The Locked Ward

Memoirs of a Psychiatric Orderly

By: Dennis O'Donnell

Narrated by: Dennis O'Donnell

Brought to you by Penguin.


An extraordinary account of a nurse's life behind the locked doors of a secure psychiatric ward.

Dennis O'Donnell started work as an orderly in the Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit of a large hospital in Scotland in 2000. In his daily life he encountered fear, violence and despair but also a considerable amount of care and compassion. Recounting the stories of the patients he worked with, and those of his colleagues on the ward, here he examines major mental health conditions, methods of treatment - medication, how religion, sex, wealth, health and drugs can bear influence on mental health, the prevailing attitudes to psychiatric illness, the authorities, the professionals & society.

What emerges is a document of humanity and humour, a remarkable memoir that sheds light on a world that still remains largely unknown.

'This is a superb study of people whose minds have gone wrong, and the art of caring for them' Evening Standard


© Dennis O'Donnell 2012 (P) Penguin Audio 2012

Critic reviews

I really enjoyed The Locked Ward. He is compassionate without any taint of sentimentality, and the way he uses language is so elastic. It's like he's the most brilliant court-jester in the most colourful of courts. Bravo to him! (Gabriel Weston, author of Direct Red)

Retiring crim atty says

Interesting as I had served as a medic and lab tech in US Army with some contact with psych wards. I would give a four avg but I couldn't understand the readers dialect. He was bright, interesting and humorous but I have some hearing loss and was at a loss as and frequently rapid strings of words were unintelligible. My British buddy says "don't you Yanks know, we don't share the same language?" But still a good book and the fault of my artillery ears.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The author/narrator has a lovely Scottish accent. Dennis O'Donnell is compassionate and does a great job educating others who are not familiar with mental illness.

Engaging, funny, insightful

What did you love best about The Locked Ward?

All of it! The story flows beautifully and is worded and narrated like your best mate is telling you a story with passion and animation.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Locked Ward?

The telling of the suicide attempts. Although a raw subject for myself, it's not at all told in a clinical way, it's raw, but not upsetting. The accent and some of the colourful phrases and slang are excellent.

Which scene was your favorite?

Code brown! The scene painted where a patient uses his bowels to try to escape restraint is hilarious

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh! From a chortle to full belly laugh and sore cheeks. I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish with many of the orderly and patients antics, though told with humour, they aren't mocking.

Any additional comments?

I just love the accent of the narrator/author. I initially thought I'd have to return the book because the very heavy/thick brogue was initially hard to understand but as the story kicked in I plugged on listening and found I not only got used to it, it became easy to understand and ended up adding to my enjoyment of the book.

Fascinating!

Excellent memoir, full of humour, compassion, and interesting facts. The author's wonderful accent lends great expression and character. I really enjoyed this one, and only wish it had been longer!

Very witty

Excellent stories told by a psych ward tech. Extremely witty, intelligent and very compassionate. An excellent read/listen.