'Put away?'

[Top-of-the-hill]

  A slightly happier story about one of my mother's sisters, born 1915. When I knew her in the 1950s she was to some extent part of the family, but she was nervy and a little odd. Piecing the story together since, a cousin confirmed that she was quite intelligent and I suspect she was autistic. She had an illegitimate child about 1940, which may be when she first went into a mental hospital. I don't know how the adoption of the child happened, but another aunt kept in close touch with her and her adoptive parents.
   My grandfather must have been shocked when this happened, but she was never put away and forgotten. She was in and out of mental care, but also visited us quite often (I lived with my mother and grandfather) We even had a visit once from the now grown-up child, at which point mum had to tell me who she was!
   

[youngtug]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/non-fiction/review-undesirables-sarah-wise-law-locked-generation/

[Old Mother Reilly]

I discovered the hospital records of a relative of my OH: she had lived a full and busy life, running her household and having 5 children.  Then she began to behave irrationally (delusions, sudden passionate religious outpourings, failure to engage with her family).  She was initially sent to the county asylum and returned home when they felt she was stable and fit to carry on her regular routine.  Shortly afterwards she re-admitted herself and there she stayed for the remainder of her life, apparently quite content but unable to take up her responsibilities.  I understand she was visited but had little desire to interact with her family, curiousity about the outside world or their lives. 

At least she found a refuge - I felt sorry for the eldest daughter, who brought up her younger siblings.

[RJ_Paton]

Mental Deficiency  Act 1913

Reading the wording of this legislation shows it's potential for exploitation

https://education-uk.org/documents/acts/1913-mental-deficiency-act.html

[PrawnCocktail]

Happened at all levels of society. The late Queen had two cousins in an Asylum in Surrey, Katherine and Nerissa Bowes Lyon

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01t36/

But I found recently that someone adjudged to be a dangerous lunatic was recommended to be moved "some considerable distance" from his home area, as "it would be better" for both him and his wife. Visits from her seemed to upset him, which in turn made him violent.The staff thought he should have been in Broadmoor. This was around 1890.

[River Tyne Lass]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4CFiT1E_S3w

This is a good film based on a true life event.

'10 Days in a Madhouse' - a female reporter, Nellie Bly gets herself admitted undercover.

[Biggles50]

I used to work in a “Mental” Hospital.

My Boss used to say that you can easily tell which are the Patients, they wear odd socks.

The Nursing Staff dressed the Patients.

[BillyF]

Just click on the link in reply 12 BumbleBee, there`s plenty to be ashamed of there.

Thank goodness we have come along way from those sort of descriptions of people.

[coombs]

I had a friend who was sent to a psychiatric hospital in 2002. He had been sent there in 2000 and was very groggy and sick due to new meds but was more stable and was released soon after and back to his old self but was put away again in 2002 for attacking someone. He also had learning difficulties. I used to go and see him regularly in the psychiatric hospital. He was later moved away and I lost contact with him.

I worked with a man who had intellectual disability, his mind was not always on the job and he was a bit of a slow worker but I think his ID was quite mild as he was a carer for his sister when she got ill, and he seemed to handle some tasks more adroitly than others.