Hope Daniels, a 52-year-old from Hackney, East London, has detailed her traumatic experience of being sectioned and placed in an NHS psychiatric ward, describing conditions she likened to a prison cell. In her new book, Inside the Madhouse, she exposes the stark reality of the UK's public mental health services, contrasting them with the private care that eventually helped her recover.
Daniels was 48 when she was sectioned after a relationship breakdown in 2021 triggered psychosis. She described her first night in the ward: "It was like a prison cell, like something you'd see on 24 Hours In Police Custody. The bed was nailed to the floor, trapped there, just like me. There were no drawers, furniture, windows, radio, telephone or TV."
A Prison-Like Environment
Daniels recounted that every half an hour throughout the night, a torch shone through the letterbox into her room. "I'd have had more peace sleeping on the M25," she said. She slept in the lounge after the first night, refusing to return to the room. She felt that everyone, including the nurses, looked through her, avoiding eye contact "as though my madness was infectious."
She was horrified by the conditions, stating: "It was dirty, the levels of which if found in a hotel you'd walk out. But we couldn't walk out. Food was unhealthy, with nothing fresh on offer." Staff did not answer questions, and patients would disappear without warning. She also alleged that drugs were administered without knowledge or consent to subdue patients, with low levels of drugs elsewhere that "turned them into zombies."
Lack of Treatment and Camaraderie Among Patients
Daniels said there was no clear treatment plan for getting her well again. "When I acted out or argued, I wasn't treated like I was unwell, I was treated like an inmate," she explained. "A person going through a mental health crisis can't heal with drugs alone, but this was the only thing offered."
Amid the darkness, she found camaraderie with fellow patients. "If someone new came in they would be taken under the wing of those who had been there a while," she said. "I'd order Deliveroo for everyone so we could eat something that wasn't slop. Ironically, the other mental patients stopped me from going insane."
Transfer to Private Care and Recovery
After two days, Daniels made an official complaint to NYAS and was moved to a private facility after six weeks. She described the transport: "I was transported by five personnel in a secure van. The type you see going to the court for trials."
In contrast to the first hospital, the Priory was open-plan with a clear care plan and a named nurse. "Staff were available, you could have a hot chocolate with them. I had therapy every day," she said. "In the first hospital I was manic, in the second I was silent. I withdrew into myself to recover, and could feel myself getting better."
After eight weeks, in February 2022, she was deemed well enough to leave. However, she found mental health care lacking outside facilities. "My daughter spent every day calling mental health services, pleading for help. Within weeks, I'd lost £6,000 gambling. I had no mental health support at all – not a single phone call," she said. Two weeks later, she attempted to take her own life again before finally receiving support.
Broader Context and Hope for Reform
Daniels now works full time as a practice improvement consultant for kids in care and has a partner, Stevie, 54, a chef. She has a twice-yearly appointment with a psychiatrist. The number of people seeking urgent psychiatric help in the UK has risen by more than 40% in the past 20 years; in 2024 the NHS received 5.2 million referrals. By contrast, the number of beds available for psychiatric in-patients is at its lowest since data collection began in 2010 – around 17,000 beds for 23,000 people in need of urgent care.
Daniels hopes Andy Burnham's social care reform will include support for mental health. "It's been forgotten for far too long," she said. Inside The Madhouse by Hope Daniels (Mirror Books, £10.99) is on sale October 22.
