By: Rachel Howeizer
With Halloween just around the corner, and mental health issues on such a substantial rise, I decided to make a trip to the town of Laveau to the Stillwaters Asylum. It was here I met a lovely woman by the name of Athena Pallas. And with it being Halloween and the word ‘Asylum’ having such a stigma that paints it as a place of neglect, and horror I thought it was high time we talked about the good of Mental Health Institutions. So Athena and myself sat down and talked about it.
Interview Begins
24/10/2024 – Stillwaters Asylum – Interview with Athena Pallas, Owner of Stillwaters Asylum
Athena Pallos: “My name is Athena Pallas, I’m the owner of Stillwaters Asylum and Mental Health Facility as well as a registered nurse. I’m studying to become a doctor at Columtreal though due to time demands my courses are mostly online now. I still attend clinical hours at HGH and Laveau Clinic.”
Rachel Howeizer: “So tell me Miss Pallas what made you want to purchase this Asylum?”
AP: “While working at HGH I realized that while there seems to be basic therapy services offered there, there wasn’t anything really available to deal with the more severe cases. Many of the criminals suffer mental ailments and go without treatment. It is my sincere hope that utilizing this space as it was meant to be, that we can rehabilitate some of them into productive citizens. We’ve since made the decision to open our doors to general psychiatric care as well so that we can help as many people as possible.”
RH: “And how has that worked so far? Have you had much success or is time still waiting to tell?”
AP: “Time will tell. We do have one success story but I cannot disclose his name unless he gives me permission. Patient privacy, I’m sure you understand. We’ve only recently within the past two weeks opened up for normal therapy. We have sessions scheduled but they are all new patients. Success is hard to measure in this field.”
RH): “No of course I wouldn’t want to invade anyone’s privacy, but I am glad you are having some success. So there is a lot of stigma with the term ‘Asylum’ especially in the month of October, spooky horror movies that often have former patient boogeyman hunting down people in the halls. Clearly this is not the case, and I think it would benefit everyone for you to describe how the staff here are when it comes to their patients, and the treatment they use.”
AP: “I have a dedicated team of 8 psychiatrists. I have even taken on an intern from CU. They range in abilities and specialties to cover a broad spectrum of problems. My Head of Medicine is Dr. Ilya and he teaches classes at CU also. Glowing backgrounds. As for treatments they vary with the patient. It could be as simple as weekly therapy, group therapy, sometimes medication. In more severe cases there is institutionalization and restraints. Electro-shock therapy still proves to yield results in some cases though it is rare to be used. We haven’t used it here yet. Mostly we establish relationships with out patients and build a system they can make part of their day-to-day. Reaffirmation, confidence building, rewards for progress. Even reading. We will soon start group therapy sessions.”
RH: “That is quite the accomplishment Miss Pallas. If you had to give everyone a single thought to dwell on and mull over about Mental Health and well being, what would that thought be?”
AP: “You are not alone. That I believe is the single most important thing for people to understand. We’ve all suffered, not always the same or similar, but we are never alone in that suffering of a mental health crisis.”
RH: “One last thing. Would you like to wish everyone a happy Halloween?”
AP: “Yes, I would. Happy Halloween Hathian and Laveau! Stay safe and remember when those masks come off Stillwaters is here to help!”
A pleasant meeting with Miss Pallas to say the least, a vibrant woman with a desire to help. So I propose to all Hathian citizens, if you are suffering from mental health issues, whether it be PTSD, or psychosis, or any other form of issues. Seek help, the help is out there, people want to to see you get better, and know how to. Miss Pallas really said it best. “We are never alone in that suffering of a mental crisis”
Editor’s Note: The Asylum has had some negative press in the past. Readers thinking of treatment may wish to research our stories and do their own due dilligence.
