Insane Asylums and Institutions

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Originally, people with mental illness were thought to be possessed by spirits or even the Devil. They were prayed over or subjected to exorcisms. Later, as doctors realized that mental illness was a disease of the mind - asylums and institutions were built to house those labelled as insane. Also, people with physical deformities or who were blind or deaf ended up here too. Once someone was placed in one of these places, they usually never left. These institutions were a place of pain and suffering. Abuse ran rampant. There were few nurses and doctors for hundreds to thousands of patients and often not enough food either. Patients who were predators were left free to prey on the vulnerable or children in the institution. Often, epidemics were rampant and hundreds would die at a time. People with mental illness remained institutionalized until the 1970's. Then a campaign began to close down the large asylums and move its inhabitants to smaller group homes. Arguments still rage about this today. Home owners don't want group homes in their neighborhood, some parents feel their children are safest in large state run "habilitation centers".