Insane Asylums In America

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Asylums first came to America during the Colonial Era. The first Asylum was in New York called ¨Blackwell's Island Lunatic Asylum.” (“An Illustrated History of the Mental Asylum”) Families felt their loved ones with mental illnesses were a burden, so they were placed in insane asylum. (Foerschner, Allison F.) Insane asylums were known for their inhuman living conditions and abuse to those admitted. (Foerschner, Allison F.) Patients who suffered from disorders were treated as prisoners, not patients. Today hospitals have eliminated fifth, noise and abuse, patients are no longer treated as animals. Over the course of many years the daily life, treatment, and living conditions has changed greatly for the better for patients being cared for in …show more content…
In some cases though, hospitalization is necessary, but the daily living conditions have changed for the better. For patients in mental hospitals today they will wake up and sometimes be checked by doctors to see how their general health is, like checking blood pressure and blood tests. If patients have a psychiatrist they may also have a meeting and check up with them to see how the patient is doing. Patients will have meetings with their psychiatrists often so they can see how they are doing and change their medicine if it is needed. Patients will also attend group therapy everyday with the other patients in the institution. (“What is it Really Like to Stay in a Mental Hospital?”) Today patients are not treated as animals and locked in dirty small rooms. Patients have much more freedom and are taken more seriously than in the past. Psychiatrists are assigned to patients and are used to get a better understanding of the patient and help give them what they need to get better. Also, patients don't remain in these institutions as long as they did in the past. It varies from a few weeks to a few months while in the past they would be locked in there for their lives with no way out, that is why so many tried to escape. People even admit themselves into hospitals today because they know they will get the right help and treatment they need. While in the past patients felt as though they were being forced to be there. Hospitals are currently much more effective now than they were before. People are more likely to get better if they are treated like they matter rather than animals. (“What is it Really Like to Stay in a
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