Here's how the Nazis killed mental patients:
1. Gas Chambers: The primary method used to kill mental patients was through the use of gas chambers. Large facilities were set up, notably at locations such as Hadamar, Grafeneck, Hartheim, Sonnenstein, and Bernburg, equipped with gas chambers disguised as shower rooms. Victims were lured into these chambers under the pretense of taking a shower, and then carbon monoxide gas or Zyklon B gas (a pesticide containing hydrogen cyanide) was released, causing their deaths.
2. Lethal Injections: In some cases, mental patients were subjected to lethal injections as another means of extermination. Doctors or medical personnel would administer deadly drugs, such as morphine, scopolamine, or luminal, resulting in the victims' deaths.
3. Medication Overdose: Mental patients were also killed by overdoses of medication. Doctors would prescribe excessive amounts of sedatives or other medications to hasten their patients' deaths.
4. Starvation and Neglect: Patients were deliberately deprived of food and basic care, leading to malnutrition, starvation, and eventual death.
5. Transfers and Relocation: Mental patients were sometimes transferred from hospitals to concentration camps or remote facilities where they were subjected to harsh and unsanitary conditions, resulting in their rapid deterioration and death.
The Nazi euthanasia program resulted in the deaths of an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people with mental illnesses and disabilities. These actions formed part of the broader genocidal policies of the Nazi regime, which aimed to eliminate entire groups of people they considered inferior or a threat to their ideological goals.