As Illinois grew, so did its need for asylums—but the path to so-called “care” was paved with legal loopholes, power struggles, and devastating personal costs. In this episode, Matt Bodett and Megan Sterling dive into the forgotten histories of madness in Illinois, tracing the forces that shaped its asylum system.

From Dorothea Dix’s cross-country fight for humane treatment to Edward Mead’s ill-fated Chicago Retreat, we follow the reformers, the laws, and the failures that defined Illinois’ approach to madness. Along the way, we uncover the disturbing legal maneuvers that allowed women to be institutionalized without a trial, leading to the infamous case of Elizabeth Packard—a woman locked away by her husband for daring to speak her mind.

Colonialism, racism, asylum advocacy, and resistance all collide in this story of a state struggling to decide what to do with those it called insane. And at the heart of it all? The early foundations of what would become Dunning.

Mad Tea is produced by PRESS HERE and is a project of the Center for Mad Culture. Learn more about them at madculture.org

Information for the Dunning series is taken from the book DUNNING: Special Report, published by The Center for Mad Culture in 2024 and written by Matt Bodett. Copies of this book can be purchased through their website.

This is going to seem out of place... But.... we wanted to get this episode out to everyone before the exhitbion came down. So, listen to the episode and stop by the Center for Mad Culture March 28th or 29th to see the work before it comes down!

Photographer melissa kreider joins Megan Sterling to discuss WORTHY, an exhibition that sheds light on survivors of intimate partner violence who have been criminalized for acting in self-defense. Through photography, Kreider challenges the legal and societal frameworks that punish survival, creating a space for visibility and justice. In this conversation, she reflects on the power of visual storytelling, the ethics of representation, and the role of art in confronting systemic violence.

This interview is conducted in coordination with the exhibition currently on view at the Center for Mad Culture thru March 29th, 2025.

melissa's website can be found at: https://www.melissakreider.com

Learn more about "worthy" and bystander awareness: https://www.melissakreider.com/worthyedu

And, The Escape Plan, mentioned in the episode, can be downloaded here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5749a72c356fb0bb3450d4bc/t/63571e9674728610d2e47c1a/1666653846964/escapeplan_printablebooklet_EN.pdf

El Plan de Escape está disponible para descargar en español. Este libro, creado por melissa kreider, explora caminos y herramientas para salir de la violencia de pareja. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5749a72c356fb0bb3450d4bc/t/635871ffaf27cb471a11c973/1666740735408/escapeplan_printablebooklet_SP.pdf

Before asylums stretched across the American landscape, madness was met with chains, neglect, and fear. Then came moral therapy—a vision of kindness, calm, and care. It promised that mad people could be guided back to reason, not through force, but through routine, tranquility, and gentle hands.

But was it truly freedom, or just another cage?

In this episode, Matt and Megan trace the origins of moral therapy—from the quiet halls of the York Retreat in England to the towering asylums of America. They follow the footsteps of William Tuke, a tea merchant turned reformer, and Philippe Pinel, the man who unchained the mad (or so the story goes). They explore how an idea meant to heal became the blueprint for a system that would, in time, crumble under its own weight.

The road to Dunning begins here—with a dream of care that became something else.

Mad Tea is produced by PRESS HERE and is a project of the Center for Mad Culture. Learn more about them at madculture.org

Information for the Dunning series is taken from the book DUNNING: Special Report, published by The Center for Mad Culture in 2024 and written by Matt Bodett. Copies of this book can be purchased through their website.

Welcome to Mad Tea, a podcast where madness is reclaimed as a cultural identity—bold, vibrant, and unapologetic. In this inaugural episode, Matt Bodett introduces the podcast’s purpose: to challenge dominant narratives, explore the histories and aesthetics of madness, and create space for mad voices.

From ancient myths to modern psychiatry, madness has been shaped by power—feared, institutionalized, and medicalized. But mad people have always resisted. This episode traces the historical struggle over the meaning of madness, from the prophetic madness of Cassandra to the rise of psychiatric survivor movements. It also introduces the Center for Mad Culture, a space dedicated to celebrating and preserving mad art, history, and activism.

Join us as we challenge the boundaries of "sanity", reclaim our narratives, and imagine a world where madness is seen not as a disorder, but as a vital force of culture and creativity.

Mad Tea is produced by PRESS HERE and is a project of the Center for Mad Culture. Learn more about them at madculture.org

Our music is produced and provided by Had Matter.