The Cards of Patients Examined by the State Psychological Clinic are an index to the Case Files of Persons Examined by the State Psychological Clinic, file number AA8, and Patients' Case Files, file number AA4. They contain details about individuals seen by the Clinic such as their sex, date of birth, the date of the first examination, and the name of the agency or person who referred them.
Closed D75 years
D75 means these records are closed to the general public for 75 years from the date of the last entry in them. People wishing to access these records should contact Mental Health Services at the Department of Health and Human Services. Staff at the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office may be able to assist you in finding other relevant records.
Children diagnosed with intellectual disabilities may not have had them as it is understood today. Challenging behaviour, inadequately managed physical disabilities such as deafness, educational disadvantage, an institutional upbringing, and poverty, neglect or abuse could all lead to a diagnosis of 'mental deficiency' and supervision by the Mental Deficiency Board.
The language used in the cards is disturbing. At the time they were written, eugenics had a considerable influence and its apparently scientific approach made it all right to use this language. In 2014, we would consider it demeaning and insulting.
Prepared by: Caroline Evans
Created: 20 February 2013, Last modified: 10 December 2014
Last updated: 4 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/tas/biogs/TE00630b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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