Mental Illness

Healani TolentinoJoshua GrantKawena Dela-Cruz Casta

The person largely credited for improving conditions for people with mental illness is Dorothea Lynde Dix. Abused and neglected as a child, Dix grew up to become a nurse by profession. As the story goes, after overhearing two men discussing the horrible conditions at the Middlesex County jail, Dix went to check it out for herself and found several mentally ill prisoners being kept in horrific conditions. With that, in 1838 she set out on a crusade to publicize the inhumane conditions in such places.

After gathering information, Dorothea Dix prepared a detailed report for the Massachusetts state legislature. The lawmakeres were shocked and voted to create public asylums for the mental ill. Dorothea Dix visited prisons demanding humane treatment for the mentally ill. She worked tirelessly to improve conditions for prisoners and the mentally ill.

Goal

MentalIllness

Key person

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General Description

Dorothea Dix was eager to checkout the Middlesex County Jail after overhearing two men dicussing the horrible conditions. She found several metally ill prisoners in horrific conditions. One time she found a woman who lived in a small building away from everyone. She would shout, swear, sing songs, and bang on her bars. Her room was dirty, never clean and a terrible smell. She was never washed or changed. She ate the food that was given to her and her own dirt. She had messy hair, dirty rags and awful sores on her body. Nothing could be done to help her. Dorothea Dix told others about the bad treatment of the insane. She shoked the lawmakers and they voted to create public asylums and demanded humane treatment. Dorothea Dix continued campaigning for prison reform for the rest of her life.

Conclusion