali by the parking grash. Bring
the night manager if he's around. It was up. What's
your guy? Barred all the doors? Got someone in the
(02:53):
stairwell ground level. I want to get out. He saw
the lights stuck back in. Did you get a look
at him? No? They're lying low. Okay, good. Hey he
thinks we got somebody trapped in the stairwell. Hey Ken, Ken,
(03:20):
could they get back into the hotel. No, these are
fire escapes, so they lock on all the floors except
the lobby. No roof access, no soon any place that
could be hidening in there. On this level, there's a
stairwell going down, but it dead ends on a basement
door two floors down. What are we waiting on on?
Jam the door and let's go take him. Don't you
think we ought to you? Over there? Hands where I
(04:22):
can see him. Don't move, I wasn't doing hands against
the wall. I'm just trying to leave there. She goes there,
she goes her hands up. You're goddamn hand off of me.
I heard him. Just relax and do as you're told. No,
(04:43):
I'm not doing anything. Tell me, don't touch me. You
just don't touch me, Steve. You want to give me
a hand here? You don't need his help. You just
have to tell me what it is you want to know.
I'm perfectly willing to answer your questions. You don't have
to force me. Put your heads on the wall. I
(05:05):
want to talk to the person in charge. Grab her
other arm's not gonna listen. Stop it. You can't touch me.
You don't have the rights. You hear that, Steve, She
says we can't touch her. Show us to regret this.
Why are you going to arran? You do not have
(05:26):
the right to touch me? All right? Why don't you
tell me, what's going on? I'm trying to Okay, all right,
Look look at my purse. There's a card with a
number on it. Call the number on the card. You
can call your lawyer. Want you're formally detained. No, no,
it's not a lawyer. But it's so many good. He'll
(05:47):
fix all this, baby. President Kennedy himself couldn't get you
out of this fix unless you're renascent. And then what
do you gotta worry you? Really, I don't know who
you're dealing with. Hey, kid, why don't we start with
your name? Your name? All right? You hadgit chance. Hey,
(06:14):
we're coming up, We're coming up. Authorities have released the
(06:40):
name of the man found dead on the night of
August fourteen at the Dixie Hotel in Birmingham. The party
was identified as that forty year old Ronald Grant, a
businessman from Columbus, Ohio. The police have released no further
details on the circumstances of Grant's death, pending a full investigation.
In world news, tensions continued amount over the isolation of
(07:02):
Soviet occupied East Germany, citing the failure to obtain a
peace treaty at the Vienna Summit. Premier Crucia has ordered
the closure of the Brandy. In the field of psychiatric medicine,
(07:23):
it was an exciting time, a time of innovation and discovery,
a time when mental health institutions struggled to redefine themselves,
to become something more than repositories of the sick. Unorthodox
methods and aggressive therapies were not only permitted, but encouraged.
(07:45):
This is a record of that time. This is the
control group. Ye. This is admissions interview with patient Myers, Karen.
(08:18):
The date is September eight. Also present is ward head
nurse Virgery Will Burn. Hello, Karen, I'm gonna keep you.
Just want to have a little chat. See how you're
settling that? Okay? Sure? H average weight right, well, appetite normal? Yeah?
(08:51):
Sleep okay. Well they brought me in at three a m.
And woke me up at seven. We'll call that and
though fair report from ward nurses socializing. What would you say?
Not much opportunity yet, doctor, but I will have Charlotte
show her around the ward. Good girl, what can you
(09:16):
tell us about the circumstances that brought you here? Huh?
Why were you arrested? Listen, I'm innocent. This is all
just a bigness. And I didn't ask you if you're
innocent and guilty, that's for the court decide. I simply
asked why you were arrested. Okay, what was the charge? Well,
(09:37):
this this guy had an accident and died. He killed himself,
and for whatever reason, they they don't want to call
it a suicide. Since I was there and I saw,
I saw what happened. Um, and well they they're putting
the him on me and and they're trying to turn it.
(09:59):
They're trying they're trying to pin it and turn it
into something more serious. And I had nothing to do
with it. I swear, sure enough. UM, so you understand
you're not here to be punished. Don't think of this
as incarceration. Does that mean I can leave. You're here
(10:21):
for examination and evaluation. Once you've settled, animal have another
chat and to term the best plane at treatment. Okay. Sure.
This concludes admission interview for Myers Karen, Dr Hayes, Um.
(10:45):
Just so there's no doubt in your mind, I want
you to know that I intend to cooperate with you
to the fullest. I appreciate that, Karen, and I'll do
anything that's required of me as long as it makes
better and brings me closer to being released. Least you
(11:06):
just got here. Besides which, Karen, you were put here
by the court. It's not only my decision when you're
ready to be released. I mean, you make a recommendation,
don't you. I mean after the evaluation, after your evaluation. Okay,
then well, I'm not asking for special treatment. I just
(11:27):
want something to work towards, you know, to show you
my willingness to cooperate. And in order to do that,
I need you to tell me, to show me what
it is you want me to do. Ms Myers, listen
(11:57):
to me. I've seen your file. I know who you are,
I know what you are, and I assure you, why well,
whatever tricks you play with men on the outside, all
those tricks are not going to work here. What I
want is to see you free of the symptoms of
(12:18):
your particular illness and nothing more. I'm not thinking, yeah,
I feel perfectly well. We'll make a note of that
in your records and send you right back to the
course your before I judge in less than two weeks.
How's that sound. Yeah, So don't you get too comfortable here.
(12:39):
But while you're here, we ask for your cooperation and
expect to receive it. Is that clear? Yes, sir, you
may go and just second perjury. She shouldn't be here,
(13:09):
you know, no, she shouldn't. I'm supposed to not just
on top of everything else, drop everything, do a full
enny on a criminal case. I'm certain that's exactly why
they decided to dump her here in the middle of
the night. Where are we on the morning schedule? We're set.
(13:30):
I just need to go call an attendant from the
Men's war Bergery. Sir, this new girl, Karen, there's no
reason she should be treated any differently from the others.
Let's get her ec T regiments started today. Don't you
think we should at least p we had our chat.
I've seen what I needed to see very well. Dr Right,
(14:11):
good morning, laz We'll be getting started shortly. You may
have nervously having resided on us. Her name is Karen.
It's her first day on the reward. Let's get rid
of some time to get interested in. It's Wednesday, the
third team of teniber and it's going to be that
glorious day. H Karen. Yeah, I'd like to introduce you
(14:47):
to Charlotte. Hello, Charlotte is one of the senior residents
here at New Canaan, and I'd like you to spend
a little time with her this morning. You just just
to help you get oriented. M would would you do
that for me? I guess good. Then I'll leave you
girls to it. Hi, Hi, you want to take a
(15:12):
little walk? Sure? Started. Well, this is the day ward
where you'll spend most of your time. Is this your
(15:33):
first time in an institution, Yeah it is. It's not
so bad, really, if you can just find something to
keep your mind occupied. You know, there's jigsaw puzzles, a
few games, there's some old magazine. Oh my god. So
(15:59):
there's look therapy once a day and E C T
three times a week. If you ever want to skip
the group, just say you have cramps and don't feel
up to it. They'll let you off. Just don't do
it too often. They'll start keeping track of your cycle.
No kidding. They have a little calendar for menstrual complainers.
(16:20):
Are you serious? M hm? Oh? What else? We do?
Calisthenics in the sun room after breakfast. Yeah, I saw that,
(16:40):
and that just about sums it up. So what do
you do all day? We watch television, you're kidding. Nine
o'clock time for Women's World. It's our favorite. A flatter
form dress pattern made flatter's shapes looking high some of
those trouble spots you can't seem to get rid of.
(17:03):
I know, I am hundreds of women have sworn by
this dress. Stop. I mean, we used to all have jobs.
They called it occupational therapy. That was cooking and sewing.
Buchanan even had its own lumber mill and apple orchard.
Our sider was the best in the state. But then
some do good or felt like the hospital was exploiting
(17:25):
the mentally ill, so they got rid of all the
work programs. So they took away our jobs. They took
away my garden. There's a greenhouse up by the founder's mansion,
but I can't bear to look at it. It makes
me so sad. But we do. We do get to
(17:46):
watch television. I pretty still keep the doctor my rain.
Someone's not in a participatory mood today. What's this? Oh?
(18:08):
This is easy T Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Who's grath
He's the big fella there. He's an attendant from the
Men's Word. They bring him downstairs just to maintain order
on Easy T. Days. You're never allowed to be alone
(18:29):
with Grath why not? Well, that's the rules. And if
he ever tries to take you to a private place,
just one of the nurses. Really, Karen, don't be alone
with him. I was, I was. Oh, I'm sorry. Don't
(18:50):
know that hurts. I don't. I don't like the easy.
You don't need to be what's going on? Don't be scared? Okay?
What what is easy? T Listen, Karen, You're going to
have to trust me, okay. Just you a brave girl.
(19:12):
I'm not even supposed to be here, Charlotte, It's okay, Grass,
just trying to help the new girl relax. What are
you looking at? Deaf girl? Carol? Please come, I'll say
(19:52):
this for you. You've got nervous great hop up on
(20:30):
this journey and like back, yes, ma'am. Okay, can I
ask you a question? Yeah? Answer to your side? And
do you have anything in your mouth? No, ma'am? What
is um? Life? Still? Please? What are you doing? Okay?
(20:55):
This is going to feel a little cold on your temples?
What it? What is that? It's a conductant? That's all?
What is on this? Please? Karen give us a second? Okay?
What is a kid, give all right, Who's Next. The
(21:58):
Control Group is a production of How Stuff Works, written
and directed by Brett Wood, recorded and mixed by Rob
Gal m m m m m m
The Control Group News
Host
Bret Wood
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