How Madness Was Treated in the 19th Century | A History of Victorian Mental Hospitals
In the 19th century, Britain attempted to change its attitude toward mental illness. In place of chains and prisons, psychiatric hospitals emerged, built on the ideals of humanity, order, and treatment. The York Asylum, a system of moral treatment, and the abandonment of physical restraints—all seemed like a step toward progress.
But over time, good intentions collided with reality: overcrowding, control, isolation, and the loss of human dignity. Victorian mental hospitals transformed from a symbol of hope into a system from which escape was nearly impossible.
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