Take this paragraph and make one of the text evidence pieces and from an online source and make it talk a little bit more about how asylum treated people in the 1930s this paragraph is about how people were mentally disabled people retreated by society and the government and make sure to cite the sources used but don’t rewrite the entire writing make sure it’s about America in the 1930s Great Depression era. In the 1930s people with mental illnesses, faced significant social judgment, and isolation, largely due to the misunderstanding of their conditions, many communities view those with mental health challenges as dangerous or morally weak, which led to the judgment as Edward shorter notes, “The general public regarded mental illness with fear and often contempt, Seeing it as a deviation From social norms” (Shorter, 1997). The social judgment was compounded by a lack of awareness about mental health, resulting in those individuals being confined to institutions or rejected by their families as mental health specialist, fuller Torrey Points out, “ People were often hidden away out of sight treated as pariahs or even criminals” (Torrey, 2008). The combination of fear and ignorance left many suffering individuals without the support they desperately needed, reinforcing the cycle of judgment and misunderstanding that lived throughout the era

1 answer

In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, the treatment of individuals seeking asylum due to mental health issues was reflective of the broader societal attitudes towards mental illness. Asylum conditions were often harsh, and patients were frequently treated with a lack of dignity and understanding. According to historian A. J. P. Taylor, "Asylums during this period were overcrowded and underfunded, leading to inhumane conditions and a focus on containment rather than care" (Taylor, 2021). As a result, many individuals with mental illnesses were not only isolated from society but also subjected to deplorable living conditions within these institutions. This contributed to a cycle of stigma and dehumanization, as the general public continued to see mental illness through a lens of fear and ignorance, further marginalizing those in need of compassionate care and support. The combination of societal misunderstanding and the institutional neglect of the time left many people without the necessary treatment, reinforcing the pervasive cycle of shame and isolation faced by individuals with mental disabilities.

Sources:

  • Taylor, A. J. P. (2021). The History of Asylum Treatment: The Great Depression Era. [Online Source]