The mentally ill suffered a war of another kind. A woman holds her head in
frustration. Conditions at the women's facility reached a low point when
chaos erupted in Baghdad the day after the American's took control.
At the Al Rashid Psychiatric Hospital, the plight of
female patients went from horrible to horrifying as the war took its toll in
early April 2003. On April 9th, when U.S. forces arrived in Baghdad, chaos
erupted as looters rampaged the city. No one could stop them as they stole
chairs, tables, and whatever else they could carry from the hospital. Some
patients ran away, while other were beaten and raped according to hospital
staff members. For those that remained, there was next to nothing to eat or drink.
Help finally arrived, but not soon enough.
