Committed to the State Insane Asylum: 1903-1912 Western State Hospital

Today people are still incarcerated (they call it hospitalized) for the exact same reasons- although the laws in the US are tougher, in the UK you can be "sectioned"- which is to say that your mental "illness" is put on trial- and they force medication and hospitalization on people for indefinite amounts of time. Though treatment in many facilities has gotten better than just locking people in rooms and giving them lobotomies, many facilities have a complete lack of any sort of adequate care as of yet and use chemicals to lobotimize patients instead of offering them other treatments or therapy.

News articles and advertisements are from the Port Townsend Daily Leader- Port Townsend Washington- from 1903-1915. All photos are taken from state hospitals that specialize(d) in psychiatric patients:

Weston State Hospital, NY Flickr photos by infrantryturnedtanker
Terrell State Hospital, TX Flickr photos by bluehurricane
Rockland State Psychiatric Center, NY Flickr photo by Elephi Pelephi
Ridges Lunatic Asylum, OH Flickr photos by Justin Masterson
Traverse City State Hospital, MI Flickr photos by joseph a (Joseph) -building, and nostinkinhedges305- porch area
Buffalo State Hospital, NY Flickr photo by MikeWebkist (Michael Cramer)
Oregon State Hospital, OR photos by m-a-p (Flickr) and courtesy of Salem Oregon Public Library Historic Photograph Collections
Lier Mental Hospital, Norway Flickr photos by naustvik (Jarle Naustvik)
Northern State Hospital, WA Flickr photo by floodllama (Josh Wedin)
Western Washington State Hospital Flickr photos by quasilaur (Laura S.)
Rockwood Insane Asylum, Canada Flickr photo by asylumbythelake.com (Agatha Barc)
Montevue Asylum and Baltimore County Almshouse, MD photos are courtesy of Maryland State Archives, Special Collections- http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/speccol/sc5400/sc5492/html/almshouse_image_introduc...

If it was back in the day I would have been carted off a long time ago...but then I am also smart enough and sometimes with it enough that I would have told them that their electroshock therapy, ice baths, and whatever else had magically cured me and just kept my thoughts to myself after that. I mean really- how many people ever were "cured" in such places? Or did they just want to get out badly enough that they would go along with anything? Kudos doctor, you've cured another one that surely would have been mad without being taken away from their family and friends, put into solitary confinement and under physical restraints, electroshocked, and drugged out of their gourd!

Psychiatry is like religion, and perhaps there is a great need for it because life is like that- screwed up. But I'm thinking that you have yet to get the right answer for either... though there is a God, and yes people do need help sometimes.

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[crochrot1]

Hey I live in Tacoma,WA and I believe you are misinformed or just a lier!

[Carex09]

@crochrot1 These are actual news articles from the Port Townsend paper. They can be found at the U of Washington archives. I don't make this up, I just read it how it was (except one small comment about people mostly not being a danger). All photos were taken in psychiatric institutions including Western. Rather strikingly unjust isn't it? The Truth I mean.

And "liar" is spelled as such.

[MercedesNoah]

if i take a laxative and shit a lot in a day im crazy? lol jk

[Carex09]

@MercedesNoah If you make lightly of that that is so deep, are you being shallow, or are you being defensive? Are you callous or just a survivor?

[BillPringle1]

Tragically these cases and treatments are commonplace throughout the world in the "old days".

The asylum facilities all look the same and by today's standards are truly barbaric. Today people are still "committed" to psychiatric facilities but thanks to modern pharmacology and enlightened attitudes stays are usually short and treatments productive. That said, we still have a long way to go in reducing the ignorance and stigma surrounding mental health.

[grettagrids]

@musicdraganfly you mean you're an urban explorer?

[MrGoth54]

I FOUND YOUR NARRATION TO BE RATHER BIZZARRE IF ONLY BECAUSE YOU KEPT GOING TO...COMMERCIALS WHILE READING THE HISTRIONICS OF THIS MENTAL PATIENT.YET I WAS SOME-WHAT AMUSED BECAUSE YOU DID REMIND ME OF A LADY FRIEND WHOM HAS LONG SINCED PASSED.DO TAKE CARE,PEACE.

[MercedesNoah]

@Carex09 just making a joke some times i can be kinda stupid, say things i don't know why i said but i also don't really understand your comment

[tutukathy]

It is very hard to prove your sane once they cart you off to a state run mental institution.