Evie Summers
Deep sleep therapy (DST), also known as prolonged sleep treatment or continuous narcosis, is a controversial and discredited form of psychiatric treatment. It involves keeping patients unconscious for days or weeks using various drugs, including barbiturates. DST was popularised in the 1920s by Swiss psychiatrist Jakob Klaesi, who used a combination of two barbiturates marketed as Somnifen. The treatment was used in mental hospitals in the 1930s and 1940s and was later adopted by leading psychiatrists such as William Sargant and Donald Ewen Cameron. DST was also practised by Dr Harry Bailey at Chelmsford Private Hospital in Sydney, Australia, from the 1960s to 1979. The treatment led to the deaths of 25 patients and caused brain damage and paralysis in others.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Other Names | Prolonged sleep treatment, continuous narcosis |
| Introduction | Turn of the 20th century by Scottish psychiatrist Neil Macleod |
| Popularised By | Swiss psychiatrist Jakob Klaesi in the early 1920s |
| Drugs Used | Somnifen (a combination of two barbiturates), Cloetta mixture (paraldehyde, amylhydrate, chloral hydrate, alcohol, isopropyl-allyl-barbituric acid, digalene, and ephedrine) |
| Duration | Days or weeks |
| Purpose | To relax the overstimulated brain and cure patients from their mental illness |
| Side Effects | Memory loss, brain damage, paralysis, death |
| Notable Practitioners | Dr Harry Bailey, Dr Brian Boettcher, Dr William Sargant, Dr Donald Ewen Cameron |
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What You'll Learn
- Deep sleep therapy (DST) is a discredited form of psychiatric treatment
- Drugs are used to keep patients unconscious for days or weeks
- The treatment was popularised in the 1920s by Swiss psychiatrist Jakob Klaesi
- DST was used in Chelmsford Private Hospital, Sydney, from the 1960s to 1979
- The treatment led to the deaths of 25 patients
Deep sleep therapy (DST) is a discredited form of psychiatric treatment
Deep sleep therapy (DST), also known as prolonged sleep treatment or continuous narcosis, is a controversial and discredited form of psychiatric treatment. It involves administering drugs to patients to induce an unconscious state for days or even weeks. The method was first introduced by Swiss psychiatrist Jakob Klaesi in the early 1920s using a combination of two barbiturates marketed as Somnifen. The treatment gained popularity and was adopted by some leading psychiatrists in the 1950s and 1960s, including William Sargant in the United Kingdom and Donald Ewen Cameron in North America.
The primary objective of DST was to relax the overstimulated brain, aiming to cure patients of their mental illnesses. However, the practice was highly controversial and led to numerous tragic outcomes. One of the most notorious cases occurred at Chelmsford Private Hospital in New South Wales, Australia, where 25 patients lost their lives due to the treatment between the early 1960s and late 1970s. The major proponent of DST at Chelmsford, Dr Harry Bailey, claimed that the treatment cured depressive illnesses and compulsive behaviours, such as drug and alcohol addiction.
Despite its widespread use, DST was not without sceptics. Many psychiatrists questioned the value of the treatment and raised concerns about its risks. The treatment often involved combining sleep with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which resulted in considerable memory loss for the patients. The high-dose barbiturates used to induce the prolonged sleep state were also associated with significant risks, including death and brain damage.
The tragic outcomes and ethical concerns surrounding DST eventually led to its decline. By the late 1930s, its use had already started to diminish in some institutions, such as the Devon County Mental Hospital, due to its failure to fulfil its ambitious curative promises and the emergence of alternative treatments. Legal action was pursued on behalf of former patients, and in 1976, a former patient, Barry Hart, was awarded $60,000 in damages in a civil case against Dr Bailey and Chelmsford Hospital for assault and false imprisonment.
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Drugs are used to keep patients unconscious for days or weeks
Deep sleep therapy (DST), also known as prolonged sleep treatment or continuous narcosis, involves using drugs to keep patients unconscious for days or weeks. The idea behind this therapy is to relax the overstimulated brain and cure the patient of their mental illness. It was first tried by Scottish psychiatrist Neil Macleod at the turn of the 20th century, who used sodium bromide to induce sleep in psychiatric patients, one of whom died.
In the early 1920s, Swiss psychiatrist Jakob Klaesi popularized deep sleep therapy using a combination of two barbiturates marketed as Somnifen by the pharmaceutical company Roche. Most of his patients had schizophrenia. The treatment was first used in the Devon County Mental Hospital in 1934. Patients received injections of 2cc of Somnifen and slept for about five consecutive hours. Two to three injections were given to patients on several consecutive days. The treatment was also used in some mental hospitals in the 1930s and 1940s and was adopted and promoted by leading psychiatrists in the 1950s and 1960s, such as William Sargant in the United Kingdom and Donald Ewen Cameron in North America.
From the early 1960s to the late 1970s, deep sleep therapy was practiced by Dr Harry Bailey at the Chelmsford Private Hospital in New South Wales, Australia. During this time, 25 patients died while undergoing the treatment. The treatment involved keeping patients in a comatose state for days or weeks using massive doses of barbiturates. They were fed through tubes and sometimes given convulsive electrical shock treatment while in a coma. Dr Bailey claimed that deep sleep therapy cured depressive illnesses and compulsive behaviour, such as drug and alcohol addiction. However, other psychiatrists doubted the value of the treatment and were concerned about its risks.
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The treatment was popularised in the 1920s by Swiss psychiatrist Jakob Klaesi
Deep sleep therapy (DST), also known as prolonged sleep treatment or continuous narcosis, is a form of psychiatric treatment in which patients are kept unconscious for days or weeks using various drugs. The treatment was popularised in the early 1920s by Swiss psychiatrist Jakob Klaesi, who used a combination of two barbiturates, marketed as Somnifen by the pharmaceutical company Roche. Klaesi, born in 1883, studied medicine in Zurich, Kiel, and Munich from 1903 to 1909 and received his doctorate in Zurich in 1912. He then trained as a psychiatrist and became interested in psychodynamics, using his empathy to understand the expressive behaviour of his patients.
Klaesi's method of DST was widely adopted and became well-known, with some leading psychiatrists in the 1950s and 1960s, such as William Sargant in the United Kingdom and Donald Ewen Cameron in North America, promoting its use. Most of Klaesi's patients were treated for schizophrenia, and his method was used in some mental hospitals in the 1930s and 1940s.
The use of DST, however, has been controversial. In the early 1960s to late 1970s, 25 patients at the Chelmsford Private Hospital in New South Wales, Australia, died while undergoing this treatment. Many others claimed to have suffered from brain damage and paralysis as a result. The major proponent of DST at Chelmsford, Dr Harry Bailey, claimed that the treatment cured depressive illnesses and compulsive behaviours, such as drug and alcohol addiction. Despite this, other psychiatrists expressed doubts about the value of DST and raised concerns about its risks.
Due to its controversial nature and the associated risks, DST has been discredited and is no longer practised.
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DST was used in Chelmsford Private Hospital, Sydney, from the 1960s to 1979
Deep sleep therapy (DST), also known as prolonged sleep treatment or continuous narcosis, is a discredited form of psychiatric treatment. It involves keeping patients unconscious for days or weeks using drugs. DST was first tried by Scottish psychiatrist Neil Macleod at the turn of the 20th century, but his method was soon abandoned due to its potential toxicity and recklessness. The treatment was later popularised in the early 1920s by Swiss psychiatrist Jakob Klaesi, who used a combination of two barbiturates marketed as Somnifen.
From the 1960s to 1979, DST was used in Chelmsford Private Hospital in Sydney, Australia. During this period, the treatment's major proponent, Dr Harry Bailey, prescribed DST for various conditions, including schizophrenia, depression, obesity, premenstrual stress syndrome, and addiction. Patients were kept in a comatose state for extended periods through massive doses of barbiturates and tranquillisers. They were restrained, often shackled to their beds, and fed through nasogastric tubes. In addition to the heavy sedation, Dr Bailey also administered electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or electric shock treatment to most patients, generally without any muscle relaxants or anaesthetics.
The use of DST at Chelmsford Private Hospital was highly controversial and led to numerous deaths and reports of mistreatment. Twenty-five patients died during the 1960s and 1970s, with some sources stating that 24 of these deaths occurred due to complications from the treatment, such as respiratory problems and oedema caused by barbiturate poisoning. There were also allegations of brain damage and paralysis among patients who underwent DST at the hospital.
The mistreatment of patients at Chelmsford came to light through the efforts of former patients like Barry Hart and organisations such as the Citizens Committee on Human Rights (CCHR), backed by the Church of Scientology. In 1976, Hart commenced civil proceedings against Dr Bailey and the hospital for assault and false imprisonment, resulting in $60,000 in damages awarded to him. Following the exposure of abuses at the hospital, a Royal Commission was appointed to investigate, and the Chelmsford scandal led to widespread criticism of the medical profession for failing to halt the dangerous DST practice.
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The treatment led to the deaths of 25 patients
Deep sleep therapy, also known as prolonged sleep treatment or continuous narcosis, is a discredited form of psychiatric treatment. The treatment involves keeping patients unconscious for days or weeks using barbiturates. During this time, patients are fed through tubes and are sometimes administered convulsive electrical shock treatment.
The treatment was popularised in the early 1920s by Swiss psychiatrist Jakob Klaesi, who used a combination of two barbiturates marketed as Somnifen. The method was then used in some mental hospitals in the 1930s and 1940s and was later adopted and promoted by leading psychiatrists in the 1950s and 1960s.
Deep sleep therapy was practised by Dr Harry Bailey between 1962 and 1979 at the Chelmsford Private Hospital in Pennant Hills, New South Wales. The treatment led to the deaths of 25 patients. Many others claimed to have suffered brain damage and paralysis as a result of the treatment.
A Royal Commission was set up in 1988 to investigate complaints against Chelmsford, which dated back to 1964. The Commission's report criticised the medical profession for not putting a stop to the therapy, which took place over 16 years. The report also found that there was a long history of death certificates being altered and patient files being lost.
Following the investigation, three doctors and two hospital matrons involved in the treatment faced disciplinary hearings before the Medical Tribunal in New South Wales. The doctors were also at risk of facing criminal charges.
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Frequently asked questions
Deep sleep therapy (DST), also called prolonged sleep treatment or continuous narcosis, is a discredited form of psychiatric treatment in which drugs are used to keep patients unconscious for days or weeks.
In deep sleep therapy, drugs are used to induce sleep. Various drug combinations have been employed to induce and sustain sleep, including Somnifen, a barbiturate combination containing diethyl and allylisopropyl barbituric acid.
Deep sleep therapy was used to treat conditions ranging from manic and catatonic excitement to severe anxiety and depression, and various forms of schizophrenia. It was also used in combination with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
No, deep sleep therapy is not safe and has led to several fatalities. It was responsible for the death of 25 patients in Chelmsford Private Hospital in New South Wales, Australia, from the early 1960s to the late 1970s.
No, deep sleep therapy has been discredited and is no longer used. It was rescinded in June 2023.
