Illustrations for takiedela.ru: Neuropsychiatric hospitals
It's very easy for a person to lose legal capacity in Russia. Once a person is institutionalised, regaining the status of a capable citizen becomes almost an irresolvable problem. Often people who are perfectly sane are declared legally incapable without any medical expertise given. So in fact less than a third of people living in those hospitals really need constant supervision.
To regain legal capacity you'd have to pass a test and answer a few questions before a board of psychiatrists. Sounds reasonable, but in reality the questions are often absurd, presented in a rude form and just overall disorienting. For example, one of the questions that is often asked is "What piece of furniture would you put in your new apartment before anything else?". The only correct answer to that is a bed, anything else will be considered as a proof that a patient is not prepared to live on their own.
Some people learn that they have been declared legally incapable only after the trial (that they didn't even know about) is over. This major system flaw is often used against elders by their offsprings that can't take care of them.
The last illustration in the set is dedicated to another question that the board asked one of the patients who had lived almost all of their life in the hospital: What is the difference between a dwarf and a midget?
Thank you for watching.
