Camarillo State Mental Hospital

Camarillo State Mental Hospital was a psychiatric hospital for both developmentally disabled and mentally ill patients in Camarillo, California. The hospital closed in 1997. The site has been redeveloped as the California State University, Channel Islands. The university has retained the distinctive Mission Revival Style architecture, and the bell tower in the South quad has been adopted as the symbol of the university.

In 1932, the State of California purchased 1,760 acres (710 ha) of the Lewis ranch, located three miles south of the city of Camarillo, and established the Camarillo State Mental Hospital. Camarillo State Hospital was in use from 1936 to 1997. During the 1950s and 1960s, especially, the hospital was at the forefront of treating illnesses previously thought to be untreatable, for instance, developing drug and therapy procedures for schizophrenia. Programs initiated at Camarillo helped patients formerly relegated to institutions to leave the hospital and move to less restrictive group homes or become (at least nearly) independent. The hospital continued to be a leader in the research of drugs and therapies in subsequent years. They also had one of the first units of any hospital to deal with autism. A dairy was built adjacent to the hospital for the patients to grow vegetables and work with the animals as a form of therapy.

This hospital was also known to treat alcoholism. One of the former patients, Wilma Wilson, wrote "They Call Them Camisoles" (Lymanhouse, 1940) about her short stay in 1939. The "camisole" was referring to restraints that were used on some of the patients. Jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker stayed at the hospital in 1946 after a term in jail. His six-month stay inspired the tune "Relaxin' at Camarillo", which has become a bebop standard.

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