Behind the Bastards

Part Two: Dr. Sleep – The Australian Psychiatrist Who Made People Sleep Themselves To Death

Podcast: Behind the Bastards
Host: Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts
Date: March 5, 2026
Guest: Gabe Dunn

Episode Overview

Part Two continues the chilling exploration of Dr. Harry Bailey, the charismatic yet horrifying Australian psychiatrist notorious for his use of "deep sleep therapy" — a treatment that left a trail of death, brain damage, and scandal at Sydney's Chelmsford Private Hospital in the 1960s and ‘70s. Host Robert and guest Gabe Dunn dissect Bailey's character, the devastating patient stories, the systemic failures that enabled his crimes, and the bizarre twists involving the Church of Scientology’s botched whistleblowing. The episode interrogates how professional power can corrupt, the complicity of institutions, and the culture of misogyny and ableism in mid-century psychiatric care.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Persona of Dr. Bailey

• Charming but Deeply Flawed: Bailey was reportedly charismatic and well-dressed, "able to convince large numbers of his colleagues and many patients that he's totally legitimate. Not only legitimate, but a really good physician" [04:57].
• Manipulative and Narcissistic: Colleagues noted his penchant for unnecessary lying and exaggeration, even about his own legitimate work:

  "He would lie to patients about some of his successes...to convince people to do his treatment." [07:30]

• Sexual Misconduct: Had "a reputation for making sexually inappropriate comments to or regarding female patients" [08:27]. Discussion reflects on the rampant sexism of the era and how such behavior was tolerated.
• Cult Leader Energy: Bailey inspired extreme loyalty among both staff and romantic partners — "dictatized them," as Robert jokes [10:52].
  Gabe compares Bailey's effect to cult leaders like Keith Raniere or Charles Manson [11:20].

2. Pseudoscience and Dangers of Deep Sleep Therapy (DST)

• No Scientific Rationale: Bailey likened DST to “switching off a television”—the hope being that "the brain, by shutting down for an extended period, would unlearn habits that led to depression, addiction and other psychiatric conditions" [54:15].

  "I was joking. You really think it’s just like...have you tried turning it off and on again?" – Gabe, [54:18]

• Extreme and Unethical Practices:
  • Lengthening Treatments for Profit: Normal DST course was 10–14 days, but some patients were kept under for up to 39 days [56:22].
  • Combining Therapies Without Consent: Pairing DST with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), performing psychosurgeries, and even inserting metal plates in patients' skulls without their knowledge [18:09–20:29].
• Grotesque Stories:
  • 13-year-old girl with anorexia given DST and ECT without anesthetic or consent; left with brain damage [17:21].
  • Woman discovers metal plates in her head nearly two decades after “treatment” [19:29].
• Pervasive Lack of Informed Consent:
  • Patients often signed forms while deeply sedated:

    "You absolutely cannot consent to surgery when you are woken up and still on enough barbiturates to drop a fucking mule." [22:45]

3. Systemic Cover-ups and Enabling Culture

• Regulatory Failure: Ongoing staff complaints, coroner reports, and direct appeals to government officials were ignored due to institutional inertia and a reluctance to scrutinize a profitable, “award-winning” hospital [30:01, 47:36].
• Culture of Dismissal: Gabe and Robert reflect on the ableist and misogynist attitudes that facilitated patient abuse:

  "There’s this deep mistrust...unless you’re moving the exact way, or your temperament is the exact way, then people are deeply off put by you." – Gabe [40:54]

4. Victim Stories and Medical Atrocities

• Craig McKay (14-years-old):
  • Four months in DST for depression following blindness, electrocuted and neglected; died, cause listed as bronchopneumonia [33:01–35:19].
  • Bailey’s solution? Billing parents for over 1100 sedative doses after killing their son [37:56].
• Adult Victims:
  • Jim Lawlor: "What's been done to me shouldn't be done to a dog" [39:05].
  • Mother with postnatal depression: "Next thing I knew, I woke up three weeks later unable to remember my children's names" [40:05].
  • Toni Lamond: Well-known entertainer who lost both memory and job after a 10-day induced coma sold as healing; "I wasn't even angry I got fired, because my brain wasn't working at all" [63:07].
• Grisly Statistics: Mortality rate for DST patients exceeded 3.5%; 24–27 direct deaths, 19 suicides within a year post-therapy, hundreds left brain damaged [43:18, 67:47]. One source suggests up to 183 deaths and 977 cases of brain damage, though figures are disputed [71:31].

5. The Church of Scientology and the Whistleblowing Fiasco

• Scientology's Involvement:
  • Ex-nurse Rosa Nicholson smuggled records to the Church of Scientology, which used them to attack the psychiatric profession broadly [73:38–74:54].
  • This inadvertently harmed legitimate victims’ legal cases, enabling Chelmsford to accuse complainants of acting as Scientology agents [77:21].

  "Surprise. Second villain. The Church's Scientology with a steel chair." – Host [74:56]

6. Bailey's Downfall and Legacy

• Personal Unraveling:
  • Staff go from loyal to fearful as Bailey's behavior grows erratic (insisting on being called "God" [79:30]), and reporting delusions—claimed to be a Martian [80:15].
• Criminal and Civil Accountability:
  • Lawsuits, a 60 Minutes exposé, and a royal commission finally bring public scrutiny.
  • Facing imminent legal consequences, Bailey dies by suicide in 1985 with a note blaming "the forces of evil" and Scientology [88:00].
• Systemic Reform:
  • The scandal triggers reforms in psychiatric regulation in New South Wales and shapes Australia's mental health care protections.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bailey's Character:

  "Bailey was always well dressed...both a cherub-faced charmer and prone to occasional drunken rages." – Host [06:10]

• On the Ethics of DST:

  "You have to be very careful with benzos and trauma...if you're just keeping them barred out for 28 days...they're not working through anything, they're gone." – Host [55:07]

• On Patient Consent:

  "Even if you say yes and sign a piece of paper...you have no idea what you’ve done. That is not consent." – Host [22:43]

• On Institutional Complicity:

  "We knew patients were dying unnecessarily...Bailey brought in too much money for the hospital." – Whistleblower nurse [47:36]

• On Outcomes for Victims:

  “For a lot of these people, the day they walked into Dr. Bailey's office was the worst mistake they ever made. But for him, it was Tuesday.” – Host [65:13]

• On Reform (and its limits):

  "The commission...was very unsparing about how bad Bailey was...but then at the end is like, also, none of the patients or victims get damages because, like, they waited too long to report anything." – Host [90:38]

Important Timestamps

• Bailey's Personality, Colleague Impressions: 04:57–07:30
• Sexual Misconduct and 1960s Medical Culture: 08:27–11:20
• First DST Deaths & Coverups: 28:52–30:55
• Notorious Patient Stories:
  • 13-year-old treated w/ DST & ECT: 17:21–18:20
  • Plates in patient skulls: 19:29–20:29
  • Story of Craig McKay: 31:01–37:56
  • Adult survivor testimonies: 39:05–40:26
  • Toni Lamond’s experience: 57:51–64:23
• DST Death Rates and Medical Rationale: 43:18, 54:15–56:00
• Scientology’s Role: 73:38–77:21
• Bailey's Breakdown & Suicide: 79:30–88:12
• Posthumous Reform & Denial of Damages: 90:13–91:34

Tone and Style

The tone blends grim humor, empathy for victims, and righteous anger. Robert and Gabe oscillate between incredulity, frustration, and dark comedy, using banter to process the horror. The hosts frequently call out the misogyny, institutional failures, and perverse incentives underlying both historical and contemporary health systems.

Conclusion: Why This Matters

This episode exposes not just a monstrous doctor, but the institutional rot, societal prejudices, and loopholes that perpetuated his crimes for over a decade. By connecting the dots between charisma, systemic failures, and the “confluence of ableism, misogyny, sexism, ego," the show provides a cautionary lesson on the dangers of unchecked power in fields meant to heal.

Further Listening

The episode is part of a multi-part series on Dr. Bailey; listeners are encouraged to check out Part One for additional context.

Content warning: Extreme medical abuse, sexual misconduct, institutional corruption, child harm, suicide.