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Images From Inside The World’s Most Notorious Mental Institutions
Hart Island Lunatic Asylum in New York City
Image Source: thetravel.com
This facility was built on Hart Island in 1885 to manage overcrowding in other mental health institutions in New York City at the time. Only women were shipped to the asylum, as men with mental health problems were considered ‘insane’ whereas females were titled ‘lunatics’.
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in New Jersey
Image Source: allthatsinteresting.com
Despite being surrounded by tranquil green fields and beautiful landscapes, the stories from this mental health facility are not so peaceful…patients were forced to stay in freezing rooms and some were even locked in cages due to their ‘uncontrollable’ behaviour. The doors were finally closed in 1994 and the building remains an abandoned ruin.
Trenton State Hospital in New Jersey
Image Source: theoccultmuseum.com
After being founded in 1848, the institution was led by Dr. Henry Cotton until his death in 1933. He held the belief that physical infections were the cause of mental health problems and his practices often involved removing body parts to ‘cut off’ the illness. These practices continued even after his death until as late as the 1960s.
Clinic Les Alpes in Montreux
Image Source: RehabPath
This luxurious medical treatment facility specialises in substance and behavioural addictions, as well as treating co-existing mental health problems. Medical and therapy teams focus on the interplay between mind, body and spirits to rehabilitate individuals and support them through recovery.
Bethlem Royal Hospital in London
Image Source: Daily Mail
Notoriously known as ‘Bedlam’ this institution was established in 1247 making it Europe’s oldest mental health facility. For centuries it was renowned for being one of the worst institutions in the world, with patients receiving horrific treatment which included being beaten, starved routinely dunked in ice baths and held in straitjackets.
The Federico Mora Hospital in Guatemala
Image Source: thetravel.com
Many people believe that poor mental health care institutions are a thing of the past…but that isn’t necessarily the case. The Federico Mora Hospital in Guatemala is labelled one of the worst facilities in the world where patients receive horrific treatment including being shackled and sedated.
The Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra in Italy
Image Source: thetravel.com
This facility became one of the largest mental health institutions in Europe during the 1960s, with severe overcrowding meaning there were only 2 toilets to every 200 patients. They were also subject to cruel physical treatment, including insulin therapy and electroshock therapy.
The Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital in South Korea
Image Source: curiousarchive.com
According to legend, the abandoned hospital is haunted due to the mysterious and unexplained deaths that happened when patients were being treated there for mental health problems. The hospital closed in 1997 and the building remains as it was all those years ago…
Haven Forest Asylum in Maryland
Image Source: thetravel.com
After opening its doors in 1925, it was considered a state of the art facility providing high-quality care for disabled children and those with mental health problems. However, things soon changed when funding was cut and patients were subject to abuse and neglect.
Severalls Hospital in Essex
Image Source: thetravel.com
This psychiatric hospital was first opened in 1913 and mainly treated female patients, as mental illness was thought to be more prevalent in the female population rather than male. In the 1950s many patients were subject to experimental treatments which are now considered unethical, including the frontal lobotomy.
Willard Asylum For The Chronic Insane in New York City
Image Source: allthatsinteresting.com
Although this facility was first opened in 1869 to provide better care for those with mental illnesses, it soon became one of the worst institutions in the USA. Patients were dumped there for years on end, suffering neglect and abuse. They finally shut their doors in 1995.
Philadelphia State Hospital at Byberry in Pennsylvania
Image Source: allthatsinteresting.com
After opening in 1903 as a place to treat patients to reduce overcrowding in other mental health hospitals, the numbers started to increase rapidly. Staff struggled to deal with the out-of-control growth, and violence led to a number of unsolved murders on site…
Institute of Mental Health in Singapore
Image Source: IMH
Formerly know as the ‘Lunatic Asylum’ this institution was first opened in 1841. By the early 1920s they had capacity for 1,400 patients with mental health conditions. When Singapore surrendered to Japan in 1942, they transferred nearly 500 patients to St John’s Island to make room for injured soldiers, where many starved to death.
The New York City Lunatic Asylum
Image Source: allthatsinteresting.com
The facility was built on Roosevelt Island in the East River in New York City, an isolated area of the city where the unwanted members of society could be hidden away. They began taking patients in 1841, but the poor conditions and abuse soon became leaked in the press and their doors were later closed.
West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum in West Yorkshire
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After being founded back in 1818, this facility was one of the first state-run mental health institutions in the country. Despite the intention to provide improved care for the mentally ill, it was uncovered that the staff used inhumane treatments and the hospital was finally closed in 1995.
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey
Image Source: Abandoned NJ
After being established in 1876, this asylum was built to manage overcrowding in other mental health institutions in the surrounding area. It was originally meant to only house 350 patients, but it was expanded several times reaching a peak capacity of 7,700. It was closed in 2008 due to poor conditions and overcrowding.
Cleveland Asylum For The Insane in Ohio
Image Source: allthatsinteresting.com
This state-run hospital was first built during the 1850s on land donated by the family of President James A. Garfield. Like many other mental health institutions around the same time period, they were subject to mistreating the patients. In 1975 it became a centre for patients with autism, but this was soon closed down due to unethical practice.
Metropolitan State Hospital in Massachusetts
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This facility opened in 1927, becoming one the largest and most advanced mental health institutions in the state. The hospital became infamous after one of the patients was murdered in 1978. It was only kept open for a short time before being closed due to budget cuts.
The Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum in London
Image Source: allthatsinteresting.com
The facility officially opened in 1851, which received much attention as mental health institutions were viewed as novelties by the general public. It was the largest of the asylums built in Europe at the time, with a capacity of 1,000 patients. However, in 1903 a fire in the hospital killed 52 patients…they were all female.
Willowbrook State School on Staten Island
Image Source: theoccultmuseum.com
This institution was first opened in 1947 to treat children with mental illness. However, after several outbreaks of hepatitis A medical professionals took advantage of the facility and used the children as guinea pigs to study the effects of the disease and drug trials. It was finally closed down in 1987 after years of malpractice complaints had been filed.
The Twin Towers in Los Angeles
Image Source: Los Angeles Times
This is the largest mental health facility in the country, which is actually attached to a prison. The name ‘Twin Towers’ comes from the design of the building, with one tower being used to treat over 1,400 incarcerated patients with mental illnesses.
Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire
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This high-security male psychiatric hospital treats patients diagnosed with severe mental illnesses with a high risk of harm to themselves or members of society. When it was first built in 1863, it was know as the ‘Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum’. One of the most notorious patients to be treated at Broadmoor is Peter Sutcliffe, otherwise known as the ‘Yorkshire Ripper’.
The Topeka State Hospital in Kansas
Image Source: worldabandoned.com
They first opened their doors in 1872, providing care and treatment for the mentally ill. By the early 1900s, there were rumours circulating of unethical practice and mistreatment of patients which led to the hospital being investigated over the course of nearly 100 years before they finally closed their doors in 1997.
Waverley Hills Sanatorium in Kentucky
Image Source: theoccultmuseum.com
This facility was first opened to treat patients with tuberculosis after an outbreak in the early 1900s, but was soon closed as inhumane experimental surgeries caused high death rates. It then became a place for elderly patients with mental health illnesses, but once again closed down as patients were being neglected and abused.
The Kusnacht Practice in Switzerland
Image Source: About Her
This elite medical facility specialises in treating addiction and mental health disorders, providing each patient with their own private villa during their stay. It is one of the most exclusive institutions, providing individuals with a high level of confidentiality and professional care.
Danver State Hospital in Massachusetts
Image Source: allthatsinteresting.com
When it first opened in 1878, the medical professionals implemented policies against using physical restraint with the approach to cure the patients rather than lock them away from society. However, the hospital soon became overcrowded and out of control, meaning staff turned to the use of straitjackets, shock therapy, and lobotomies.
Beechworth Lunatic Asylum in Australia
Image Source: theoccultmuseum.com
This facility was surrounded by 260 acres of farmland, with patients being encouraged to work as farmers and landscapers during their rehabilitation. However, in the 1950s physical treatments were implemented which involved the use of straitjackets and electroshock therapy. The maltreatment of patients was only discovered after it had closed.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto
Image Source: Infrastructure Ontario
After being established in 1998, this facility provides the best mental health services in the country and is one of the top in the world for research. They provide innovative brain stimulation treatments for people with depression who do not respond to traditional interventions, such as therapy and medication.
Pilgrim Psychiatric Center in New York City
Image Source: LIFE
This facility first opened in 1931 and it soon became one of the biggest mental health hospitals in the world at the peak in 1954, housing over 13,500 patients. It was still considered one of the largest psychiatric facilities in the world despite being closed, until the building was demolished in 2012.
Narrenturm in Vienna
Image Source: theoccultmuseum.com
This was one of the first asylums ever built, after being established in 1784. It originally contained 139 cells which were all equipped with chains to restrain the ‘inmates’. However, as the approach to treating mental illness became more advanced the building was no longer used as a prison for patients and instead it was used to house medical staff.
