04/24/2026
Remember how it was. And many states back track, just like ours.
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Michael Shipley died at 16 years old in an adolescent unit of the Austin State Hospital in 1979.
Michael had severe autism. Michael knew only a few words, and those he seldom used. Lights fascinated him: one minute he would take great pleasure in a light source; the next he would try to destroy it.
Mealtimes upset him so badly that he regularly hurled his plate to the floor. People frightened him, and he often pushed them away sharply, occasionally inflicting bloody noses and other minor injuries. As he got bigger and stronger, his outbursts became increasingly hard to overlook.
More and more, the Shipleys’ lives revolved around trying to reach their autistic son. They rarely left the house. They worked with him every day, trying to discipline his violent outbreaks by using techniques they found in books and newsletters, but Michael became simply too much for them.
They were referred to Austin State Hospital in Texas.
The move saddened the Shipleys—their son would now be 150 miles from home.
Once in the adolescent unit, Michael had a hard time adjusting. He began to bang his head against the wall and was violent with staff. A decision was made to put him on Thorazine. Starting off at 1000 milligrams a day, but eventually going up to 2000.
Physician’s Desk Reference states: “500 mgs. a day is generally sufficient. While gradual increases to 2000 mgs. a day or more may be necessary, there is usually little therapeutic value to be achieved by exceeding 1000 mgs. a day.”
For a week Michael banged his head, until his face was covered with bruises and cuts, his eyes swollen shut, and his head “beaten to a pulp,” according to one staff member. His medical record does not indicate what—except ordering supplemental doses of Thorazine—was done to prevent his self-destruction.
The Thorazine was upped again to 2400 milligrams, Michael was put in a football helmet and protective mittens, and the nurses were directed to check Michael’s vital signs twice a day. His vital signs were checked, but only once a day.
Within days, Michael would deteriorate and then pass away.
Michael, an autistic boy who had just turned sixteen, choked to death on his own vomit. He choked because his cough reflex had been weakened by huge doses of Thorazine, a tranquilizer he was given over his parents’ vehement protests.
The doctors gave Michael more Thorazine than is considered safe for an adult, yet failed to insure that he was closely watched for the drug’s well-known side effects.
The flaws in Texas’ mental health care system exacerbated rather than assuaged Michael’s tragedy. He did not belong in a state hospital—mental institutions are ill suited to treat people like Michael. He was sent there only because the state could offer no better alternative.
Let’s learn from the past, and not repeat it.
May Michael rest in peace.
