How Mental Health Care has Changed
Over the weekend, while we were taking a bit of a break to celebrate our anniversary, one of the stops Angela wanted to make was to The Ridges, in Athens, Ohio. It’s the site of a former insane asylum, most of which is now part of Ohio University. There is one building that is still completely abandoned, parts of the main asylum building that are in some disrepair, and, of course, the cemetery.
In preparation for the trip, I did a little reading on the history of the place, which, of course also read like a history of mental health treatment. On the cemetary page, naturally, we learn why most of the gravestones bear only a number and no name. The vast majority of the patients were simply brought here by their families, and left to die. Only the graves of those patients whose families claimed them, and bore the cost of the headstone, have names.
The lack of names on the tombstones here bears witness to how little mental illness has been understood, and how poorly it has been treated in our past.
Tags: MentalIllness, Asylum, The Ridges, AthensOhio, Cemetery
Hi,
I am a medical student and child abuse survivor myself. Sometimes we feel that we can move on from the past, overcome what is painful and bury it deep within. However, the hurt is still there. The medical community needs to examine the way they treat common depression and anxiety. Some of these mental illnesses may be direct or indirect result of childhood trauma. Healthcare providers need to look at the big picture and not get so caught up in diagnosing one specific illness and attempting to treat it aggressively.
Happy Anniversary Mike & Angela!!
Wow, Mike, that story gives me chills. It must have really been something to feel what it was like, seeing the cemetary and abadoned building in person.