Mental illness ran in Brian Bechtold's family, with an uncle who suffered from delusions, a cousin who went nuts, and a grandmother who spent time in a mental institution. This may help explain why Brian's mother and father were abusive parents who alternately neglected or tormented and beat their children. It may also help explain why in 1992, when Brian was twenty-two years old, he picked up a shotgun and killed his parents. Brian confessed to the police, and explained that he went temporarily insane.
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From a 1992 article in the Baltimore Sun:
On a quiet, tree-lined street in Silver Spring, shaken neighbors were still struggling yesterday to understand the deaths of Dorothy and George Bechtold, whose bodies were found after their son walked into a Florida police station and confessed he had killed them.
The youngest of the couple's five children, 23-year-old Brian Antonio Bechtold brought his Rottweiler dog named Ox when he walked into the police station in Port St. Joe, a town about 30 miles east of Panama City, and told Sgt. Timothy Hightower he wanted to turn himself in for murder.
"He said he was possessed by the devil and the devil made him do it," Sergeant Hightower said yesterday. "We talked for several hours at his request. He mentioned that he had been possessed for a while and five days before . . . he became religious and Jesus told him to turn himself in."
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Brian was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic who was incompetent to stand trial. So instead of prison, Brian went to the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Maryland, whose mission is to help patients get better and re-enter society (if possible).
The Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center
At first, Brian seemed to make good progress. In 1994, two years after admission, a psychological evaluation found Brian to be appropriately dressed and groomed, of average intelligence, with relatively clear thinking. Brian thought he was cured, but psychiatrists thought Brian was cleverly ACTING sane while strategically hiding his emotions and distorted thoughts. Brian's doctors believed Brian had to confront his inner demons before he could 'get better', and Brian consistently avoided doing this.
In any case, Brian thought he should have fewer restrictions and less medication, and his doctors - thinking Brian was being sneaky and manipulative - prescribed more restrictions and more medication. This became a vicious cycle and drove Brian to depression and acting out. Over time Brian made two attempts to escape from Perkins, the second time with a homemade weapon and a hostage.
The author, Mikita Brottman, has a Ph.D. in English literature and conducts fiction workshops in the Maryland prison system and in forensic psychiatric hospitals. When Brottman met Brian at Perkins, he had been a patient for decades. Brottman became interested in Brian's story - as well as the tales of other patients at Perkins - and did extensive research for this book.
Author Mikita Brottman
The narrative is a shocking exposé of Perkins, detailing poorly trained staff; workers who goof off and don't do their jobs; employees who abuse patients; rape and murder among residents; seeming random re-assignment of patients between minimal, medium, and maximum security; and more. In addition, most of the psychiatrists spend little time with patients, and just 'pass on' a diagnosis year after year.....without doing a re-evaluation.
As for Brian, Brottman tells his story in detail, with a concentration on his years at Perkins. Brian frequently wishes he went to prison instead of the hospital, because you get out of prison after serving your sentence.....but a psychiatric hospital can keep you forever.
For the reader, it's hard to determine if Brian is cured (as he believes) or is too sick to re-enter society (like his psychiatrists think). Brottman seems to come down on Brian's side, but I'm not convinced. Brian did, after all, kill his parents and do criminal things while at Perkins. In addition, Brian has an aversion to taking his medication. Psychiatric patients who get out and stop taking their prescriptions can relapse.
If nothing else, Brottman's book shines a light on mental institutions, which can certainly use improvement.
The narrative is well-written, interesting, and informative, though a bit too detailed in places. Highly recommend to readers interested in the topic.
Thanks to Netgalley, Mikita Brottman, and Henry Holt and Company for a copy of the book.
Rating; 3.5 stars
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