Willard Psychiatric Center Admission and Discharge Registers

Chronological.

These registers were created by Willard State Hospital/Willard Psychiatric Center staff for the purpose of officially admitting and discharging patients. Information in the registers is recorded in columns. A very few quarterly or annual statistical summaries are provided. The earliest registers (1869-1891) include both men and women patients. For years after 1891, registers were kept separately for men and women patients, and separate volumes were kept for admissions and discharges.

Earliest registers include space for information on civil condition (marital status); habits (good, snuff, tobacco, etc.); nativity (state or country of birth); occupation; religion; hereditary (apparently other mentally ill relatives); and how supported (usually "pauper" if given).

Information contained in later registers varies but almost always includes consecutive number of admission or discharge; name of patient; date; form (dementia, chronic mania, paroxysmal mania, epilepsy with dementia, etc.); and result of treatment (if discharge). Other information commonly supplied by later registers includes cause of death; county of residence; by whom removed; duration of illness previous to admission; period under treatment; by what authority committed (usually judge, also Superintendent of Poor, or "Order of S.C. in Lunacy"); and maintenance (public, private, indigent).

Some registers include only name; gender; date; county; and result on discharge or remarks for admission. Some information is duplicated from volume to volume and appears to have been prepared by several different units of the facility.

Series 20279, Patient admission, discharge, and parole registers, contain similar records.

Volume list.

Records from 1869-1966 were transferred to the State Archives from Willard Psychiatric Center at the time of its closure in April, 1995.

Restricted in accordance with Mental Hygiene Law, Section 33.13, relating to confidentiality of clinical records. Access is permitted under certain conditions upon approval by the Office of Mental Health.