Abuse in Mental Hospitals: What Illnesses Entailed Then

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Suffering from mental illness may be rough now, with society still not fully catering to their complex needs. But times now are a thousand ways better than how they had been before.

Mental illnesses then weren’t only a taboo topic but were also highly misconceived. Professionals had yet to look into these cases and only worked with a limited understanding of how they should be approached. People suffering from these were considered a danger to society. Hence, not only were they locked up, but abuse in mental hospitals was also prevalent.

The History of Abuse in Mental Hospitals

When people think of mental hospitals now, they picture solitude and comfort. With hundreds of nurses aiding patients, they’re never short of adequate and proper treatment. Establishments that house these patients serve as their second home, where they can feel safe and seen.

However, this progress has taken decades for society to implement. Patients had to endure maltreatment and abuse for years before experiencing the comfort they have now.

What exactly happened behind the asylum walls?

While defined as a shelter to protect these patients from danger, a sanctuary for those who are misjudged and ostracized from the rest, mental asylums then took these individuals hostage. They were confined and stripped of their rights as professionals struggled to give them proper care. With the stigma that sheathed over mental health, abuse in mental hospitals was often normalized.

A better picture of what exactly occurred within these walls can be read in Patricia Lubeck’s Asylum Scandals, where the author details the abuse and torture these patients experience. The book contains the disturbing nature of early mental asylums and the ghastly system patients had followed. Readers get to witness the abuse in mental hospitals and how the law has failed to protect these individuals.

What’s worse is that while these patients report abuse, the abuse they’re experiencing, they aren’t even believed due to the nature of their conditions. Times were darkest during that period. It’s essential that people now remember these events in order to prevent them from happening again.

What Did These Patients Encounter?

Most psychiatric hospital abuse stories are filled with events involving maltreatment, wrong procedures, and punishments. It was as if professionals didn’t honor their oath. Instead of extensively caring for these individuals and examining the root of their problems, they took the easier way out.

Still, on their way to fully understanding what mental illnesses entail, doctors and nurses had to reduce what these patients exhibited to its physical manifestation. Hence, they were quickly labeled as dangerous rather than suffering, often treated as convicts instead of patients.

Some of the abuse in mental hospitals occurred due to the lack of knowledge, while some were simply a result of impatience and a lack of empathy.

Here are some events that took place behind walls.

Physical Restraint

Due to their illnesses, most establishments resorted to tying these individuals to beds, walls, or radiators. With the lack of medications to soothe and calm them down, doctors only had to subdue episodes through physical means. Patients were locked in padded rooms for extended periods and placed in straitjackets to control their movements.

To professionals, this looked humane, not only for the patients but also for the others they could’ve hurt. However, restraint can cause bruises, injuries, and lacerations over time.

Physical Punishment

Above restraining them, one of the common ways to subdue “uncontrollable” patients was through punishment. These establishments resorted to intense physical punishments like being kicked, slapped, or otherwise assaulted by the staff. Like a child being taught what not to do, these patients were thought of as cognitively incompetent, unable to comprehend rules and basic human systems, which they aren’t. Not only is this an example of abuse in mental hospitals, but it also showcases some misconceptions even professionals have about these individuals.

Forced Medication

One of the evident examples of abuse in mental hospitals involved medications. With the healthcare field still in the process of understanding the complexities of mental health, most professionals have to experiment on patients to see what works.

In a trial-and-error method, patients were forcibly injected or fed medication to see which had a higher probability of helping them. Disguised as a process to achieve valuable results, the ends couldn’t have justified the means of how it’s completed.

Isolation and Neglect

Abuse in mental hospitals had often gotten to the extremes. Patients can be denied necessities like food and water and are left in unsanitary conditions. Not only does this reflect the unprofessionalism of the healthcare industry then, but it also reflects how they saw these individuals. They were treated inhumanely and were seen as inferior to the others.

It’s important to note that abuse in mental hospitals was common in older asylums and may be less likely to occur in modern facilities. If you’re interested in reading about the history, grab a copy of Patricia Lubeck’s Asylum Scandals now!