Northern State Mental Hospital in Haunted Washington

Like most asylums in the 1900s, Washington’s two main mental hospitals were becoming overcrowded. The state responded by building the Northern State Mental Hospital to relieve the burden on the system. By the 1950s, the Northern State Mental Hospital had grown to be Washington’s busiest hospital, with over 2000 patients. Despite its reputation as one of the “good” mental hospitals, where patients were treated with relative tenderness, the asylum’s doctors were known to carry out gruesome experiments like lobotomies and electroshock treatment. The worst part about this was that most of these procedures were unnecessary since most of the people admitted to the hospital were only suffering from common ailments like depression, postmenopausal syndrome, or alcoholism. Insulin shock therapy, electroshock therapy, and lobotomies were used on these patients, all of which are very contentious and deemed brutal. Sedation with strong medications was also a typical therapeutic method used.

The Northern State Mental Hospital’s abandoned hallways are said to be haunted. With such a long history of death, misery, and weirdness, it’s tough to believe the hospital isn’t home to some form of paranormal activity. After all, the majority of those admitted to the hospital were not insane or mentally ill in the least and were unfairly sent to the institution to spend the remainder of their lives. It is in Northern State where these individuals were most likely subjected to experiments, died in the hospital, and were either buried or burned on the spot. Those brave enough to visit the abandoned institution have experienced weird events such as cold spots, feelings of being watched, and disembodied voices. Strange shadows have also been spotted darting about the cemetery by several witnesses.