PUBLISHED APR 19, 2020 Source: The Travel
Unsplash, Nathan Wright
Psychiatry like many other medical branches, which are rooted in pagan traditions, often do more harm than good and have begun to produce such poor health outcomes and morbidity rates that it has raised the eyes of congress people and business people alike. Often people in the asylums mentioned below and modern day asylums are marginalized, harassed, stalked, tested on and tucked away from society at large where no-one can see the atrocities being committed. These people are sent to asylums to be treated. They are sent to be cured. However, these people are never cured and often die in these asylums.
Public horror of the psychiatric branch of medicine fluctuates between acceptable to horrified. This branch of medicine has repackaged itself time and time again throughout history to make it more palatable to society at large. It uses drugs / medication to legitimize its branch of medicine. When these drugs / medications are researched, they are approved by the FDA but have no proof of efficacy and like opioids cause more harm than good. With 1 out of 5 people being described as having a mental health issue, today psychiatry which has been repackaged to a 'friendly' term: mental health is more palatable today then when asylums where being closed by the droves.
Here are 10 creepy asylums that look like torture chambers rather than safe spaces.
From mood and personality disorders to trauma and substance use, mental health is a fragile and vague area that even psychiatrists cannot fully understand; an area subjected to numerous social stereotypes and stigma. Sadly, not many recognize the importance of mental health, so patients, families, and staff often walk on eggshells to cope with their everyday lives.
Though mental health treatments have improved over the last few decades, abandoned asylums are like haunting ghosts that tell stories of dark times, experimental treatments, and terrifying violence. Insulin coma therapy, electroshock treatment, straitjackets, lobotomy; the list of controversial therapies goes on and on. Note that madness was considered mainly female, and many mothers with illegitimate children and immigrants were simply dumped and forgotten.
10No Salvation At The Hart's Island Lunatic Asylum
Many desperate women were shipped to Hart’s Island Lunatic Asylum, one of the most hopeless places in the US. The facility was built on the infamous Hart Island in NYC, used for different purposes, such as a prisoner-of-war camp, a tuberculosis hospital, and a quarantine zone. Note that today the island is used as a burial ground.
9Straitjackets, Electroshock Therapy, Lobotomy And Other Horrors At The Notorious Danvers State Hospital
If you think that the Hippocratic Oath can stop doctors at mental hospitals from committing outrageous acts, think twice! The past of the Danvers State Hospital, MA, now converted to cozy apartments, is haunting. Patients were forced to walk naked, live in waste, and endure terrible treatments, such as shock therapy, lobotomy, and isolation.
8Willard Asylum For The Chronic Insane Is Considered One Of The Darkest Places In America
Though the Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane was initially designed to improve patient care and satisfaction, it became one of the worst places in the US, as per Atlas Obscura. Patients were simply dumped there; years later, experts found many suitcases of people waiting for freedom, freedom that never came.
7Sedated Patients And Ongoing Violence At The Federico Mora Hospital In Guatemala, The Most Dangerous Hospital In The World
Though mental care services are much more developed today, the reality in many places across the world is scary. In Guatemala, for instance, patients are not only neglected but abused by staff. According to BBC, the Federico Mora Hospital is one of the worst institutions in the world where patients are shackled, sedated, and ignored.
6Waiting For Someone That Will Never Come | Desperation At The Ospedale Psichiatrico Di Volterra, Italy
The ruins of the Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra in Italy remind people of darker times. People were sent there not only for minor emotional problems but for political crimes. Patients were subjected to controversial treatments, such as insulin therapy and electroshock. In the 60s the hospital became one of the largest in Europe, with two toilets to every 200 people.
5The Haunting Past Of The Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital In South Korea
No doubt asylums across the globe are creepy enough to inspire horror movies. The abandoned Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital in South Korea, for instance, inspired one of the most successful Asian horror movies. Yet, let’s not forget that mental health hospitals tell stories of real-life despair and broken dreams.
4No Light At The End Of The Tunnel At Severalls Asylum, England
One of the worst facts about mental health treatments in the past is that mental illnesses were considered a female problem. Many patients, mainly women, were subjected to experimental treatments and trial-error practices. And when we talk about patients, let’s not forget that victims of abuse and pregnant women without families were also considered mad.
3Violated Rights And Haunting Pain At Haven Forest Asylum
Though Forest Haven, DC was built as a symbol of progress, a place with music and art therapy programs, the facility slowly became a synonym of horror, violence, neglect, and abused rights. Even people with learning disabilities and physical problems were dumped and forgotten there. Though Mother Nature is reclaiming this site, the pain remains.
2Patients With Mental Disabilities Are Still Treated Like Animals In Ghana
Though mental health treatments have improved over the past decades, the truth is that many mental health patients are still a target of abuse and neglect. Patients in Ghana, for example, spend ages shackled together, in inhumane living conditions. Alarmingly, even people with substance abuse can be sent to a mental health institution.
1Play And Fade Away At The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Surrounded by green fields and aromatic trees, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was supposed to be a safe place for patients, including children. Nevertheless, with the increasing number of patients stigmatized by society, the situation worsened. Hundreds of patients were forced to live in freezing rooms, while others were locked in cages to free some space. Many faded away...
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Elitsa Staneva-Britton (51 Articles Published)A mix between a psychologist and a writer, passionate about teaching, human rights, and traveling.
Do you know someone who takes mental health medications / drugs? How did they come to take the drug / medication? What are the side effects?
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