Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Mental Health Institution


Yasmin Karce

English 226

Professor Coronado

Archive Assignment

09 December 2014

 

Mental Health Institution

 

            In the article “Journal of Wisconsin State Lunatic Asylum and Hospital for the Insane,” several authors of the Mendota Mental Health Institute of Wisconsin and Office of the Secretary of State explain many aspects within the asylum. The exact authors for this article are unknown, but the location of the text takes place in Madison, Wisconsin. The information provided within the Insane Asylum pamphlet discusses the specifications of the hospital and how they will satisfy the state’s requirements, including the production of adding four stories to the building. Subjects such as cost of building material, comfort level of the patient, and dynamic of the building’s layout are focal points of the state’s concerns for developing the Insane Asylum. Other specifications include: excavations, stone masonry, brick work, plastering, timber, floors, windows, doors, washboards, stairs, and many more. The overall product is said to be completed by the first of September of 1859 (Journal of Wisconsin State Lunatic Asylum and Hospital for the Insane 4-13). This leaves room for four to five years of planning. This documentation is important because funding for mental health institutions have been scarce, and are even more so now since the rate of diagnosis for mental illness is rapidly increasing. While funding for new, and current, mental health institutions is important, this article shows little detail on the care for its patients and focuses more on the structural appeal of the establishment; not only was funding lacked back in 1854, it still is today. In order for mental health institutions to be considered a viable option for treatment, one must first obtain the necessary information to understand institutionalization as a potential option for rehabilitating those who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. The purpose of reading this text is to educate individuals on the importance of Mental Health Institutions, and to show that most healthcare officials waste money on useless technology that does not benefit the patients. The vast majority should read this text because it is a good source that shows how the mental systems truly work; it is not always about the care of the patients, but rather how much money the workers can make, and so on.

            The amount of effort put in to building a mental health institution greatly effects whether or not the institution can be readily established for its incoming patients and be seen as a working center for recovery. A significant dose of passion must be incorporated in the production of a place of comfort for the mentally inclined. For instance, officials conducting the framework of the asylum stated that all materials used throughout the building shall be of the best quality of their several kinds. All stock shall be in the best condition for use, at the time of being put in; all labor shall be performed by the workmen to the best of their art and ability, in a thorough, faithful, and workmanlike manner (Journal of Wisconsin State Lunatic). The description of how each section of the building is going to be built is very particular and explained with great detail; this shows the level of dedication the state officials have for accomplishing the task at hand. If individuals are aware of the financial distraught that takes place when establishing a mental asylum, they will be able to better understand the importance behind its need to exist for the public.

Mental health has been a stable concern for many years. The act of fundraising for mental health research has become a difficult process due to the lack of knowledge on the subject; many people need help overcoming their mental illness, but money is given elsewhere.  According to the International Journal of Mental Health Systems, the global situation for people with mental illness – in developing and developed countries – is dire. Legislative and human rights protections are frequently lacking, and mental health budgets are inadequate (Minas). The entire process of creating a mental health asylum is more difficult than one might think because without the funds, many individuals are not receiving the help they need, and if they are, it is not the best care for their mental illness. Thus why there is an urgent need to focus on the development of effective, appropriate, affordable mental health services (Minas). I think the majority of mental health facilities focus too much on the “looks” of the center rather than the level of treatment they give their patients. For instance, stated in the specifications booklet from the Wisconsin State Lunatic Asylum, the footing for the foundation walls of the building are to be of concrete, made of rock, broken fine, and thoroughly grouted with the best water lime and sand (Journal of Wisconsin State Lunatic 5). If I were a patient in this asylum, I would not care to worry if the building I was receiving treatment from looked fancy; the majority of people are there to get better. The condition of the building does not aid, or deter, the patient’s progress. I know this because I was thrown into a mental hospital where the room was small, cold, and lonely. The thing I had to look at was a white wall of concrete. Would I have been able to deal with my depression quicker if the room was colored coated? I think not. It is the level of care provided that allows the patient to be successful during their recovery process. Mental health institutions continue to poorly execute that funding should be the first step to receiving proper mental health care because without a significant amount of money and knowledge, there will be less growth for research and improvement. Society needs to begin making up for patient’s lost time, due to their mental illness.

According to the article mental health: a world of depression, approximately 350 million people suffer from some form of mental illness that usually lasts most of their lifetime (Smith). The prevalence of mental disorders has increased since 1854, but most of the regulations regarding mental health institutions have remained the same due to the fact that little progress has been made in the areas of funding and research. By providing easily accessible information to the general public, achieving the goal of facilitating the growth of institutions may become more realistic. Also, by introducing the text provided by the Wisconsin State Lunatic Asylum it allows people to see the extensive amount of work that must be put in to conducting an institution for mental health, but during this time frame, state officials were more concerned with producing a very pristine asylum versus applying funds toward better answers as to why mental health is and has become such a detrimental aspect of society. As it is explained, members of the Mendota Mental Health Institute of Wisconsin and Office of the Secretary of State decided that having mineral plated knobs on the doors of the asylum – that would also have separate keys for locking and unlocking female and male wards – would be an important attribute to their newly developed institution (Wisconsin State Lunatic Asylum 17). All of these intricate details seem pointless when it comes to the explanation of mental health, but these are the ideas that Madison state officials focused on, at the time of development.

The subject of mental health is heavily based on stereotypical opinions that derives from the lack of understanding its true content. The Wisconsin State Lunatic Asylum and Hospital for the Insane deters the ability to allow its readers to comprehend the logical matter of what mental health and illness consist of, therefore causing individuals to not become advocates for bettering the field of mental health. I have argued for this article to be viewed by all in order for one to see where state funding for issues concerning mental health has been directed towards; this article concludes that knowledge about mental health and illness was just as ignorant as it is today. The care that the patients receive should not derive from the beautiful landscape they are able to see from their hospital window, but rather from the passion and commitment allotted by their care-providers. This text needs to be read in hopes that individuals will see that Mental Health Institutions today do not give their patients the best care. They spend more time on buying new equipment for the building rather than making sure their patients have everything they need to make their journey of wellness a good one.

 

 

                                                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                          Works Cited

 

Journal of Wisconsin State Lunatic Asylum and Hospital for the Insane.

 

Minas, Harry, and Alex Cohen. "Why Focus on Mental Health Systems?" International Journal of Mental Health Systems 1.1 (2007): 1. Web.

 

 

Smith, Kerri. "Mental Health: A World of Depression." Nature 515.7526 (2014): n. pag. Web.

 

 

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