Mental Illness Case Study

Q1: Have you or any people in your life been diagnosed with a mental illness and how did that affect you?
In 1831, I got sick with a cough and general fatigue quite often. Later on, with the stress of my illnesses, the extreme commitment to my teaching career added more stressed causing the idea of death to be constantly on my mind. I allowed a biographer named, David Gollaher, to go over my papers and he diagnosed me with depression and later I had a mental breakdown. My own depression ended my career as a teacher. My doctors encouraged me to take a trip to Europe and I met personally with prison reformers and founders of the York Retreat for the mentally ill. When I came back in 1837, my grandmother had passed away and left me with enough
inheritance to dedicate my time to helping others.
Q2: Why did you become interested in advocating for the mentally ill?
In 1841 I volunteered as a teacher at a women’s prison called East Cambridge Jail.
I witnessed the horrifying treatment of the mentally ill prisoners. For example they had no heat in their living spaces, so I filled a petition with the court and allow the prisoners heat and other necessities. From then on I began my research at different prisons and poorhouses and eventually moved on to mental asylums. I discovered the poor conditions the mentally ill were placed in and spent the next 40 years influencing U.S. and Canadian legislators to create hospitals for the mentally ill.I fought to increase the budgets, for more space in the hospitals and the change in the barbaric behavior towards the patients because of their challenging
disabilities.
Q3: Were there any other human rights issues you were passionate about?
I believe women should have the same career choices as men, especially in the educational field.
I wrote a book based on the powerful effect women have been having in the teaching profession. Because of the lack of careers available for women I became a teacher and opened up my own elementary school. A few years later I wrote a book called, Conversations on Common Things; or, Guide to Knowledge: With Questions. My book was proving the positive role of women as school teachers and became quite popular. It was written as a conversation between a mother and her daughter. I also wrote books on religious poetry and morals. In 1843, when I started my movement for the negligence of aid for the mentally ill in different type of facilities, instead of another form of communication I was only allowed to create pamphlets to send to the state legislative because that was the only way women were allowed to participate in America’s politics.
Q4: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
During the six years I spent in Europe, I met Elizabeth Fry, and Samuel Tuke, the founders of the York Retreat for the mentally ill. Over the years when I was working independently on advocating for the mentally ill I discussed with them my future plans. I influenced them and they and their psychiatrist of the institution created “moral treatment”, a new way to treat their mentally challenged in a better way. My supportive voice for the mentally ill inspired many institutions, but because of
my personal connection I feel most proud of my work with the York Retreat for the mentally ill.
Q5: Can you give examples of their horrid conditions you found mentally ill patients in? During the times I was visiting jails and institutions, I saw some inhumane sights that would shock you. I found mentally ill patients kept in closets, cages, etc.. They were stripped, handcuffed and physically abused. Two truly terrible encounters with the treatment of the mentally ill took place in Massachusetts. I witnessed one women so miserable she was tearing her skin off for a while and workers were obvious to what was occurring until I came. The other encounter was with a man being held in a shed like building next to the room where they kept the corpses. I experienced patients being held in the cold or without air conditioning. without furniture, light or fresh air and even placed in a room with dirt. However, I think my most terrifying experience would be when patients were chained and acted like wild animals more than human beings.