Category: Writers Block
podcast summary
Many think that they have an idea of what asylums were and what psychiatric centers are. In many aspects, that is not so, and in the podcast titled "From Insane Asylum To Psychiatric Center: A Brief History", it details clearly what happens to people with mental challenges from the nineteenth century to the present. It identifies what the actual historical asylums were about, thus conquering the myths, and what the current psychiatric centers are about, thus informing the ignorant. It is an intriguing, and informative podcast that is quite well put together, which is detailed, where one could learn abundantly from.
It was an interesting podcast, as I knew nothing about asylums, and were not really interested nor did I research it or desired in particular to find out, I like most people, were told tales about what they were and what happened in them, and like most people I never questioned it. It just never occurred to me to be interested, or to take a look at it. I’ve always been more interested in daily life and things that were related to it in terms of with psychology. Whenever, I thought about mental disorders I always thought about things that would go on in day to day life, nothing like asylums or psychiatric centers. I read a very interesting account once, now I think of it, it’s probably all made up, for attention and such, because it seems unrealistic, but I didn’t think about it at the time, I just thought it was another true account, I didn’t question it..
I also thought that the podcast brought up a lot of good points and was informational and very interesting in that way. It was not only the topic which was interesting, but the podcast contained many useful bits of information which made one think and challenged my views. I and most people have never been exposed to the truth, so this was also a good way to open up peoples eyes and shed some light on the matter. As a listener of this podcast, and one who took some interest after I heard the little introduction to it, I learnt quite a bit and it held my interest very wwell.
After a brief summary and overview of the podcast and what was in it by the producer of the podcast, they launch in to the program. It was a program with an interview. The podcast first discusses the beginnings of a new age of psychology, where they treated people more fairly. People started to notice, mentally ill people were being treated poorly and look down on as criminals. They decided that more love and care to their fellow humans were better. I felt this was interesting and a good step forward by society. This occurred at the same time as when they made the same discovery about poor people and how the system was unfair to them. It all started in England, then, it made it’s way over to the united states, which followed. At this time insane asylums started to evolve, and people started to be sent off to institutions, where they were virtually cut off from the outside world. Up to this point things were pretty familiar to me, I knew about these issues, but this is where it stops being familiar. The only misconception perhaps, was that I thought asylums were around prior to this time period. I thought, and it was quite a silly thought, but I had the notion that they were around for a while before. I knew people were treated poorly, but never as prisoners and bad people. Their was no returning to the world, because there were no cure, and by the time they were "cured" they were so use to the place, they didn't wish to leave. So, essentially getting in to the asylums was a one way ticket as the podcasts says, and besides, the families were too ashamed of there mentally challenged relatives. However, they were not trapped in a place that was gloomy, depressing, and restricting. They were self-sufficient and were not heavily medicated as in some of these memorable myths, where these patients are usually drugged up and poked fun at. I was surprised to discover this, as this reality is so far from what we know from the myths. furthermore, it was all about vocational therapy. They also claimed that getting away from the city helped. I was also surprised as according to the myth these people just sat there and were watched and were essentially bored. This was a new concept to me, and it seems so much more humane and realistic. While it was humane, I think the society while they shouldn’t be ruthless to these people went a little too far in helping these citizens. I don’t like the fact, and I don’t think anyone does today of how they are confinded to a place and can’t get out. This is how you build bad hhabits and become your own group. There needs to be that bridge for people to thrive. Also, I think it’s kind of extreme. While they are not treated badly they don’t need this extraordinary good life. They were essentially in a better place in there own little haven with there pride, they were in a way treated better then people except of course the crude surgeries and medicines they were given. The idea of labotamy is horrifying, and is inhumane, so it’s good that they stopped doing it. However, not everyone who got in was truly insane, and that was the problem.
Many people got in, and it was easy to get in, if they were found to be troublesome, violent, and slightly abnormal, you were shipped off to one of these asylums. People didn't need an actual illness to get in to an asylum. This was also familiar, as I happen, to have heard how easy it was to be mentally ill, about the treatment of mentally ill people, and how easily they were disregarded. This I think is good that today we became much tighter in who could get in and who can not. In many ways, this isolates them, and is discriminatory to people who are just different or puts people who are really ill in danger by mixing the troublesome folks with them.however the podcast, did not only discuss patients, in insane asylums in the nineteenth century, but also covers what the progress was like in modern day. This new modern form of hospital care, essentially started in the 1960S, when modern medicine was discovered along with people changing the ways in which they thought about people, mental illness, justice, equality, and integration.
today, when a mentally challenged patient goes in to a psychiatric center, people are working to get these patients out and back on their feet. They are much more integrated and are basically still part of society. While they are in a facility they are by no means being isolated and excluded from society. The treatment and the staff talk with the patients in terms of daily life and what they have to do to be successful and not go back in to these places. They discuss the medicines that will need to be taken, and where they will live. The modern stay is about 70 days and then you go to a half way house. Most of this bit was familiar, in a sense, because I know people who are mentally challenged can integrate in to the world. It is acceptable in a way, though, some still need convincing, but getting on there feet or two a less supervised place is not new, as it helps them become more independent and integrated.
While, I think it is great that they are integrated in modern society there is a downside to all this. While the treatment and life is better the medicines can be a problem. It is good that it helped out, and it often does, but it also has side effects which is not great. They help in certain ways but yet make it that they impair others, which is not great. Also, they are not a solution, but sometimes a temporary fix and sometimes they only cause dependence. While the crude treatments were a bad idea less medicines, and more natural methods could sometimes be more effective. Also, they discuss, the downfall of the asylums, in addition to how the new system developed and what it was.
Asylums fell because of a few factors, an
and it is not due to one single factor alone. First, the tax payers didn't want to pay for the asylums any longer, thus, it naturally crumbled. This bit was familiar to me, as a republican this idea is relatable even in this day and age. People don’t like to pay taxes, so more dependence on the government and more taxes one has to pay is often not wanted. People often dislike sources that suck up their tax dollars, especially, if it has nothing to do with them or is rather unhelpful anyway. I can agree with that, in a sense because these asylums were not helpful and integrating was more helpful. And that in a sense it was worsening the problem, and if it wasn’t then it was prolonging it. So, in a sense I am glad we solved the problem. Also, it was proven unconstitutional and the mentally challenged patients working without pay was called slavery. This was somewhat surprising not in the fact that it was, but that I had never knew of such a case or that anyone had tried to bring up the issue. It is interesting though, as the myths, about asylums and general psychiatric centers do not include this detail at all.
Thus, this is the history of the account about asylums, what they were, how they developed, and there downfall. It is an interesting history with both aspects is widely known and other details that are not so familiar because in their place are these misconceptions. Overall, I have learnt a lot from this podcast.
So where is this podcast?
called the psych files I think see if I can dig up my sitations.