Kellokoski Hospital, Finland

In 1915 the second Finnish municipal owned mental hospital was founded at Kelloski in an estate mansion designed by Sebastian Gripenberg in 1883.  To begin with there were 60 patient beds.  The hospital grew quickly, as was the trend around the world at that time.  During the Second World War hundreds of patients, from hospitals near the frontier, were evacuated and brought to Kellokoski and, at the greatest thousands of patients were being cared for.  By the 1960’s there were only 650 patients.

Anna Pakalen, a matron at Kellokoski from 1931 to 1955, introduced from Germany occupational therapy as a form of treatment.  Since then it has been an important part of rehabilitation.  Kellokoski Mental Hospital was the first in Finland to adopt new methods of treatment.  For example electric shock and insulin shock treatment.  Ana Paklen also understood the significance of the environment for a patient’s recovery.  She had furniture made in the original style of the hospital rugs were similar to the style found at The National Museum, she bought art for the patients with her own money and also cared for the garden.  She reduced forced treatment, exchanged the metal dishes for porcelain and she sent nurses for training in other countries.  Legend has it that she possessed only two outfits: night wear and work wear. 

The most well known patient, at Kellokoski, was Princess.  She claimed that she was born at Buckingham Palace 102 years ago.  A griffin captured her in its beak and dropped her over Lapland, where she had been found.  She kept court at Kellokoski for 54 years.  She was transferred to Nikkila Mental Hospital 1980, as she was registered as a resident of Helsinki.  On departure she said: Do not cry, the time has come for me to move from the summer palace to the winter palace.  In the garden at Kellokoski a rose garden is to be planted during the summer of 1998.  Princesses Rose Garden is to have 102 historical varieties of roses.  The cenotaph erected, in 1995, to honor Princess is also dedicated to all the world’s mentally ill people.  Also in the hospital there are over a thousand works of art. 

Currently, Kellokoski Mental Hospital falls under the Uusimaa Medical District, and has 269 patients.  OF the psychiatric wards six are for acute cases, six are for long term cases and four wards are for juveniles.  There are 31 juveniles in care.

During the winter war, a new form of treatment was developed due to the lack of space and was called family care.  A patient would be placed with a family, where he/she would help with the peasant work and at the same time vacated a bed at the Kellokoski mental hospital.  Nowadays with mechanization, there is little use for such patients as there use to be.  As a result, now, there are only nineteen patients in family care.  Instead, these days, mental hospital organize occupational therapy, psychotherapy, music and art therapy.  New methods of treatment are tried without prejudice.  Work, occupational therapy or sheltered work have great significance in rehabilitation.  Recovery is the best when a person can do useful work with others.

Despite the good conditions at Kellokoski, the status of the mentally ill in Finland is lower than those of other handicapped groups.  A third of all mental patients are committed to care against their will. While diverse forms of treatment are being used, far too often patients are being isolated or strapped to their beds.

In the 1970’s, mental health offices were established for the care of outpatients.  In the 1980 the government’s Schizophrenia Program radically reduced patient’s beds.  Then Finland had 20,000 mental patients in hospital care, i.e. 4 per thousand of the population.  It was a world record shared with Ireland and Sweden.  Now there are only 6,000.  The developmentally impaired, psycho-geriatrics and bed patients were moved elsewhere, and long term patients are fewer than ever before.  About 4,000 patients have been moved into private and public communal residences.  The 90s depression resulted in a 25% cut in funds for psychiatric hospitals.  Somatic hospitals have not suffered near as much.

When the mind gets ill, in addition to dealing with a personal crisis the patient has to deal with the fears and prejudices of those around him.  The chairman of the Mental Health Central League has realized and states:  Social status improves if the attitude towards the mentally ill improves, and if the attitudes improve then the patient’s social status will improve.