My research into mental asylums in the 1900's.

In today's world, our knowledge and understanding of mental health is a lot better than it used to be. And when I say that, the 1900's was a time when doctors could not understand fully the mental state of people who suffered atrociously in squalid conditions in what were known as mental asylums. This is why I aim to find out what and why these poor people went through what they did on top of their mental health declining. I'll also be questioning why the term "lunatic" was used so freely back then.

(All images and information will be referenced at the bottom of the page)

Through a series of blogs, I'll be looking at different asylums all over the world, how they differed from each other and I'll put in a case study of an certain individual from each asylum. I'll be honest, I've discovered there was a mental asylum in Wakefield, England which is close to where I live and I never even knew it existed. I saw an image which was both shocking and saddening at the same time. It was taken circa 1869 and features a patient being restrained in a chair at what was known as the West Riding Lunatic Asylum. Here it is. 

The next blog post will be about the West Riding Luncatic Asylum.