--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was never in a mental institution for a…" description: "\"I was never in a mental institution for a long time. I was in psych wards.\" — Darrell Hammond" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/darrell-hammond-20490_institutions_i-was-never-in-a-mental-institution-for_1031386.png" --- # I was never in a mental institution for a long time. I was… ![“I was never in a mental institution for a long time. I was in psych wards.” quote by Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/darrell-hammond-20490_institutions_i-was-never-in-a-mental-institution-for_1031386.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/darrell-hammond-20490_institutions_i-was-never-in-a-mental-institution-for_1031386.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a92/darrell-hammond-20490_institutions_i-was-never-in-a-mental-institution-for_1031386.png) > “I was never in a mental institution for a long time. I was in psych wards.” [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even brief stays in mental health facilities are notable experiences, not lifelong labels. **In simple terms:** Psych wards are temporary, not defining. Key Takeaway Recognize mental health care as part of life. Themes mental health stigma recovery Mood empathetic educational Type inspirational advocacy When to use this quote - personal storytelling - public speaking - advocacy - support groups Key Concepts psychology social perception healthcare narratives Questions to Reflect On - How can we change narratives around mental health treatment? - What language reduces stigma? A Different Perspective Societal stigma may still attach to any mental health experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“the church was an international institution long before globalization.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-claiborne/the-church-was-an-international-institution-long-before-globalization/) [Shane Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-claiborne/) > [We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-do-not-have-to-visit-a-madhouse-to-find-disordered-minds-our/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I don't think anybody thinks about their past much, unless they're in a mental institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/i-don-t-think-anybody-thinks-about-their-past-much-unless-they-re-in/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [I wanted to write when I was young, but people said it was impossible. Then my parents locked me in a mental institution -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-wanted-to-write-when-i-was-young-but-people-said-it-was-impossible/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When you've been locked up in a mental institution, people are going to ask questions. It was OK, because I didn't have to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/when-you-ve-been-locked-up-in-a-mental-institution-people-are-going/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [There was a mental institution near my house, and I would donate time teaching mentally ill patients how to do ceramics. I photographed them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-klein/there-was-a-mental-institution-near-my-house-and-i-would-donate-time/) [Steven Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-klein/) > [“Over half the admits to psych wards are things like cheerleaders who swallow two bottles of Mydol over a high-school breakup or gray lonely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/over-half-the-admits-to-psych-wards-are-things-like-cheerleaders-who/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“I have worked locked psych wards and had patients give me stories they wrote or poems and this reminded me of that... Word salad!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montzalee-wittmann/i-have-worked-locked-psych-wards-and-had-patients-give-me-stories/) Montzalee Wittmann > [“Doctors tend to enter the arenas of their profession’s practice with a brisk good cheer that they have to then stop and try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/doctors-tend-to-enter-the-arenas-of-their-profession-s-practice-with-2/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [When I was about five or seven years old my mother was placed in a mental institution and so we were with our father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/when-i-was-about-five-or-seven-years-old-my-mother-was-placed-in-a/) [Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/) > [There's a schizoid streak within the family anyway so I dare say that I'm affected by that. The majority of the people in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/there-s-a-schizoid-streak-within-the-family-anyway-so-i-dare-say-that/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [“None of you seem to understand ... this is a mental institution ... you came to life only because there is some thing wrong with you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zied-saadi/none-of-you-seem-to-understand-this-is-a-mental-institution-you-came/) Zied Saadi > [“Is he crazy? Of course he is, he's in a mental institution. I'm probably crazy too. The people in the hallway are definitely crazy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-garner/is-he-crazy-of-course-he-is-he-s-in-a-mental-institution-i-m-probably/) [Christina Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-garner/) > [Nick can get up on stage and just wing it, whereas I would have to be taken to a mental institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mullally/nick-can-get-up-on-stage-and-just-wing-it-whereas-i-would-have-to-be/) [Megan Mullally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mullally/) > [“Hey, I’m Maddie. I have been dreaming about you for fifteen years. I was wondering if you were dreaming about me too or if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-kincaid/hey-i-m-maddie-i-have-been-dreaming-about-you-for-fifteen-years-i-was/) [Elena Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-kincaid/) ## More by Darrell Hammond > [Not everyone can invest their heart into learning something and making it fully realized, and the chances are 9 out of 10 that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/not-everyone-can-invest-their-heart-into-learning-something-and/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [I've learned sometimes you just have to take the bad from people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-ve-learned-sometimes-you-just-have-to-take-the-bad-from-people/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [It's tough to play the right chord on the instrument when there's someone out there who wants to kill you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/it-s-tough-to-play-the-right-chord-on-the-instrument-when-there-s/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [I ran into an extraordinary doctor. He got up inside my head and figured out how my brain processed things, what my core values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-ran-into-an-extraordinary-doctor-he-got-up-inside-my-head-and/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [I have to give the SNL crew props - it cannot have been easy to work with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-have-to-give-the-snl-crew-props-it-cannot-have-been-easy-to-work/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [Some of the funniest people I know are not screwed up in the head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/some-of-the-funniest-people-i-know-are-not-screwed-up-in-the-head/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [I called my mother up and I said, 'You know, I've been to the best doctors in the world and I've spent almost half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-called-my-mother-up-and-i-said-you-know-i-ve-been-to-the-best/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [I had a dad you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-had-a-dad-you-know/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [I've become fascinated by the idea that it's really achievable to make two or three small improvements in a week and by the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-ve-become-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-it-s-really-achievable-to/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [“I dreamed that I woke up and there was a little girl, not more than three or four years old, standing outside my window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-dreamed-that-i-woke-up-and-there-was-a-little-girl-not-more-than/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [The danger with running for president is sooner or later some sound bite is going hit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/the-danger-with-running-for-president-is-sooner-or-later-some-sound/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [I was diagnosed with everything from schizophrenia to multiple personality disorder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-was-diagnosed-with-everything-from-schizophrenia-to-multiple/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [College kids, don't be taking examples from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/college-kids-don-t-be-taking-examples-from-me/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [When I left my parents' home when I was 19, I went to the University of Florida, and within 24 hours was in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/when-i-left-my-parents-home-when-i-was-19-i-went-to-the-university-of/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) > [I'll get to make a lot of money and do some bad sitcoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-hammond/i-ll-get-to-make-a-lot-of-money-and-do-some-bad-sitcoms/) [Darrell Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) [Explore all 30 Darrell Hammond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-hammond/) ## More Institutions quotes > [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-minimum-that-most-minimalists-want-leaves-in-place-just-the/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“Economists have a singular method of procedure. There are only two kinds of institutions for them, artificial and natural. The institutions of feudalism are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/economists-have-a-singular-method-of-procedure-there-are-only-two/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [I find the family the most mysterious and fascinating institution in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/i-find-the-family-the-most-mysterious-and-fascinating-institution-in/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) > [In coming to that agreement, my party had a clear philosophy throughout. In Northern Ireland, we should have institutions that respected the differences of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/in-coming-to-that-agreement-my-party-had-a-clear-philosophy/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [If you ask why I do what I do - I want to make a difference. I don't just want to maintain the status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/if-you-ask-why-i-do-what-i-do-i-want-to-make-a-difference-i-don-t/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [It is impossible to build enduring institutions without solid values. For us, the fundamental value is that associated with democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-henrique-cardoso/it-is-impossible-to-build-enduring-institutions-without-solid-values/) [Fernando Henrique Cardoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-henrique-cardoso/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Every morning when I pick up the newspaper and read about an earthquake in Japan or problems in European financial institutions, the first question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-schapiro/every-morning-when-i-pick-up-the-newspaper-and-read-about-an/) [Mary Schapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-schapiro/) > [The "family" has clearly emerged anew in the late 1970s as a central subject for discussion, debate, research and writing in bothscholarly and popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/the-family-has-clearly-emerged-anew-in-the-late-1970s-as-a-central/) Sheila Kamerman > [Individually, museums are fine institutions, dedicated to the high values of preservation, education and truth; collectively, their growth in numbers points to the imaginative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hewison/individually-museums-are-fine-institutions-dedicated-to-the-high/) [Robert Hewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hewison/) > [The more subsidized it is, the less free it is. What is known as 'free education' is the least free of all, for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-chodorov/the-more-subsidized-it-is-the-less-free-it-is-what-is-known-as-free/) [Frank Chodorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-chodorov/) > [It may be changing, but still it's the one place, that total control of an institution, that African Americans have. So sometimes, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/it-may-be-changing-but-still-it-s-the-one-place-that-total-control-of/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) [Browse all 2,906 Institutions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was never in a mental institution for a long time. 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