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“Do we need insane asylums?” This is a question that’s been popping up lately with the rising homelessness and mental troubles our society is experiencing.

Patricia Lubeck, author of ASYLUM SCANDALS: Abuse, Torture, Corruption and Murder in Minnesota’s State Hospitals, is well-versed regarding the atrocities that took place behind these buildings’ walls. Patricia has been studying and learning all she can about the asylums in Minnesota, and she talks about her macabre discoveries in her book. Readers will certainly be taken to a world they’re not used to.

Today, we’ll be talking about whether or not we should revive insane asylums. Buildings that once housed and towered over many lives.

Reviving Asylums Might Not Be Beneficial for Mentally Ill Individuals

There has been a recent surge in interest in mental health. This is due to the overwhelming evidence that the American mental health care system is flawed. One evidence of this is the promotion of discredited methods in the hunt for simple solutions to challenging but manageable issues. Given that it appeared in a prominent medical publication and had a well-known proponent, one such suggested treatment is especially concerning.

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel and his co-authors performed a convincing job of illustrating the fallout from a dysfunctional mental health system. They uncovered the exorbitant and pointless expenses, homelessness, violence, suicide, and human suffering within the broken system. However, they came up with the solution of bringing back the asylums for the insane that appeared in Europe and the United States in the 1800s.

But as we all know, history has shown us that asylums just proved to be a vast, irreversible financial loss. Other factors, including overcrowding, ideological shifts, and leaders who wanted control over policies and admissions, destroyed these formerly caring institutions. In the twenty-first century, we are not obligated to make the same mistakes twice.

We Must Stop Romanticizing Insane Asylums

When a well-known medical professional like Emanuel romanticizes the asylum, it runs the risk of detracting from important efforts and resources. These resources and attention could’ve been provided to intensify the construction of a suitable community mental health infrastructure.

In addition, we must create alternatives to institutionalization for those suffering from mental illnesses. We must also expand the availability of communal housing. Providing communal housing for the mentally ill is better than warehousing them in adult homes, hospitals, and nursing homes.

The question, “Do we need insane asylums?” would be answered if we succeed in reusing a portion of the enormous amounts we currently spend on inpatient care to fulfill the Community Mental Health Act’s goals. Patricia Lubeck is also concerned about reviving asylums. This is because history would easily repeat itself, so it’s best that we don’t bring back mental asylums.

Do We Need Insane Asylums When No One Deserves to Be Expelled From Their Homes?

We all seek to look after our own needs instead of relying on the generosity of others. Every one of us wants to bring something to our community, neighborhood, and home. These aspirations are not possible in long-term institutions.

Institutions, by their very nature, encourage dependency and weakness. Nobody who suffers from a disease, even a mental condition, should be seen as hopeless. They shouldn’t be kept in isolation until they pass away. A system of asylum care would entail removing someone from their family and community. It would entail placing them in an institution for the rest of their lives.

If you want to read more about why we shouldn’t bring back asylums based on the horrible things that happened in them, Patricia Lubeck’s book can do just that.

Grab a copy of the book today by visiting her website at https://www.plubeck.com/order/. Check out our other blogs, too, and discover the abusive horror of the asylum system!