Ep. 82: History of Greystone Park Psychiatric Center, Part 4 (1950-2015) Artwork

Behind the Walls of the World’s Psychiatric Hospitals

This podcast examines the history of now-defunct or abandoned psychiatric hospitals. Listen every week to learn about the history of mental health care and the true stories of the people who lived and worked behind the walls.

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Behind the Walls of the World’s Psychiatric Hospitals

Ep. 82: History of Greystone Park Psychiatric Center, Part 4 (1950-2015)

February 02, 2025 • Dr. Sarah Gallup • Episode 82

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This week's episode discusses the arc of deinstitutionalization at Greystone Park, from the early-1950s until the closure of the original Kirkbride building in 2008. Find out how many people lived at Greystone at its peak and how quickly that number dwindled. Learn about a class action lawsuit filed against the hospital due to the poor conditions for patients. Finally, discover just how many dangerous patients escaped in 1978 alone.

Sources for this week's episode include the Greystone Park annual reports, accessed via the New Jersey State Library website; the Images of America book on Greystone Park by Rusty Tagliareni and Christina Mathews; the Preserve Greystone Website; and the Greystone Oral History website.

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