During the 19th Century, Mental illness was a common household knowledge. Countless numbers of mental illness was found during this time period. Most of it was treatable, but very few people wanted to help these people out. The common problem of people not wanting to be involved was because of their beliefs. "The first colonists blamed mental illness on witchcraft and demonic possesion, and the mentally ill were often imprisioned, sent to alms houses, or remained untreated at home." (mental illness in the 19th century- Carrie Hughes) This article had me shocked and outraged that people could live their lives without a care in the world for people who could either be treatable- but were out into prison just because there was a slight something wrong with them- or who could be potentially dangerous to themselves and the public. Neither should have been imprisioned, but should have been taken and put into a care that can help them be treated as best as possible. I have gained a high respect for the woman- Dorothea Dix - who had a heart and wanted to treat these people. She took matters into her own hands and finally did something about these people - for these people - and had an asylum built for them to live and stay safe. In the first asylum- The Jacksonville Insane Asylum - they started a treatment called "moral treatment". " 'Moral treatment' hypothesized that insanity was caused by brain damage from outward influences on the soft and fragile brain." (Hughes) At first doctors thought it was a perfrct idea. But then problems surfaced and that created the problem of people not wanting to fix it. The effect was conditions starting to deteriorate, and people were becoming concerned with the rise of sick people. "Faced with overcrowded hospitals, and concerned about the rise of the spiritualist movement (which some attributed to the “moral treatment” method), many superintendents resorted to physical restraints." (Hughes) So, just as things were looking like they were improving, it all went downhill again. This time, the moral treatment was used based on "heredity" and that it was family genes that made you insane. They were now being called "genetically inferior" and they started using something called "social engineering" which they believed would permantly stop the mental behavior. At this point, it made me feel like people were finally opening up and realizing that the mentally ill would be better off in a place to help their treatment. Wether it was good or bogus treatment, they still tried.
It made me think about how people in this century thought about the mentally ill in their society... Did they think that they're animals, not deserving the help of others, and that God did this to them for a reason? Or did they think they were people just like us, but they were too afraid for their well being to help these poor souls? Finally my conclusion was that the thought both- in the beginning, no one wanted anything to do with the mentally ill. But towards the middle of the century, people saw how it was increasing, and they decided to open up and help them out. In the end all of their hard work was turned upside down. The press started talking down on the asylum- talking about bad conditions of long ago, both being true and exaggerated. But the asylum and its people took the blow and gave one back twice as hard- "Greater oversight and medical standards for asylums were implemented. New theories promoted by neurologists included “rest cures” and treatment using static electricity. By the close of the century, Freud’s theories began to arrive in America, precipitating a revolution in psychiatry." (Hughes)
