Philanthropy and the history of mental health treatment

PHILANTHROPY

Philanthropy: History of Mental Health Treatment

The Antebellum Era was one of the most significant periods when humanitarian practices were highly exercised to reform American society. To eliminate the sins of criminals from the society, the humanitarians thought of playing their part in creating asylums where the offenders and mentally ill who thought committing a crime is their right was put into (Avina, 2016). The state was filled with criminals that were considered inhumane.

One of the most famous humanitarians is Dorothea Dix, who believed there were no measures to differentiate between criminals and the mentally ill (Avina, 2016). She began her journey for this reform with the help of Samuel Gridley and Charles Sumner for scrutinizing hospitals in Massachusetts. She observed that the mentally ill were poorly kept in chained prisons and suffered brutalities (History, 2018). She thought they should be treated in suitable psychiatric hospitals with compassion, attention, and respect. This humanitarian effort for keeping the mentally ill with care and providing them with apt healthcare facilities to ensure their betterment was initiated during this era. The noble goals set for transforming the roles of psychiatric experts and prison owners were made possible by humanitarian intellectuals.