What an experience...

I have always had a fascination with mental institutions. Maybe it wasn't the actual institution but the fascination with just what lies behind the doors of a place like that? Today I found out the answer. My trip to the Grenada Mental Health Institute was one I will NEVER forget! First we drove through town and then up this huge mountain. We managed to reach the place in about 25 minutes (a far trip on this island). When we got there, some of the people were scared to death. The psychiatrist greeted us and brought us in this tiny room to go over a few things with us. He wanted us to be able to identify various symptoms in the patients we were about to see. He then took us around the facility. It is set up in wards (something that seems so primitive to me). On our walk one lady was outside and begged to talk to the students. She proceeded to tell us a bunch of nonsense which half of it I couldn't understand due to her Grenadian accent. We then walked into one of the wards. The nurse unlocked the gate and let us into a small living room. On one side of the building was a men's ward and on the other was the women's. There were also two seclusion rooms! The men in the ward ran up to the locked door and started yelling at us. We weren't allowed in because there were more girls in our group than boys. That part was a little scary. There was a man put into one of the seclusion rooms. The doctor brought us over to talk to him. He told us that he had caused trouble, but he couldn't exactly recall why he was in there. He kept banging on the door and yelling for the nurse. Then we got to go inside the female ward. Here's where it gets super interesting! One of the women ran up to us immediately. She was a manic depressive and definitely in the manic state. She talked 90 miles an hour about complete nonsense! She told us all about how she wore an earring on her ring finger so the men thought she was married, but she really wasn't. She then asked every guy in our group to marry her so they could sign the papers to get her out. She told us "I want a white man. These Grenadian men only want to breed me." (I ABOUT DIED!!!) Then she serenaded us with a Celine Dion song. We were then free to ask her questions to which we never got a real answer. She would go off in another one of her tangents about how she thought she was pregnant. It was unreal. After a long conversation with her, it was about time to go. I was sad we didn't get to meet Franklin (my friends had told me about him). Apparently Franklin has been the Prime Minister of Grenada since he was 5. As sad as this trip was due to the poor living conditions of this hospital and the people in general, it was a wonderful learning experience. I am glad I was exposed to it, and I feel more comfortable if I were ever put in a situation with a patient like this. Ok, I must run. I have tons of work to do.