health
‘I’m so grateful I got to live these days’: A Ghost in the Throat author Doireann Ní Ghríofa on recovering from depression
The acclaimed author and poet talks about her new book, telling the true stories of patients at a derelict Victorian psychiatric hospital – a place in which she might have found herself at a different time
TL;DR
- Doireann Ní Ghríofa's new book, 'Said the Dead,' focuses on the lives of patients from the Cork District Mental Hospital (formerly Eglinton Lunatic Asylum and later Our Lady’s Psychiatric Hospital).
- Ní Ghríofa, who has a personal history of severe depression and suicide attempts, felt a strong connection to the women patients documented in archival casebooks.
- The author conducted extensive archival research and visited the derelict hospital building to immerse herself in its history.
- The book explores the challenges of recreating past lives from fragmented records and questions the ethical implications of writing about individuals without their consent.
- Ní Ghríofa reflects on her own recovery from depression and her gratitude for life, contrasting it with the experiences of the women in the asylum.
- The book acknowledges the efforts of psychiatric nurses who preserved the patient records, preventing the loss of invaluable historical information.
- Ní Ghríofa notes that the casebooks present a doctor's perspective, which may be partial and not fully representative of the patients' experiences.
- The narrative also highlights positive aspects, such as the dedication of doctors like Dr. Lucia Strangman and Dr. Scanlan, and the development of innovative treatments.