By Dr. David Laing Dawson
Some years ago I researched the amount of press received by the Ontario Hospital (psychiatric hospital, mental hospital), and mental illness in general, over the years in the Hamilton Spectator. (The Hamilton Spectator is the newspaper for the greater region of Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1846.)
As one might guess, the stories of problems, success, reform, or improvements, grew in number in the good times and dwindled in times of war and/or economic crises. And the amount of attention paid also coincided with the periods of improvement and reform in the hospital.
Thus the high points occurred in the early 1900’s, then faded away during the first war. Attention came back in the 1920’s, partly in line with the numbers of veterans now being admitted to the hospital.
Again, attention faded during the great depression on through the second world war. It was not until the 1960’s that the hospital and mental illness treatment began receiving more press.
And, not coincidentally, it was during those periods (early 1900’s, 1920’s, and 1960’s) that major improvements in the hospital were made, along with new legislation protecting children, the mentally handicapped, and the mentally ill. And a range of new services were developed in those good periods, on through the 1970’s and 80’s.
Of course, in keeping with the optimism of the 1960’s and 1970’s, the de-institutionalization movement began. Why keep trying to improve these old mental hospitals, many of them built 100 years, now 150 years ago? Why not do away with them, and now that we have effective medications, treat all patients in general hospitals and in the community?
We all know what went wrong there. The ideas and practices of asylum, protection, and long term care waned along with the beds in these old institutions.
And again we struggled with and argued over the ideas and philosophies of human rights, volition, behavioural determinants, responsibilities.
I don’t know why I am writing about this. But I suspect it is to justify my attention and focus being drawn away from mental illness treatment by the tragedy and chaos being perpetrated by certain world leaders. With the war in Ukraine still raging, the war in Gaza unresolved, the U.S, or at least Trump and his cronies, bombing Iran, and the meth lab below our 49th parallel simmering in conflict and fear.
We need stable times, without war or the imminence of war, in order for our governments to focus on the plight of the mentally ill. History tells us this.
In the steps to full autocracy, Trump now has his external war.
Our Canadian government appears to be doing all it can to protect and distance Canada from the tragedy unfolding below us. And I’m sure there is little energy left over to focus on the plight of the mentally ill. But keep writing, Marvin et al.
