Psychiatric prison - Lives lost to institutions

THE plight of people incarcerated for years in psychiatric institutions tends to be swept under the carpet in Ireland.

That makes it all the more important to shed light on this dark side of Irish life.

Today we publish details of a particularly disturbing case, showing how one woman has spent 58 years in an institution against her will. It is a frightening illustration of the treatment suffered by many people, more often than not, at the instigation of their own families.