One of my main fears when it comes to my mental illness is THE ASYLUM. Yes, it deserves to be written in capital letters. And yes, I know that it's not what we call psychiatric wards and hospitals nowadays. But when I think of the word ‘asylum’ I feel fear. It's one of those powerful words that automatically conjures up images....
- Locked awayOften I find myself stuck in past perceptions of mental illness. It’s a fascinating topic; the treatment of patients, how much changed over a short period of time. But it’s scary when you live with the knowledge that just over 100 years ago, I would have been one of those locked up patients. It sounds silly to find yourself stuck in thoughts about a past you did not experience, but it's something I have found myself thinking about this month. The past continues to shape how mental illness is discussed today.
- Straitjackets
- Dangerous
- Insane
- Deviant
- Moral degenerates
- Incurable
- Mania
- Lobotomy
- Deranged
- Melancholia
Mental hospitals continue to be depicted as old-fashioned, out-of-touch insane asylums in movies and on TV, continuing to reinforce the modern day images of mental illness. (See my post on Asylums at Halloween for more.)
I still have to listen to jokes about padded cells and straitjackets when someone acts in a way deemed to be ‘crazy’, abnormal or different. It makes me uncomfortable. It should make everyone uncomfortable, but instead these perceptions are commonplace.
How mental illness was treated in the past shapes how it is viewed in society today. So I've decided to explore the madness.