Black Sheep Family History

Asylums & the History of Mental Illness Treatment in America

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Step inside the hidden history of America's asylums. In this Educational Extra episode of Black Sheep Family History, we uncover how mental illness was understood and treated from the colonial era through the 20th century, and the records that were left behind. From overcrowded state hospitals to electroshock therapy and lobotomies, and the reforms that changed everything, this video explores the real history behind psychiatric care in America's past, and how to find records that could provide valuable insight into the lives of your ancestors.

  • How mental illness was viewed in the colonial era
  • Why asylums grew rapidly in the 19th century -- and why they became overcrowded
  • What records genealogists can use to uncover asylum stays
  • Medical treatments like shock therapy and ECT
  • The shift from institutions to community-based care in the 20th century

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    Black Sheep Family HistoryBy Janet Hall Werner