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• 1 media/taunton state hospital arial.jpg 2021-04-21T16:52:26+00:00 Buildings and Architecture 5 The architecture of mental health institutions plain 2021-05-20T23:05:57+00:00

  This book will guide you through multiple aspects of the history of mental health treatment centers including buildings and architecture, a map of 14 different centers, a short documentary about the failure of a center in New York, literature that features treatment centers, and a well known book, also turned into a movie, that addresses an important aspect of mental health that was misunderstood and mistreated for centuries: postpartum depression.

  First, let's take a look at three specific mental health treatment centers. The oldest of the three is the Bethlem Royal Hospital or "Bedlam" located in Beckenham, England. Next are two in the United State: the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virgina and the Camarillo State Hospital in Camarillo, California. These three institutions offer three different uses of land and architecture that were used to rehabilitate people with mental health issues that were largely misunderstood for centuries. 
  
  Bethlem Royal Hospital "Bedlam" in Beckenham, England. Established in 1247 and is still open today (in operation for 774 years)
  The Bethlem Royal Hospital is  a psychiatric hospital in Beckenham, South East London. Dating back to 1247, when it was built by Italian missionaries, it is the oldest known hospital of its kind in the world. It is still operating as part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
  
  Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia. Established in 1864 and closed in 1994 (operated for 130 years). Opened as a museum and Halloween Haunt in 2007 (14 years) "The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, constructed between 1858 and 1881, is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America, and is purportedly the second largest in the world, next to the Kremlin. It was designed by the renowned architect Richard Andrews following the Kirkbride plan, which called for long rambling wings arranged in a staggered formation, assuring that each of the connecting structures received an abundance of therapeutic sunlight and fresh air. The original hospital, designed to house 250 souls, was open to patients in 1864 and reached its peak in the 1950s with 2,400 patients in overcrowded and generally poor conditions. Changes in the treatment of mental illness and the physical deterioration of the facility forced its closure in 1994 inflicting a devastating effect on the local economy, from which it has yet to recover." Source. 
  
  Camarillo State Mental Hospital in Camarillo, California. Established in 1933 and closed in 1997. Now integrated into California State University Channel Islands "The first official hospital patients were adult men, who were housed in the Bell Tower (South Complex). In 1937, 300 women patients were transferred to Camarillo from other state hospitals. In fact, there were so many patient transfers from other overcrowded state hospitals, that a North Complex was initiated in 1939. The South Complex and the North Complex were then divided into male and female wards. "In 1969, the Lanterman Petris Short Act became effective, which eliminated the previous indefinite commitments of persons found by a court to be mentally disabled. The new law required an automatic judicial review of every decision to hospitalize a person involuntarily beyond a very limited time. The law also required annual reconsideration of involuntary treatment. State agencies encouraged outside placement of individuals under the Penal Code, which in turn, led levels of care or services at state hospitals to decrease, while costs of care increased.
  "In 1971, the CAM treatment staff was reorganized under a program management concept, which enabled the establishment of treatment programs for persons with similar needs. Each treatment program was headed by a program director/mental health professional. Later, in 1976, the reorganization of the hospital led to the establishment of an Executive Director, who appointed a Clinical Director, Medical Director, and Administration Services Director for the hospital. Discoveries regarding chemical barriers in the brain created a new generation of drugs, which enabled a mentally disabled person to live a normal life. After forty years, the 'mental hospital' role of CAM dwindled." Source.