Patient With Acute Melancholia

I believe that one reason insane asylums became popular–initially–is that they broke down traditional stereotypes about what it meant to be insane. For years, people viewed insanity as both incurable and hereditary. As views changed in the 1830s, hope became possible for families dealing with insanity. Alienists believed the condition could be cured, especially if it were nipped in the bud during what they called the acute phase. Asylums were looked upon as “hospitals for the mind” and alienists held out the possibility of curing  diseases of the mind just as they did for diseases of the body.

At the same time, alienists began moving away from the idea that insanity was heredity. This belief shows itself in the many Victorian-era novels where heroes/heroines refuse to marry because of the “tainted blood” they might pass on. Alienists began to think that at most, heredity only gave a predisposition toward insanity, just as it might give a child a predisposition toward certain physical conditions. But, just as “weak lungs” might be prevented through fresh air and exercise, a predisposition toward melancholia, for example, might be thwarted by brisk mental activity, interesting hobbies, social involvement, and so on.

This new thinking was so encouraging for families who had a member with mental health issues!