Louis Theroux: By Reason of Insanity

Mightily uncomfortable Theroux provocation finds his usually effective, passively confrontational style clashing with his subject matter – it’s unclear to what extent his subjects are able to consent or understand his line of questioning - the best, most interesting moments come from the healthcare professionals and (in one heartbreaking case) the victim of a sexual assault; this might have been a better place to position the documentary to avoid the impression of depicting a “freak show”.

A more positive representation of the institution than in several of Theroux's other institutional investigations, although it still seems that the key underlying mechanism is operant conditioning based on increasing degrees of freedom of movement as a reward for "positive" behaviour. Nevertheless, the psychiatric hospital, even the forensic psychiatric hospital, seems clearly to be far more caring towards its patients than many American penal institutions.

I feel like this one could've used more insight into the treatment that these people have to go through cuz all we see is them taking meds and then being denied things. Theroux always does a great job of finding people who I think why are they really there and then cuts to people like that old lady who are so far gone. Consent for a doc like this obviously is a very iffy thing.

Did the people in the hospital consent to this or are they even able to?

Decent enough Theroux doc that just feels a little bit light for its two hours. The focus appears to be whether the place is doing its patients any good, and the impression seems to be yes, but aside from a shitload of medication we don't really see anything about their treatment. The second half of the second episode throws up the possibility of some of the inmates faking it, and doctors who disagree on their patients' diagnosis, which must be more relevant questions to delve into, surely?

That first place was a hell-hole of inverted good intentions, shifting units, heavily medicated, clearly ill and lonely people to a system of minimal social care, horrifying. Also, probably the Theroux where I've worried most about informed consent, denialist mom being a real low.

"Gross Dean" If I was a nut case in one of these places once a year I'd pull a Hannibal Lecter big meeting thing and do that "Love the suit" scene and get stink eyed over it like clockwork