The Locked Ward: Memoirs of a Psychiatric Orderly

Dennis O'Donnell

Jan 2012 · RH AudioGo · Narrated by Dennis O'Donnell

About this audiobook

Brought to you by Penguin.


An extraordinary account of a nurse's life behind the locked doors of a secure psychiatric ward.

Dennis O'Donnell started work as an orderly in the Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit of a large hospital in Scotland in 2000. In his daily life he encountered fear, violence and despair but also a considerable amount of care and compassion. Recounting the stories of the patients he worked with, and those of his colleagues on the ward, here he examines major mental health conditions, methods of treatment - medication, how religion, sex, wealth, health and drugs can bear influence on mental health, the prevailing attitudes to psychiatric illness, the authorities, the professionals & society.

What emerges is a document of humanity and humour, a remarkable memoir that sheds light on a world that still remains largely unknown.

'This is a superb study of people whose minds have gone wrong, and the art of caring for them' Evening Standard


© Dennis O'Donnell 2012 (P) Penguin Audio 2012

Ratings and reviews

amazing thought provoking and sometimes hilarious book, loved from start to end

About the author

Dennis O'Donnell was born in Scotland and attended Edinburgh University where he read English. He was an English teacher for many years before leaving to become a psychiatric orderly. He now lives in West Lothian.