Victorian Insane Asylums

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The horrific care provided in the Victorian mad asylums, where sanity was not around.

Entering the creepy hallways of insane asylums from the Victorian era, where the silence was broken by the cries of the suffering. During a period when mental illness was misunderstood. There was little concern for the patient’s sensibilities. “Typically patients are described as lunatics, imbeciles, insane, or even idiots.” (Mcbeathe).

A constant pattern towards scientific and beneficial practices that question the harsh conditions of these treatments. Nevertheless, these contributed to shaping the future path for mental health care for generations to come. Mental asylum had a bad reputation and was known as “a place of misery where inmates were locked up and left
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! ! BEFORE

In the pre-Victorian era, insane asylums were frequently miserable institutions described with neglect, cruelty, and ignorance regarding mental illness. Before the 19th century, mental health was poorly understood, and those who suffered from mental illnesses were sometimes excluded, stigmatized, or even punished. As a result, those who were suffering from mental diseases were not only denied access to quality care but also suffered social rejection and, in certain situations, harsh punishment.

This age brought the grave effects of ignorance and discrimination in mental health to light. Mental health facilities were frequently overcrowded, filthy, and lacking proper medical attention. Inhumane treatment of patients was commonplace, involving physical restraint, solitary confinement in cages or chains, and severe disciplinary actions. Harsh rather than therapeutic approaches to therapy persisted because of the widely held belief that mental illness was not a physical disease but rather a consequence of wrongdoing or demonic possession. Physical restraints were also commonly used in this age.

you can talk about which restraints were used and under which circumstances they used each