The origins of Donaldson's institutionalization began in 1943, at age 34, when he suffered a traumatic episode. He was hospitalized, received treatment, and resumed life with his family. In 1956, Donaldson traveled to
Florida to visit his elderly parents. While there, Donaldson reported that he believed one of his neighbors in
Philadelphia might be poisoning his food. His father, worried that his son suffered from paranoid delusions, petitioned the court for a sanity hearing. Donaldson was evaluated, diagnosed with "
paranoid schizophrenia," and civilly
committed to the Florida State mental health system. At his commitment trial, Donaldson did not have legal counsel present to represent his case. Once he entered the Florida hospital, Donaldson was placed with dangerous criminals even though he had never been proved to be dangerous to himself or to others. His ward was understaffed, with only one doctor (who happened to be an
obstetrician) for over 1,000 male patients. There were no psychiatrists or counsellors, and the only nurse on site worked in the infirmary. He spent 15 years as a patient; he did not receive any treatment, actively refused it, and attempted to secure his release. Throughout his stay, he denied he was ever mentally ill and refused to be put into a
halfway house. Donaldson later wrote a book about his experience as a mental patient,
Insanity Inside Out. ==See also==