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  • The Locked Ward

  • Memoirs of a Psychiatric Orderly
  • By: Dennis O'Donnell
  • Narrated by: Dennis O'Donnell
  • Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (699 ratings)
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The Locked Ward cover art

The Locked Ward

By: Dennis O'Donnell
Narrated by: Dennis O'Donnell
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Summary

In 2000 Dennis O'Donnell was approached to work as an orderly in the Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit of a large hospital in central Scotland.

'I don't know if I'm the man you want,' he told the Charge Nurse. 'I'm not a fighter.' 'I don't need fighters,' the Nurse replied. 'I need people who can listen.'

The Locked Ward is an extraordinary memoir that sets out to reveal the true story of life in a psychiatric ward - the fear, the violence and despair, and also the care and the compassion. Recounting the stories of the patients he worked with, and those of the friends he made on the ward, O'Donnell provides a detailed account of day-to-day life behind the doors of the most feared and stigmatised environment in healthcare. In doing so, he examines the major mental disorders, their symptoms and manifestations, and how certain triggers such as religion, sex, wealth, health and drugs bear influence; the methods of treatment, by medication, therapy and conversation; the love and support of patients' friends and family members; success stories and failures, and attitudes to psychiatric illness, both by the authorities, by those around him - and his own.

Over seven years O'Donnell witnessed the day-to-day lives of people suffering from the most hair-raising illnesses. What emerges is a document of humanity and humour, a remarkable memoir that sheds light on a world that still remains largely unknown.

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

What listeners say about The Locked Ward

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Insightful, Poignant, Thought Provoking and Funny

Where does The Locked Ward rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Amongst the top I have heard

What did you like best about this story?

The way Dennis brings you on to the ward and defines the varying personalities he has come across.

What does Dennis O'Donnell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The Glaswegian accent and Colloquialisms used in the anecdotes

Any additional comments?

This book is the very first I have felt worthy of a review in all my years with Audible.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic book

Any additional comments?

Be prepared for the thick Glaswegian accent, and abundant bad language! A fantastic book nonetheless; a collection of heartwarming, though at times challenging, anecdotes from Dennis' time working in a psychiatric ward. Fascinating.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I wanted to like it...

The reviews were great and the story should have been right up my street but I actually, sadly found it just dull after a while. The narration was so one note it made me a bit sleepy. It’s a shame, I wanted to love it.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

The last line is cut off

The book is interesting and fairly accurate, though the treatment of the trans patient is a bit unsavoury. I imagine id like it more if the end of the book wasn't cut off halfway through a sentence and filled with silence.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating, first hand account

Beautifully narrated and addictive. Great for anyone wanting to work in this area. The difficulties and day to day challenges exposed give the reader an honest perspective of a world that society would rather not see

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommend

A beautifully written account, perfectly narrated by the author. *immediately searches other books by author*

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This a book written well and it is read by the abr

an exceedingly good insight into the workings of the locked psychiatric ward and all the patients and staff who are within it. It shows daily routine and sudden sharp change to aggression, then back to the daily routine. I believe this is a very good representation of locked ward life.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

This book is really interesting and gives an insightful look at what really goes on behind closed doors. It had a mixture of sad, positive, worrying and interesting accounts and I would highly recommend to anyone interested in mental health, institutionalisation or just looking for something interesting!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Well written and well told!

I really enjoyed the vivid and humorous accounts of life on ward 25. Usually listen to this in my car on long journeys. Found my self popping to the shop just for a listen

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Worst Audio book I’ve ever listened too.

The use of the constant Scottish jargon Is infuriating and unless you’ve heard it before you won’t understand half of what he’s taking about.

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1 person found this helpful