MHA Honoring Dorethea Dix during National Women's History Month
Earlier today I received the article that follows from Mental Health America. I hope you find it interesting. Here it is:
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (March 2, 2009)—As part of National Women’s History Month and its 100th Anniversary celebration, Mental Health America is honoring the enormous contributions of mental health advocate Dorothea Dix.
Dorothea Dix is recognized as a groundbreaking figure in the treatment of individuals with a mental health condition and one of the most influential social reformers of the 19th Century. Dix has been previously honored during National Women’s History Month, which is celebrated each year in March.
“Dorothea Dix was a crusader for humane treatment and a voice of conscience,” said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America. “We will always remember her work and accomplishments.”
In 1841, Dix, then a teacher, volunteered to teach a Sunday school class to the women in the East Cambridge Jail in Massachusetts. When she entered the jail to teach, she was appalled at the conditions the inmates were forced to endure. At the time, people with mental health conditions were viewed as incurable and generally unaware of their surroundings.
Dix found similar conditions in prisons throughout Massachusetts and convinced the state legislature to increase funding for the state psychiatric hospital to accommodate additional residents. During the next 40 years, Dix persuaded legislatures in 15 states as well as in Canada and Europe to establish 32 public psychiatric hospitals and stop imprisoning people with mental illnesses. She also successfully lobbied Congress to establish the first and only national federal mental health facility, which grew to be a world-class mental health and research center.
She founded several hospitals and schools for those with mental illness as well as specialized schools for nurses. Her reforms were put into practice in Europe as well. In 1887, she passed away in a hospital she had founded.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (March 2, 2009)—As part of National Women’s History Month and its 100th Anniversary celebration, Mental Health America is honoring the enormous contributions of mental health advocate Dorothea Dix.
Dorothea Dix is recognized as a groundbreaking figure in the treatment of individuals with a mental health condition and one of the most influential social reformers of the 19th Century. Dix has been previously honored during National Women’s History Month, which is celebrated each year in March.
“Dorothea Dix was a crusader for humane treatment and a voice of conscience,” said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America. “We will always remember her work and accomplishments.”
In 1841, Dix, then a teacher, volunteered to teach a Sunday school class to the women in the East Cambridge Jail in Massachusetts. When she entered the jail to teach, she was appalled at the conditions the inmates were forced to endure. At the time, people with mental health conditions were viewed as incurable and generally unaware of their surroundings.
Dix found similar conditions in prisons throughout Massachusetts and convinced the state legislature to increase funding for the state psychiatric hospital to accommodate additional residents. During the next 40 years, Dix persuaded legislatures in 15 states as well as in Canada and Europe to establish 32 public psychiatric hospitals and stop imprisoning people with mental illnesses. She also successfully lobbied Congress to establish the first and only national federal mental health facility, which grew to be a world-class mental health and research center.
She founded several hospitals and schools for those with mental illness as well as specialized schools for nurses. Her reforms were put into practice in Europe as well. In 1887, she passed away in a hospital she had founded.
posted by Hoosier RT | 4:38 PM
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