At the Oscar ceremony on March 29, 1976 the movie One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest won a number of awards including best picture. Based on a novel by Ken Kesey, the film gives an insight into the flawed psychiatric system of the 1960’s and reflects the poor treatment given to the mentally ill over many decades. I saw it for the second time in 1979 when I was doing a chaplaincy training program in a mental hospital in the USA. I was struck by how some things had not changed in the intervening years with patents still treated with little dignity or respect by some staff.
Loving God
we pray for all those who suffer from mental illness.
We pray especially for those whose conditions have meant spending time in a mental hospital and whose treatment there made life even more difficult for them.
We give thanks for those who have treated people who suffer from some form of mental illness with great love and care whether within these institutions or in the community.
Amen
By Fr Pat O'Shea - Lower Hutt
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