Silent Approach

Having suffered a 'prescribed drug induced psychotic episode' and arrest, Rebecca House, a serving police officer, was held in a psychiatric unit in Lancaster (now closed) 'for her own good'.

For the next 28 days she juggled vigilance, resistance and compliance as she attempted recovery in an environment where she was threatened physically by fellow patients and violently force-fed medication she knew would inhibit her ability to protect herself.  Over a decade later she would tell the full story, the mis-prescription of medication that led to several attempts on her own life, the psychosis that got her arrested, and the helplessness at the hands of jaded hospital staff, in her book Police to Paranoia. 

The one-act play Silent Approach is an honest and dramatic re-telling of Rebecca's experience.  Written by Caroline Lamb and directed by Helen Parry.  The key players are portrayed by Joyce Branagh, Marcella Hazell and Elka Lee-Green.  On Saturday there is a post-show discussion with Rebecca House, whose story is told in Silent Approach, and Hel Spandler who is a professor of mental health at Lancaster University.